Roses, roses, food and drink of the Gods!

Roses are the best beauty secret there is! Roses can be in a beverage as Rose Petal Tea; eaten as Rose Petal Jam; and used in skin care as rose lotion or oil. Roses are the most magical of all the earths plants since they have the highest energetic frequency, or Hertz. Ayervedic professionals say roses are cooling to the body, soothing, and also prevent signs of age and redness.

Roses have the highest frequency, or Hertz, of any plant.

"For centuries the rose has been associated with feminine beauty and skin care. Bulgarian pure rose oil is a top note essential oil. Its frequency is extremely high and rapid. Rose oil has the highest frequency (320 Hertz) of all the essential oils on the planet. This in itself is an important factor. It means that the fragrant molecules of the rose oil, on inhalation or application, are able to quickly penetrate and travel the infinitesimal pathways of the body, rapidly energising every cell, bringing balance, harmony and beauty to the body. Rose essential oil has a long history in folk remedies, especially in the area of skin care. It is suitable for all skin types, but it is especially valuable for dry, sensitive or aging skins. It has a tonic and astringent effect on the capillaries just below the skin surface, which makes it useful in diminishing the redness caused by enlarged capillaries. It is important to ensure that the product you use contains the genuine rose essential oil. Many manufacturers label their products containing rose essence but it could be synthetic. Synthetic rose ingredients have no therapeutic value at all! Remember, with authentic rose otto, a little goes a long way."

Here are some old-time recipes for using roses in food. First, confirm that the roses are free of pesticides before use, and do not use cut roses sold at grocery stores! Use fresh from the garden or sold as "food grade" for making the following recipes.

Recipe for Crystallized Roses
Choose a dry day for gathering the roses and wait until the dew evaporates, so that the petals are dry. Before gathering the roses, dissolve 2 OZ. of gum-arabic in 1/2 pint of water. Separate the petals and spread them on dishes. Sprinkle them with the gumarabic solution, using as many petals as the solution will cover. Spread them on sheets of white paper and sprinkle with castor sugar, then let them dry for 24 hours. Put 1 lb. of sugar (loaf) and 1/2 pint of cold water into a pan, stir until the sugar has melted, then boil fast to 250 degrees F., or to the thread degree. This is ascertained by dipping a stick into cold water, then into the syrup and back into the water. Pinch the syrup adhering to the stick between the thumb and finger and draw them apart, when a thread should be formed. Keep the syrup well skimmed. Put the rosepetals into shallow dishes and pour the syrup over. Leave them to soak for 24 hours, then spread them on wire trays and dry in a cool oven with the door ajar. The syrup should be coloured with cochineal or carmine, in order to give more colour to the rose-petals.

Rose-petals have also been employed to flavour butter, for which the following recipe may be of interest:

Rose-Petal Sandwiches
Put a layer of Red Rose-petals in the bottom of a jar or covered dish, put in 4 OZ. of fresh butter wrapped in waxed paper. Cover with a thick layer of rose-petals. Cover closely and leave in a cool place overnight. The more fragrant the roses, the finer the flavour imparted. Cut bread in thin strips or circles, spread each with the perfumed butter and place several petals from fresh Red Roses between the slices, allowing edges to show. Violets or Clover blossoms may be used in place of Roses.

Make your own rose-petal jam: for a recipe go to this site:http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Rose-Petal-JamPetal-Jam

You can purchase rose ingredients and plants from Botanical.com Make sure anything used is from real roses, not imitation, or rose-scented products.

Rose tea - a delicious indulgence -Please do not confuse "rose hips" with "rose petals". They taste completely different! Rose hips are the fruit of the rose bush, containing vitamin C and other beneficial nutrients, but they have a sour taste that is decidedly unlike the sweet flavor and scent of rose petals. One can easily obtain rose hip tea at your health food store, but rose-petal tea is harder to come by. (I first tasted rose tea from a tin purchased years ago at London's Harrods department store.) Now "The Republic of Tea" makes this variety, and it is occasionally available:

http://www.republicoftea.com/Rose-Petal-Tea-Full-Leaf/p/V02000/

If you're at a health store that sells "bulk" ingredients you can often obtain bags of food-grade dried rose-petals, as well as black teas. Now just combine them in equal measure in a storage jar, mix, and you've made your own version of rose-petal tea. For the best cup of tea make it as they do in England with cream and sugar added after the boiling water to the cup. Also a tea strainer is needed since the rose petals make the tea very leafy. The tea has a wonderful effect on the emotions and the digestion. It is wonderfully calming to both.


