Monday, October 18, 2010

Spooks and Gourds or Spooky Gourds~

There are no shortage of gourds this year, not sure what prompted the surge in the abundance.
I've seen about 40 varities so far, from tiny wee ones that look like turnips to very large and deformed in the most amazing shapes.

Many people make bird-houses from the bottle neck gourd, a bulbous base with a long skinny neck.

They are pretty to look at, but I'm not a crafty kind-a-gal....I simply enjoy them for a month or so and then make compost fodder of them...makes us both happy~

From the herb beds/gardens.....oregano, thymem and sage are still thriving, chives are abundant, parsley is pretty, but not a lot of it.

Roses are still offering up the most beautiful buds and blooms.
~
Anything in shrub form that you plan to move , needs to done within the next week...depending on where you are of course. Anything that is moved has to have enough time to adapt to the new surroundings and harden off before the first frost. We are in the SE and I don't move anything after mid-October
If you have a green-house...Calendula's ( pot marigold ) grows really well in there....you can have a lively crop ready to plant out in the early spring.

I'm attempting Lemongrass in the green-house...will let you know how it progresses.


Happy Autumn~Do share...




Holiday Herbs, Foods, and Thoughts~

" One cannot think well, sleep well, love well, if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf~

A lady before her time in many areas...her quote is enough for me to be a fan.

The holiday's are the perfect time to set standards on what and how we eat, if we can control the temptations of a constant offering of food and drink during these few months...we will certainly have the rest of the year under our control.

Balance your holiday eating with whole foods and grains, lots of vegetables, some fruits,very light on sweets and drinks that are full of empty calories and negative ingredients, small portions, and chew, chew, chew....make mine water, or at least half water.....every little effort will pay great results.

Do you know...Oregano has 42 times more antioxidants than apples. Don't pass up any chance to add this delightful herb to your dinner plate.

Spices and herbs that should find their way into our daily menu.

Basil, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, curry, and as I already mentioned...oregano.

All of these play a very distinct role in our body's functions....from circulation to destroying free radicals...it's all good~

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A Seasonal Check-Up On Our Eating Style~

Our health is most often a direct result of what we eat, breathe and lavish upon ourselves.


Now please don't go for the clicker, I'm not going to pound you with what you should be doing.....my belief is if you don't like where you are, you will find a better place.

I'm here to guide and help you if you so desire.

I hear folks say so often that making changes to a healthier way of eating is too expensive.......well, let me tell you, it is a lot less expensive than the doctor bills and the funeral cost.

Eating and living healthy is so simple and so much fun, once you commit. Granted you have to be willing to cut back(way back) on a few major items in your diet. Those being, refined sugar, bad fats, processed foods and colas. Aim for eating as much home-grown/locally grown foods as possible. Stay away from GM foods ( genetically modified ) and high fructose corn syrup

Now just a little hint on how to start. Don't buy or bake anything with refined sugar for 2 weeks. Instead eat fruit and drink plenty of water. By the end of the second week, your taste for sweets will have changed completely.(if you don't cheat) Once you get the refined sugar out of your system it will react to it as an invader, you simply will not want it, and in some cases it will take longer and some never are able to break the habit (and it is a habit) completely. But at least you can downgrade to a few well made goodies a week, versus sugar laden junk.

When excess salt is removed from our food and we get a taste of the real food underneath, ah the pleasure of eating has only just begun.

Seasoning with herbs and herb blends can help you do that.
The same herbs can take the place of fatty seasonings as well.

I'm well aware that some foods just have to have some flavor from a good type seasoning other than herbs.. My favorites are; olive oil, almond oil, and a good grape-seed oil for high heat cooking.

Please be aware that olive oil turns rancid when it reaches a certain high heat...so it isn't good for frying......you know, frying isn't all bad, it's what you fry in and how you fry that makes the difference.
( when heating oil for frying...never allow it to smoke, if it does, toss it and start over.)
( never allow the food to sit in excess oil and soak it up)
( never re-heat fried foods.)

So, do you agree that the simple changes could put you on the road to a better life with your health.

And if you really think about it, our health is all we have...once that's gone, everything else really doesn't matter. You can't have a joyful, fun filled, satisfying life if your un-healthy.

Once you start and discover the good side......it will become a passion, and that is worth having!

Please feel free to ask questions or make donations of your own ideas. I'm a very receptive lady to others opinions.
I may not always like or use them, but I will take them and consider them carefully.

To Your Healthy and Happy Season of Foods~

Bea's Beatitudes/All About Herbs.: Herbs and Holiday's~

Bea's Beatitudes/All About Herbs.: Herbs and Holiday's~

Herbs and Holiday's~

Looking for simple ways to bring the outside in during this season ?

Don't forget about the wild-things...look outside the flower beds and garden beds, for many, those are either dormant or not looking real perky...getting ready for the winter sleep.

Autumn colored foliage, the maple, sassafras, dogwood, and others, depending on your location, will supply a fabulous arrangement for any spot you need color.

If you have or live near a wooded area with hardwoods...look for hickory nuts, black walnuts, acorns from oaks, and the lovely pinecones that most everyone has.
We have the White-pine, which looks much like a long leaf christmas tree, gives us the most awesome cones...long and slender with some variation in shapes.

The little guy beside the basket is just visiting, totally harmeless...as I found him in the bottom of the potting shed-container tub...petrified~he will eventually go into the small critter cemetery.

Happy Autumn~

Monday, October 04, 2010

Herbs and Holiday's~

Which do I love more ?

"Welcome to the Season" Let's celebrate and make it special~

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