Herbs as Medicine

Sage Hill is still under the winter sky, and this time of year a lot of people are sick. The common cold and allergie's just seem to be part of our routine.
My thinking is most of us need to work on our immune system's.
With our food supply being so lacking in good nutritional value, regardless how much we try, most of us do not get the proper balance of what it takes to keep our system operating in a healthy mode.
Stress is such a major factor in everyday life for most, just no way around it.......
and stress is the major culprit among all the threats to our immune system.

I'm certainly not a doctor(nor do I wish to be one)and I'm in no way advising anyone to stop medical treatment of any kind.........but, it's way past time for us to take more responsibility for our own health. I do believe we are faced with the fact that medical doctor's and pills, etc, isn't working for the majority.

We have to work on the cause, practice better maintance. Be aware, take control, fight back !

If your interested in a really good book on this subject; "Herbs for Health and Healing".......by "Kathi Keville" is one of the best I have read.
Published by "Rodale Press, Inc."

I'll repeat myself here at the risk of your rath....maintance is the key.
Discover herbs and the role they can play in your every day diet.
Used in a systematic way on a regular basis, it is the single most important thing you can do for your body, your mind , and your general well being.

Want to know more? Visit my web-site and sign up for "Sage Hill Farms" free
newsletter. http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Have questions? Feel free to email me from my web-site, I will return your mail.

Thanks for reading,
Bea Kunz/Sage Hill Farms

Dining, Food and Entertaining with Style

Bea Kunz is owner of "Sage Hill Farms" an organic herb farm located in Fayetteville,Tennessee. To learn more about Bea and her love for growing, using and teaching about herbs just follow this link.

http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HerbCompatability~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a brief summary of herbs that pair well with certain foods. This is by no means a hard and fast rule...I'll be the first to try new blendings of taste that may seem a little out of the norm. Some work out and some don't. But do be bold, work out your likes and dislikes,it's all about your personal taste.

(Fruits)

Lavender, Most of the Mint family, Sweet Violet, and Thyme. Thyme can be used in almost every dish you can imagin.(with it's delicate clove-like flavor.

(Meats and Fish)

Basils, Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, Coriander(Cilantro)
Dill, Fennel, Garlic, Sage, and Tarragon.

(Sauces, Soups, and Stews)

Basils, Oreganos, Thymes, Horseradish, Hyssop, Lovage, Sweet Marjoram, Flat Leaf Parsley,Tarragon, and Burnet.

(Vegetables)Both cooked and Raw.

Thyme, Tarragon, Rosemary, Flat Leaf(Italian)Parsley, Garlic, Dill, Chives, Chervil, Borage, and Basils.

Most any of the herbs above you can work into breads and breakfast dishes that include eggs. Dill, Chives and Basils are super stired into egg dishes.

Fennel adds an awesome taste to Apple pie!

And of course good healthy teas can be brewed from most any herb.
Some of my favorites are:

Sage and Apple Mint Tea.
Chamomile Tea
Rose Scented Geranium Tea
Lavender and Lemon Balm Tea
Peppermint and Thyme Tea.

And the list could go on and on....
Herbs are the most versatile ingredient you can add to your kitchen. It's just a matter of taste.

So jump in, give it a try, I promise you'll have great fun and your tummy and your taste buds will love you forever!


4 old-timer herbs that aren't as well know as most culinary herbs today.

(Lovage, Chervil, Burnet, and Borage)

(Borage)- Goes back to ancient Celtic times. Soldiers drank it in wine before battle to give them courage.
It has a cucumber like flavor, the leaves and flowers can be tossed into salads and vegetables. The stems can be eaten raw like celery. It's best used fresh, does not hold up well to drying.

(Burnet)-Was popular in Elizabethan England. Used in salads and vegetables. Sprigs can also be popped into white wine spritzers.

(Chervil)-Is of course one of the "fines herbs" very much used in French cooking. Has an anise flavor, can be used in place of parsley. Great on vegetables. When adding to a cooked dish, never cook it more than 10 min, it will turn bitter if cooked too long.

(Lovage)- Was used by Psychic's in the Middle Ages.
Has a celery flavor but holds up better in cooking than celery. It's wonderful in potato salad and on poultry.

BeaKunz/Sage Hill Farms

Eat Well, Be Well.

February-the Month for Love.

February puts us one month closer to spring, that's something to love!
February is the month of love...we perk up at the thought of that beautiful box of our favorite sweet treat or our most desired goodie, be it jewels, furs, cars, a trip maybe?