Rose jam or preserves to purchase:

Once again do not confuse this with rose-hip jam! Rose jam is an Ayervedic favorite and often made with fragrant petals direct from roses grown in certain areas of India. It is delicious and very soothing, here is the link for obtaining rose jam:
http://mapi.com/maharishi_ayurveda/products/mind_body_gourmet_food/spreads_preserves.html

Rose Water:

This is a fragrant water that one can use to sprinkle on cut fruits that will give them a wonderful taste and scent. (The nose is just as important as the tongue in tasting food.) At a local Moroccan restaurant I've often enjoyed oranges, peeled, sliced in circles, and eaten with the hands ofter the hands are sprinkled with rose-water. Maybe they used some of the rose water on the oranges too.. It is heavenly!

Some rose-waters come in a spray bottle and can be enjoyed as a refreshing mist on the skin and hair. It is slightly astringent and especially useful for the complexion in warm weather, as it calms redness, makes the pores look smaller, and is cooling. It also imparts a nice glow to the complexion if used regularly.
Rose water, oil, and essential oil can all be obtained from the cosmetic department in a health food store. Just be sure to dilute essential oil with another carrier oil, such as almond oil, also from health-food stores. Essential oils are very strong so do not use full strength.

Hope you have found this peek into rose beauty secrets I've discovered, interesting and helpful.

Lovage

Lovage (Levisticum officinale).

This Lovage plant is the first herb to appear in my garden after the snow has melted. Now is the time that I am convinced my other herbs have died off after the harsh winter. But that is the beauty of perennials - even when you think they're dead - there is still a hint of life somewhere. This reminds me of my favorite childhood story, The Secret Garden! I loved the character Dicken. He could look inside of a plants stem and tell if it was still alive; he called this hint of life "wick". I was always so sorry that Mary Lenox didn't marry Dicken, but chose the rich, spoiled child, instead, who admittedly made the biggest transformation in the story, apart from Mary. Even the spoiled child was full of "wick" when placed in the right ground, metaphorically speaking.

But, back to my lovage plants, which make speedy transformations in their own right. I mean, look at those dead stalks, the plants limbs from last year. Wouldn't you be convinced the plant was a goner, seeing those? Life is amazing! Lovage, is a very hardy perennial and will multiply and crowd out everything in your garden if given its freedom. Don't worry, I'll be trimming away the dead parts from last year very soon.

Lovage is similar to Angelica in its uses, whatever those are? In summer the plant will grow tall stalks up to 3 feet high with flowers containing the seeds that can be dried and used as a spice. It takes no care once established, apart from thinning out. Thinning is something for which I have no talent. I somehow managed to kill off, for ever, our Iris patch when I tried thinning them. Consequently, the lovage plant is let to expand and thrive on its own terms, and it loves it.

Lovage is an "aromatic stimulant and a digestive tonic". Lovage cordial is an old- fashioned drink used to settle the stomach. The plant is also a diuretic (makes you pee) and diminishes a build up of fluid in the body. Meaning, it is probably good for a Kapha dosha, like mine. Its fresh leaves have the aroma and taste of celery and are good in soups, salads, stews, and on fish. Warning: lovage should not to be used during pregnancy or in the case of kidney disease.

This is a plant that I never see at landscape stores. It was already here when we moved into the house, a sort of welcoming gift from our homes past owners. I'm determined to show my gratitude for this amazing gift by actually using it more. That's the way to do it, by action instead of just words. This would mean gathering old recipes that might have Lovage as an ingredient, and finding out all I can about this plant. If it is so strong in "wick", perhaps eating it will spread the "wick" into me!

Quick and Easy Recipe for Lovage Herb & Potato Soup
A hand-held blender makes pureed soup preparation and clean-up even faster.

