Homemade Herbal Tea: Linden Flower

I try to savor the seasons, to enjoy the fruit while it's ripe, the snow when it's fresh, and the sun when it shines.

Part of that enjoyment comes from knowing where I am (when I am) in the year, by the smells around me. The scent of the leaves drying in the sun means fall to me. The smell of an afternoon thunderstorm right before it hits says summer on the Front Range. Woodsmoke and wool are winter.

One of my favorite smells of summer is the linden tree. When the lindens are flowering, summer is in full swing. Man, I love that smell...

Also known as basswood or European lime, the linden lines many streets in my town and makes for an amazing olfactory adventure during June. Riding to work early in the morning is a delight when these amazing trees are in bloom. They aren't huge trees, but some of the older ones are pretty impressive.

The flowers are yellowish-white, growing in clusters at the outside of the canopy. These are followed by the seeds, which are also sometimes called "monkey-nuts". The immature seeds are said to resemble chocolate in flavor and aroma. I've never tried them, but I found a great homeschool project waiting to happen here: Making Wild Linden Chocolate. If you make this, I would love to hear about it!

To make a tea of linden flower, take a cluster of fresh flowers and steep in a mug of hot water for 3-5 minutes. Add honey or agave nectar to taste. For those who need measurements, that's about 1 teaspoon of flowers to 1 cup water (and 1 teaspoon of honey). For large jugs of sun-tea, use 10 to 15 clusters per gallon of water, setting the jar in direct sun in the morning. Put it in the shade (or in the fridge) at noon, and by the time that you're ready for a relaxing drink, it'll be cool for you.

My wife and daughters brought me a spray of the flowers for my desk, and the fragrance has lasted for days. It's probably the best that the Man Cave has smelled in a long time...

Home-Grown Propaganda Part 1

Why don't we see this kind of propaganda now? No profits in it?

What's a Food Policy Council?

The term "food security" can mean a couple of different things. It can refer to the safety of our food, like being free from adulterants, poisons, infectious materials. It also refers to the availability of food. From World Hunger Year:

Food Insecurity- Limited or uncertain access to nutritious, safe foods necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle; households that experience food insecurity have reduced quality or variety of meals and may have irregular food intake. (USDA / Life Research Office)

Food Security - Access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum: 1) ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and 2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. (USDA)

Access to fresh air and clean water are basic human needs, as without either, you sicken and die. Without access to clean food, and enough of it, lives are shortened, and the quality of life goes down.

Unfortunately, most of our food system is controlled by the needs of corporations to make a profit, no matter what. There are smaller food systems, local food systems, in some places, with farmers markets and CSA farms and food co-ops. But right now, there simply isn't enough food being grown locally in order to feed people locally.

One emerging idea that addresses local food systems is a Food Policy Council. It entails bringing together those with a stake in the food system: consumers, producers, community groups, schools, health systems and groups working towards alleviating poverty and hunger. A council generally works as an advisory board to local government, as well as influencing policy in institutions and organizations through assessment and education. It can bring together diverse members of the community with a common need - food - and work to propose creative solutions to issues surrounding local food systems.

I have been involved with several local groups working in food systems and the local living economy project, and I recently volunteered to be on the task force to form a local food policy council. It's always interesting to work in a group setting with other volunteers.

Mark Winne, Food Policy Council Director at the Community Food Security Coalition of Santa Fe, gave a presentation about Food Policy Councils at a local food connection meeting, and that started the ball rolling for us. Many people expressed interest and strong feelings about participating, yet only a small group shows up to work towards it. One of the things Mark said about this kind of work was "Don't worry... it will take 20 years!"

I'm not a very patient person. I'm probably not going to spend 20 years working towards it. But, I'm willing to suit up and show up and do the work right now, because food and health are very important to me and to my community. It's service, and it's what I can do.

I'll keep ya posted.

Homegrown Propaganda

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• How to Shop and Eat Locally [via Zemanta]

Local Food: Great Greens in the Garden

Mixed salad greens, arugula, and kale are coming up in the garden!

In support of my ideal of living simply, I am a big believer in growing as much as you can, even if all you have is a planter in the window or space on the counter. That's the simplest and most natural method of feeding ourselves, and it's inexpensive and fulfilling.

Mixed baby greens are one of the easiest to grow and they can be harvested continuously until they bolt, or flower. Just cut the leaves near ground level with scissors, and they will grow back again.

Because this food goes to nourish our children and ourselves, growing organically makes the most sense to us. The natural father knows that there's no need to worry about washing anything from our garden before eating it, and if we eat a little of the soil every time we eat from the garden, then we are actively building our immune system with soil based micro-organisms and minerals.

Local: It's the way it used to be...

peace

Find A CSA Farm And Enoy Fresh Local Food!

With all of the green re-emerging from the ground at this time of year, it's time to either start digging a garden of your own or looking for a local CSA farm. Community-supported agriculture is a great way deepen the connection between your food, your community, and the air , soil and sunshine that ultimately feed you. Going to the farm every week and planting and weeding and then - wow - harvesting your food alongside your fellow "villagers" is fulfilling. There's a rootedness that happens when you come full circle, and smelling the rich soil warmed by the sun is food for your heart. In my neck of the woods, there's Happy Heart Farm and Grant Farms. There's probably one near you.

Eating locally is a hot topic these days, it's kind of hip and green and healthy. It wasn't really that long ago that there wasn't even a choice of eating whatever, whenever, from wherever all of it comes from. People took responsibility for their food supplies and grew or gathered or hunted most of what they ate. They made their meals. They cooked the soup, baked the bread, gathered the greens.

How many times each week do most people eat homemade meals?

I mean from scratch, as my mother would call it, not from a mix or a can or a jar. I know there are those who boil pasta and heat up sauce from a can and call it homemade (I used to be one), but I take it to mean starting with the basic ingredients and ending up with a meal. I don't grind my own flour or make my own pasta, but for most dinner-type meals that I make, I start with whole food, not precooked or premixed or heavily packaged food products. I buy in bulk at my co-op, and order cases of fruit or vegetables in season. I'm a rice lover, so we usually have a 25# bag of organic brown rice on hand as a staple, and it makes a good starting point for a meal, hot or cold.

Even if your food is not all from our region, just cooking it ourselves and being mindful of what we are putting in our bodies for fuel and repair and energy is a big step. It's also way cheaper to eat our own homemade food, and it makes organically grown food a lot more affordable for most of us. I often hear "I don't have time to prepare food, like you guys. I'm very busy." Yet there's always time for one more time sucking distraction or phone call or t.v. show or web surfing...

With all of the money spent on researching and surveying and measuring our buying habits and diet choices these days, I'd be curious to know if there are any statistics out there.

I ate at least 5 meals made at home this week.

I also ate several bananas that came from very far away, at high cost to someone (all of us, I guess), as well as coffee (not even food), also from very far away. I'm not sure what that means.

peace