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  • got the chills?

    An olde fashioned favourite tea that is used for sudden chills, chills from a feverish state or fevers is equal amounts of mint, elder flower and yarrow. If you happen to have a copy of Matthew Wood’s Earthwise Herbal, you will read that “mint tea was used during the terrific grippe epidemics of 1838 and…

  • DIY Sewn Cards

    Are you the?ácrafty type? Do you knit, sew, make unique things, break out the glitter-glue, modelling clay or paintbrushes?áevery time you think about?ápresenting presents to your loved ones? Maybe you would like to send something handmade to your friends and family who live afar. Perhaps this year you need or want to simplify gifts, but…

  • Steeped Fruits: DIY gift idea, numero uno

    A few years ago I discovered a cool little book called Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning written by The Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante. ?áI was intrigued by this book because it outlined traditional techniques using salt, oil, sugar, alcohol, vinegar, drying, cold storage and lactic fermentation. ?áThese types of food preservation were…

  • December 2010

    Let’s face it people, December is one cold, dark month. ?áSo, naturally, we have this urge to light candles, listen to music and decorate. ?áWe spice it up and bring aromatic herbs, spices, citrus and branches into our homes. ?áEach step outside is an act in bravery as face the sharp chill of the air…

  • Go Puff Yourself

    I recently tried using some purchased puff pastry. Mind you, I have never made puff pastry from scratch. Seeing that the dough available at my local bakery is butter-based though, I thought I would?ágive it a try. I have been avoiding vegetable oil shortening in my baked products, it’s on my big “DO NOT EAT…

  • waiting

    This is a photo of raspberries macerating in cognac to make a liqueur. The recipe for this can be found here!

  • Recipe Makeover: Mom’s Peanut Butter Balls

    A few days ago I shared the story about my favorite Christmas recipe: Mom’s Peanut Butter Balls. I had expressed a hope that I would be able to improve the healthiness of this treat, while maintaining the deliciousness of it. I think that somehow, through luck or divine intervention or possibly even ingenuinity, I managed…

  • can’t slow down

    We seem to be on a roll this week. ?áWomen these days are encouraged to move it, even during times when they were traditionally told to slow it down. ?áThis is not to say that women should not listen to their bodies, but that movement is generally a good thing. Meet Olga!?á?áMeet Ernestine! Even during…