Ingredients:

•1 medium onion, chopped
•2 Cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
•4 oz. spinach, washed, drained and chopped
•2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
•2 oz. fresh lovage leaves
•4 Cups chicken stock
•salt and freshly ground pepper
•a few fresh lovage leaves as garnish
Directions:

1.Saute the onion in butter over a moderate heat in a large saucepan
2.Add the potatoes and cook a few minutes longer
3.Add spinach and lovage leaves and saute a few minutes more
4.Add chicken stock
5.Simmer, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes
6.Puree soup in a food processor or with a hand-held blender
7.Add salt and pepper to taste and float a fresh lovage leaf on top
A splash of light cream or dollop of plain yogurt can be added to each bowl for a richer soup.

Our budding aspens

This is a photo I snapped early this morning of our aspens - three trees that we planted about 10 years ago. We are so proud of them. They have been through so much! Gale-force winds. Crazy blizzards. 20-degrees below zero temperatures. Moth and ant infestations. Yet, look how strong and healthy they look. They are about the ONLY plants we have that have been brave enough to set out some tender leaves. So far, the scrub-oak (which is also called Gamble Oak)plants remain bare, a few buds in sight, but none open - this is SO late for them that I'm sure another snow is coming our way. It's hard to believe on warm spring days like this.

The leaves on the aspens look golden simply because of the bright morning sun. How they shimmer and twinkle even in the spring. They also make welcome shade in the fall when the leaves are mature.

It is a common misperception that aspirin actually comes from the aspen tree, but that's a fallacy. Aspirin derives from the bark of the White Willow tree. Its botanical name is Salix Alba which contains Salicylic glycosides. It's healing use dates back thousands of years, and was discovered by the Native Americans. Just imagine how many other healing plants have yet to be discovered.

All over the neighborhood is the sound of lawn-mowers and the pungent smell of fresh-cut grass. Maybe we'll be cutting the grass soon, although our yard is determined to revert back to the meadow from which it came. We are thinking of allowing this to happen. Oh, I forgot about the dandelions. They, of course, have the temerity to be blooming with lush abandon. When they are the ONLY flowers you've got, you learn acceptance. Anyway, I've always liked the color yellow.

Open the windows!

Be like the flower, turn your faces to the sun.
- Kahlil Gibran

A perfect, sunny morning to you! I have these pictures on my blog today, not because they are pictures of my home, but because they are pictures of homes with many windows. How many windows do you have in your home? Do you keep them open or closed, with drapes open or drawn? You would be surprised how many people live in nice homes and NEVER open their windows, blinds or curtains! Even if a home is not in the most beautiful, perfectly tidy condition, it will look better in sun than in a fog. Closed-up homes bother me, both living in one, or visiting. It makes me wonder what people are hiding from. I don't know much about Feng Shui, but that must be a #1 rule: let the sun and air in, for heavens sake! Its like walking around with eyes closed all the time - you never know what might be missed, and besides, you'll bump into things. The air gets close, thick and fetid, like bad breath. It is said that there is more air pollution inside of the average American home, than in the air outdoors. Our homes need an airing from all the fumes produced by cleaning chemicals, aerosols, fragrances and cooking odors. Spring seems like a great time to open up while the earth is going green.

If the eyes are the window to the soul then the windows are the soul of a home! My family was lucky enough a few years ago to move into our own home. My first rule of thumb was that there be lots of windows. Yesterday, I counted them. I know, obviously too much time on my hands. We have 35 windows and that is counting the frames around the glass, not how many glass panels there are. One skylight and then one window to the sky; this is called a "cloistery" window. Presumably it was the kind of window used in cloisters or convents, designed so that light and sun could get in, but people could not look in, or nuns disturb their reveries by looking out upon the world. We have some pine trees too, but our home is not hidden in a forest, which we had considered, but the darkness would have prayed on my psyche. It's just depressing not to have enough light, both physiologically and psychologically. Think of all the depressed people out there who are heavily medicated. They might even be my neighbors, who live in nice homes, but always have their drapes drawn or at half mast. It's not very friendly.

Of course it is a bit of work to open up curtains each morning, as they just have to be shut again at night, a chore like making a bed. But night is the only time when windows really need to be covered. The pictures of undraped windows (above) would only be possible during the daylight hours and, at night, only if the homes are isolated and very private. Open curtains at night must also be bad Feng Shui, as the darkness, once again, is so depressing, unless of course there is a sparkling few of city lights in the distance.

