Eat the Rainbow Rainbow Root Ferment

Rainbow Root Ferment

Maw-Maw Kelli, Herbalist

Its very important to ‘Eat the Rainbow.’  A few years back, I took a series of Webinars classes from Lisa Ganora that went along with her book Herbal Constituents (which I also own) and have enjoyed reading it and learning more about Phytochemicals.  Its very interesting science and I hope your check out her work.  http://www.herbalconstituents.com/

I used the foundation of that information to create my Rainbow Root Ferment.   I wanted to find a way to eat the rainbow, daily. Certainly this is not the only way I ‘Eat the Rainbow’ but it’s a good way to get started.   Fermented food can not only help you with beneficial bacteria but eating the rainbow daily will help you get those needed phytonutrients that come in the different colors of the veggies (and you can add apples to sweeten this if you like)

Supplies

Fermentation Vessel (mason jar and lid works just fine, or fermentation crock)

Parsnip

Carrots

Purple Onion

Turnip

Beets

Green Apple**

Radishes

Salt (non iodized for this)

Water

Cilantro (fresh)

** Optional--to sweeten if you like or leave this out if  you like but first time fermenters or people not used to eating fermented foods may find the apple helpful and makes it a little sweet)

Grate or Chop (remember Sandor says choppers choice. I like to grate especially when I have apprentices to help me LOL) all the roots.

Doesn’t this look wonderful!!!  And it is!!!

Sprinkle salt on the mixture allow to sit for about 20 minutes. Come back and use your hands to ‘knead’ the mixture to release the moisture.

Then I place this in the fermentation vessel and fill the vessel with salt brine (if there is not enough of the natural liquid to cover it) and use a weight to keep the material below the salt brine.

Allow to ferment to your desired taste (at least 8 days--many people will go longer, the longer the better, I believe but it is your choice).  Watch carefully so that no mold develops. If you are unfamiliar with fermenting familiarize yourself a bit. http://www.wildfermentation.com/

When you like the taste switch to another jar and store in the Frig. Eat a few forkfuls with your dinner each evening. Its good for you!

Botanical Perfume Benefits

Botanical Perfume Benefits

Unlike synthetic perfumes, which cause some people to react (MCS or asthmatics, for example) in negative way to the chemicals and synthetics that are used in perfumery,  botanical or plant based perfumes seem to be very tolerable among most sensitive individuals.  Beyond being 'tolerable' botanical perfumes adjusts to your body chemistry, so people who may have trouble finding the 'right' perfume for them often find love for botanical perfumes. I have been told by several people that they could not find a perfume that works with their chemistry only to be elated a overjoyed by using my botanical perfumes. 

But, can botanical perfume really be considered therapy or beneficial? When I first began making perfume I would have said, no this is for fun and enjoyment only, or everyone likes smell good stuff but it’s a waste of time, money and energy. My cynicism had arisen after years of smelling people OVER use of synthetic perfumes (and those still bother me). Everywhere I went I was getting slammed with other people’s smells and it made it difficult for me to breathe. However, after I created my scent (EarthKeeper) I fell in love with it and began to feel a little less cynical about perfumes, but I realized all this time what I needed was to explore botanical perfumes. The more I started using them and the more people started buying my perfumes and using them, and reporting back on them I started to see things a little differently.  Then one day it hit me; why not make the perfume to do both, smell good and be therapeutic.  So I created Bergamot Uplifting as a mood elevator botanical perfume. I started getting more and more feedback from this perfume and others I started creating for different purposes. Many people started telling me the perfume makes them feel energized, happy, relaxed, 'in the mood.' One lady told me, ‘this perfume helps me get through my day at my so-so job.'  So I started rethinking the question. So while a few years ago I would have scoffed at that question about botanical perfume being beneficial, now I am realizing we can have the best of both worlds.  We can smell and feel good at the same time with botanical perfumes. 

You can find my perfumes at www.mawmawkelli.com 

Look for new scents being released soon!!! 

Are you looking for some scents for gift giving for the Holidays? Candy Cane and Enchanted Forest   are two of my pics for the gift giving season! 

Johnnie's Songbird is also popular for gif giving! 

Website is LIVE!!

I want to thank my web designer also known as my daughter (Johnnie who is a professional photographer by the way if you need one) for her awesome work on my website.  Those of you that know me know that technology and I are not the best of friends (hence my simple blog) and this could have NEVER happened without her help.  Thank you my love!!!

The site is www.mawmawkelli.com (I know too easy to remember right)


In other news:

Here are some new things you may be interested in:

I am going to be offering Personal Wellness Coaching Services.  I am tired of seeing people with little to NO experience offer these and some of the advice they are offering is horrifying to me. Maybe they took a 6 weeks class but haven't studied in detail nutrition, wellness and holistic therapies for YEARS like that I have and this bothered me.  I walk the walk I do not just talk the talk to try to sell something (that bothers me too)  I got fed up with seeing that and realized that people have a need for this BUT they need someone qualified, genuine, knowledgable and encouraging!   This program will have an introductory special and I will only take a few people so now is the time if you are interested.   Email me to go on the list for when this program goes live. kelliarmes@gmail.com

Essential Oil Safety Class: ( I do this class for free as a community service to counter all the poor information and unsafe usages that are floating around at home parties and on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/events/172869173049783/


ACHOO Class (this is a replay) is on 10 November in the evening more information is here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/111460885876012/

What is this Plant Good for?

What is this Plant Good for?

One day after measuring a tree a lady come up to me and handed me a leaf and asked me what is this plant and what is it food good for (the plant was Narrow-leaf plantain-plantago spp.).   So I began to talk to her for a little while.  And that conversation went something like this.  ‘You know I am an herbalist and of course you also know that I am a part of the Va. Big Tree Project as well and I love trees.  But here are some other things that you may not know about me.  Did you know that I also am a mother, and a sister?  Not only that but I am a wildlife rehabber and a martial artist.   You know I am a naturalist since we are in this group, but  did you also  know that I am a wife, a best friend, an aunt (Maw-Maw Kelli is my aunt name) too?  I am so many more things than a volunteer with the Va. Big Tree project.   

Rumex and Joe Schilling Root Dagger

So I told you all of this so that I could say that plants are the same.  They are not just good for one thing. They have many different areas where they shine and are very versatile when we really get to know them at a deeper level. They are much like us, at first you just knew me as Kelli the lady who measured this tree, but now you know a little more about me. So when we meet a plant we may just know one thing about it, but as we get to know it more and more we learn so much more about it and we understand that it is not just ‘good for x.’  After that I taught her one simple use for the plant and told her how the animals use it as well.  

So why am I writing a blog on this.

Do you really care? Well maybe not but I want you to think about ALL the things that you are.  All the things you care for and love. What is someone said you are only good for ‘making pizza’ and you know you have way more things you enjoy and want to be known for.  So I offer this to you as well to consider that with the plants.

Green Blessings!! 

Maw-Maw Kelli