Alternative Treatment

My SIL buys wines for the bar/restaurant where he works and agrees that screw caps no longer signify a cheap wine. Alas, almost any amount of alcohol disagrees with me these days Caryn

True...screw caps are being seen now on better wines, but I still prefer the corked variety.  A friend once bought us a case of wine.. Two Buck Chuck's I believe it was called.  It wasn't bad.

Caryn:  Right! Thanks for reminding me.  My BF's brother liked it so much he drank practically the entire case when he visited us.  We don't have a Trader Joe's in our area of Florida...don't know why..we have everything else!

Kaara, that is why I bought those little bottles. Each bottle is a glass of wine. They never used to be glass before, and I will write to them to complain and let them know I won't buy their wine again. I thought that little four pack would be perfect for me, since I plan to drink only very occasionally. Why would I want to open a large bottle of wine? I guess I will just have to wait until I have company who will help drink it.

sweetbean, thanks for working on the BPA labeling bill in CT. We certainly DO have a right to know. At this point, at least things can be labeled "no BPA." So, if I don't see that I will have to assume BPA.

I just got a Zuva water filter. It uses ozone and UV light to purify water. Now, if we could just get them to stop adding fluoride. Grrrr. For now, I have it sitting on my counter top, but it can be installed under the sink and then be hooked to its own faucet. I will need to have an electrical outlet installed under the sink. Then it is just a matter of drilling a one inch hole in the sink, up where the regular faucet is but off to the side. The hookup seems easy enough after that. The ozone adds a bit of extra oxygen to the water. And when the filter needs to be replaced, the unit will stop working.

That's the way to do it sweetbean. This is the first year I won't be planting vegetables. I'm going to do flowers instead, but it is only because our neighborhood has a serious rat problem. I'm not fond of the idea of eating food rats have crawled around. So, we are trying to fix that problem. In the meantime I hope to buy a lot from farmer's markets. I just have to get up early enough to do that. That's the challenge there. LOL

In Ontario, ALL of the vintners are beginning to switch over to screw caps.  Even the pricier vintages have screw-caps.  I hate it.  There was something so ritualistically satisfying about de-corking a wine bottle with a flourish!  And I'll miss denting the kitchen ceiling with flying champagne corks at Christmas...

And Kaara, I already have my tomatoes-, lettuces-, and herbs planted!  I'm so excited!  I can't wait to start munching.

Kaara, I find cucumbers and peas really easy to grow if you have a fence for them to crawl on. What I would love to know is what dandelion greens are safe to eat. Anybody know? I'm always so impressed when Jamie Oliver just runs out to his driveway to grab some weeds to make a salad.

Vegetables just taste better when you grow them yourself, don't they?

Eggplant, peppers, spring onions, bush cucumbers, and habaneros are all extremely easy to grow. In many locales, rosemary grows year round. Sweet basil is easy to grow and you will get a lot from one plant in a season.

Dandelions that have not been sprayed with week killers are safe to eat in their entirety. I sprayed in the Fall, so I would not feel comfortable eating any of mine this year. But I might next year.Dandelion leaves act as a diuretic, increasing the amount of urine the body produces. The leaves are used to stimulate the appetite and help digestion. Dandelion flower has antioxidant properties. Dandelion may also help improve the immune system. Herbalists use dandelion root to detoxify the liver and gallbladder, and dandelion leaves to support kidney function.All parts of the dandelion are edible and have medicinal and culinary uses. It has long been used as a liver tonic and diuretic. In addition, the roots contain inulin and levulin, starchlike substances that may help balance blood sugar, as well as bitter taraxacin, which stimulates digestion. Dandelion roots can be harvested during any frost-free period of the year and eaten raw, steamed, or even dried, roasted and ground into a coffee substitute. The flowers are best known for their use in dandelion wine, but they also can be added to a salad, made into jellies or dipped in batter to make dandelion fritters. The leaves are rich in potassium, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C. Dandelion greens can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, sautéed or braised. For use in salads, greens should be harvested from new plants while still small and tender, before the first flower emerges. Larger greens tend to be tougher and more bitter, and better suited for cooking.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2008-04-01/Dandelion-Recipes.aspx

except the once a wwk homeopathy castor oil pack, 45 minutes.  not easy

I was hoping someone would respond to my previous post, but I'll try again. Where I live, every weed is called a "dandelion" so I have no idea which ones are poisonous and which ones aren't. In my mind though dandelion means the ones with the yellow poofy blooms. These are the ones that are good for you, right?

Thanks Maud!

hum hum good Abi

I got some eldeberry syrup, reallll expansive, will try to find it as in herbal tea, cloves, yes, read about those, garlic, of course, oregano oil under tongue ?, will get that and cat's claw, have some notes on that.  I take an extra B complex, aloe in my smoothie, extra selenium, black currant as in tea (will get) borage oil (note sure about this one...have to check notes) and dandelion as in tea also.  I drink a lot of kefir, add it to my smoothie.  Thanks Abi !

Maud, the aloe added to your smoothie sounds very interesting. Where do you get your aloe?