While on the subject of light, it is much nicer to have accent lamps around a room, than just one overhead lightbulb shining down, don't you think? Those overheads make noses look so big! Oh, and don't get me started on fluorescent lighting - they "suck out all the juice from your eyeballs" as Joe said in the movie, Joe versus the Volcano. I believe it, for that is the next thing I did after moving into our home (though it took me a few years to save for it.) We replaced the nasty fluorescents in our kitchen. They made the food, and people, look green and unwholesome. Now there are spotlights shining down on food and chef - so much nicer - though they are more expensive and I am eating and cooking more - which arguably is not a good thing.

If you read my post yesterday about the eating habits of my 101 old grandmother, there was an important element to her habits that I overlooked: every morning as soon as she awakened, at least by 7:00 am, grandmother would go through her apartment and open all the draperies. The windows too, if it was warm enough. This can take a bit of muscle but it can become a morning calisthenic!

Do you fight with your mate, as I do, about sleeping with bedroom windows open or closed? Mine likes to be warm and cozy at night, i.e. windows tightly sealed. I like to have more air, and will actually enjoy hearing a dog, coyote, fox or even owl punctuate my slumbers. There is too much to miss if everything is shut up.

I think it is amusing that people will go to great pains to "get out in nature" by going camping each summer, while living most of their days behind closed windows and curtains. Another thing my grandmother always did, without fail, was, make her bed. That used to be the rule rather than the exception in the olden days, or at least with grandmother's crowd. She was adamant about doing so. If my bed was not made I was "slovenly". It seems like the only people who make their beds now are, folks who were in the military or went to boarding school, or grandmothers! Am I showing my age? Honestly, I try to make mine, but have not mastered the daily habit yet. But really, it only takes a few minutes, and I've noticed that having a freshly made bed to greet one enables one to relax and breath deeply at the end of the day. It looks better too. Your mate will appreciate it, too.

Well, I hope you get some light and fresh air today. I'm going to make my bed and open a few more windows now. Next on my "to do list" is getting all 35 windows washed, inside and out. They really need it, and no more procrastination! I'm going to do the interior windows and hire someone for the exterior.

One final thought about these holes in our houses. Did you ever think what an interesting word "WINDOW" is? I mean it's wind with an ow after it. I thought it might be French, like perhaps originally, windeaux, but no, it is an Anglosaxon word, direct and to the point, nothing romantic about it. It says what it means: an ow to let the wind (sun and light)through. Everyone needs some of those to be fully alive!

Live to be 101

Have you ever noticed that when you are feeling stressed, everything from computers to major appliances and automobiles start to break down? My computer is acting strange - cpu at 100%, and all I asked it to do was to go to my blogger dashboard! Now my turning lights aren't working on my car, we need a new water-heater ("You mean they're not good for 50 years?") and to top it all off, I forgot yesterday was wishcasting Wednesday and forgot to post my wish! I wonder if there is a penalty? Does an evil fairy come out of my computer to sprinkle me with evil fairy dust?

To give you an idea of what my life is like now, I went to the wishcasting Wednesday blog site (thinking today was Wednesday) and just then my step-dad comes marching out to have his "brunch". He looks at what I am doing on my computer, and says "Humph, that looks interesting..." I tell him I just went to somebody's blog site, and then, after studying the picture, says, "actually it looks kind of pornographic." So who needs an evil fairy?

Please look over at wishcasting wednesday and tell me I'm not engaged in looking at pornography. Yes, the fairy is wearing something that might be a bit skimpy for a fairy, but that is not the idea! It is difficult explaining to a 90 year old that it is perfectly wholesome, if he sees it as something more. All in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

Sigh. Yesterday was a special occasion and I needed to do cake baking and shopping as well as make a special dinner. That takes time! Especially when you have put things off.
We have a bit of a problem around here, concerning following an Ayurveda diet: my husband is a Pitta; I am a Kapha; my step-dad is a Vata. Finding a happy medium is challenging.

This morning was so nice in that I was finally able to get outside into some sun and vitamin D. At this altitude it doesn't take much. The birds were making lots of noise and I heard my favorite bird. I don't know what it is yet - it has a plaintive song that just consists of usually three or four notes either the same, or descending in pitch. It's not a mourning dove or an owl, but I can never locate the bird. It must be a ventriloquist.