Well, you are going to laugh when I tell you what I would like from my sweetie.
Books....some new and updated books on herbs and organic foods. Not that I don't have books already, a few dozen, maybe more...but I want new ones, that's not asking too much, is it? And of course anything else he opts to add to my request is just ok with me.

We worked outside in the "bog" today...lovely day in Tennessee, sun was shining, I actually had to remove my jacket after about an hour.

In the "bog" (a low section of the farm with a very large natural rock formation.)
I'm planning to put swamp ferns and honeysuckle along with some other wild plants so graciously given to me by my friend Annie, from Georgia.

The "bog" is a haven for frogs and turtles and Mr. Tigger(above) (resident mouser)he keeps all the field mice away. Thank you Mr.Tigger!

Until next time, be well and stay safe.

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Bea's Beatitudes/All About Herbs.

Bea's Beatitudes/All About Herbs.

Please Note..Any and all material posted at "Beasbeatitudes" is the sole property of same and can only be used by another if all content is left exactly as written, including the author's Bio line and web site link.

A True January Day!

This week we have had tons of rain, winds that will take you off the ground and some of that beautiful white gold...Snow!

Nothing more beautiful than a tree covered in snow and colorful birds nestled in the branches. We have an abundance of Cardinals, Bluejays, Finches and a few Buntings.

I try to get up close photo's, but as soon as I go outside they all take flight.

Yes, ladies I have been spending a bit of time with my seed and plant books. It's that time of year!

I am also planning to try some new types of Basil, and yes, there are so many.
Of all the ones I have grown so far, the "Genovese" is my favorite. It's just an all around easy variety to use. Very hardy and just makes a beautiful plant.

AS you can see here: This was after it had gone to seed. It just did not want to stop growing!

I am starting to get the planting itch.....and it is toooo early!
Have to find more books!

See you soon,
Bea K.

Magical January-New Beginning's-2006.

January is a lovely month in my eyes; I love the cold and the snow. I love the trees with no leaves. I love the promise you can find if you look under the dead and dying
plants, little lives in the making just waiting to be warmed and nourished and given permission to grow.

Most of the year in middle Tennessee, I see green rolling hills when I look out my windows, and that's a lovely picture always, but to see those rolling hills covered in snow and grey low-hanging sky--it sends a message to slow down and re-group for the coming months. I like that reminder!

The herb garden in January, where you are located, has a major impact on what you can do now. Here in the middle south, we just kinda relax, read good books(mostly about growing things, enjoy the things we stored from last year's harvest, and wait for spring.

If you were going to plant garlic for a crop this coming summer, it should already be in the ground.

Remember also that if you're growing herbs inside, they need to be in a location that gives them at least a half-day of sun and or light. I'm not a real supporter of growing inside, just too many problems, requires a lot of tending to have good, strong, healthy plants. But if you're willing to put in the time and the interest is strong enough to push you to gain the knowledge, it can be rewarding.

I love doing things as naturally and with the least amount of resistance as possible.
So, I'll stick to the outside growing.

For those of you who have asked, yes, I will be growing garlic, lavender, chamomile, bay, fennel, and more dill.

Have a request? Send it along...always room for one more thing!

Remember your feathered friends during these cold months. Keep plenty of fresh water, bird seed, and suet out, and you'll be blessed with beautiful birds all winter.

Sending each and all the most prosperous wishes for the coming year.

Be Well in 2006.

Bea K./SageHillFarms

Decembers Promise.

I love the month of December, I love the cold, the wind and most of all the snow, when and if we happen to get it.

The farm is all covered in a blanket of straw and mulch and all things are sleeping peacefully.

This is a great time to think about how closely we are connected to the earth.

We work all year and at a certain point we must stop, take a break, maybe even a vacation, re-group and get a new outlook on things for the new year.

Mother Earth does the same thing. If you have ever tried to force something to grow and stay green past a certain point, you've discovered that it's almost impossible.
It may survive, but it will be spindly, sickly and in most cases just droop and die.

December is no doubt the most important month for preperations....whether it be doing or thinking.

So get yourself a cup of egg-nog, hot tea, coffee, or whatever makes your insides feel good. Find a comfy spot and relax until you doze, while your dozing, dream, if your thoughts are really concentrated, you will dream. May they be beautiful and peaceful.

Have a very happy and safe holiday season.

Merry Christmas! Whatever it means to you.

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com