Sun is so important to we humans. Actually there is a theory that sun deprivation in childhood might be linked to MS. I can see that, as I grew up in a northern latitude and my dad was a retired intellectual and my mom a musician - not pursuits that would take a child out of doors very much. But, I really can't believe that is the cause. Frankly, I believe it is related to the use of aspartame. You know that fake sugar that is put in diet sodas (which I used to have for dinner every night - not with dinner, but FOR dinner!)Now it is in so much more! Anyway, a few months of that and there I was, with MS. I just bring it up as a warning. The stuff is not made for human consumption. It should be off the market, not now added to baby-food!!

Speaking of food, it might be useful to tell the world what my grandmother ate - she lived to be 101. Though, I think her longevity was mostly due to her spirit and faith, her diet was one in which she ate and drank the things she liked most. First on the list for beverages, was grape juice and whole milk. She never touched coffee, tea, soda, or alcohol, or water, except to drink daily "hot water, with lemon, please" when ever she went out. Next, she loved Rice Krispies for breakfast and hot chocolate, which she made by hand, not from a mix. For lunch, I don't recall her ever eating anything, but dinner was a can of tamales or a fried piece of beef fillet and homemade french fries or macaroni and cheese. She always had a box of Stouffer's cremes (soft chocolates) on her desk and M&M's. Also with dinner she would often make herself a can of spinach on which she put vinegar. She never "excercised" a day but walked alot and never drove, to my knowledge. Furthermore, she never seemed to get stressed, and things never broke down around her. So, presumably if one eats and lives like this, and prays unceasingly, one will live to be 101! Oh, and her #1 rule was this: never go to a doctor!

I got a blogger award!

I received this blogger award. It is so encouraging for a beginner blogger such as myself, not sure if I deserve it. But I am proud of getting the hang of posting photos so I am making some progress. Thank-you, Athena!! Sometimes it's good to be reminded that life is good!

Missing: some red planetary rings.

My husband informed me just the other day that one of the planet's, he thinks it was Jupiter, has just done something unheard of: it has lost a band in one of it's rings! Not just any old band, but a band that has "always" been red! So...what can this mean? Why hasn't this been explored on the daily news, or if it was, why didn't I hear about it?

Since the world seems to be unconcerned that a planet has just, somehow, lost a piece of itself, or had a major part of itself "disappear", I would like to talk about planetary rings. Really, why not?

You may be thinking I'm a moron because everybody knows that Saturn is the only planet with rings, right? Well not so fast. Every large planet has them. We know more about Saturn's because they are seen more easily with a telescope. It's the largest planets that have them, because the sheer hugeness of their mass traps particles in thier orbit, from moons, to gasses, and other stuff. Probably Jupiter's rings are as big or bigger than Saturn's but they just seem smaller and somehow insignificant compared to the massiveness of Jupiter's size. Also Saturn's rings are made of ice and so, look brighter. Anyway this is the current scientific theory.I like to think there is more to it - an explanation of rings touched on the subject of "dark matter" being somehow involved in forming rings. Now this is interesting! If dark matter is involved in rings formation, it might be involved in their disappearance! That is exciting. But what exactly is "dark matter"? I think no one exactly knows...

Beginning of astrology lecture: I had heard that Saturn has the most rings because of Saturn's nature, the rings symbolising limits and containment and structure. So now that Jupiter's lost some, what can this mean, on a symbolic and global scale? And, a red ring, at that! Who knows?

The astrological world must certainly be abuzz with this news - sort of like they were when Pluto was voted against it's planetary "status". Overall this past blow to the astro community was dealt with in 1. disbelief and then 2. denial. It didn't change a thing! They all decided to take a vote. That didn't quite work. So basically it was determined that astrologers should act "as if" nothing had changed, and just press on, which we have been doing, like good little sheep. But it seems to me that by not coming to a clear verdict, a verdict was made none-the-less. Once again astrologers veer away from astronomers observations.

It is funny that Jupiter should lose a ring just as we start to leave the happy era of Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, and start to enter Capricorn's realm. Now what would be really amazing would be if Saturn suddenly gained another ring, and a red one at that!
Sort of losing the energy of the collective unconsciousness to be placed on the ring of another planet's. An idea to ponder.

Okay. Tiring of not really knowing what I'm talking about, I checked the news releases from the website pertaining to the Hubble telescope. There is nothing on there about it! I may have started my own elephant story here, and this is how gossip gets started. If anyone knows about missing planetary rings, please let me know! And please see this site: http://www.naturalnews.com/028797_Saturn_hexagon.html