Growing Raw Health NewsletterOctober 2009Phew, my promised October newsletter has made it just in time! If you're also short on time today, skip down to the announcement of my 30 Days Health Challenge.It’s been a busy month on the home front, as well as the Spring fever that has me working outside rather than inside on the computer. I’ve planted up the bathtubs on my deck with heat-tolerant summer greens such as flame lettuce, red mustard and summer spinach. I’ve pinched the first flush of flowers off the strawberry plants to increase the number of berries they’ll yield and sown comfrey in seedling trays to make fertiliser later in the season. Potatoes are in and shooting above their first layer of mulch already. The dwarf fruit trees I transplanted over Winter have survived and blossomed and our young chooks have come into lay. Although we’re still way below the average annual rainfall, there’s been good rain this month to top up the tanks, build up the ground water levels and give the dams a much-needed boost. It’s such a buzz to be gardening in Spring, I love it! Growing HerbsHave you ever wondered about how you could use the healing power of herbs to support your health? With the expert assistance of qualified herbologist, Raymonde Savoie Johnson, I’ve recently added a detailed and informative section on Growing Herbs to Growing Raw Health. I’m very grateful to Raymonde for sharing her knowledge, and I’m inspired to start my own medicinal herb garden and practise using herbs at home to treat minor illnesses. I’ve already experimented with one of her tips, thyme tea, which really helped my daughter and I deal with a nasty dry cough that afflicted us towards the end of winter. My daughter calls it ‘magic water’, and it’s simply boiled water poured over a handful of fresh thyme leaves and left to steep for 10 minutes. My daughter kept a sippy cup of ‘magic water’ beside her bed for whenever she felt a ‘froggy throat’. It certainly gave me a few extra hours sleep each night! When you read about the natural healing methods readily available from your garden I’m sure you’ll feel as motivated as I am to learn more about growing herbs at home.Vegetable Gardening Tip – Southern HemisphereAphid ControlFor those of us in the southern hemisphere it’s a busy time planning for the growing season and getting the Spring planting done. I’ve also been struggling with aphids more than usual for this time of year. I’d recommend making some garlic oil to set aside in the fridge for aphid emergencies. Make garlic oil by crushing 2-3 cloves of garlic and placing them in a glass jar with half a cup of vegetable oil. Here is a full recipe for an organic aphid control spray using garlic oil – remember that garlic oil will kill friendly bugs too, so take care to only spray aphids with it, not bees or ladybugs.Vegetable Gardening Tip – Northern HemisphereLeaf MulchIf you’re in the northern hemisphere and in the midst of your Autumn/Fall, think about collecting those beautiful leaves drifting from the trees. They’re worth their weight in gold! Pile them into your compost heap, use them as leaf mulch or make your own leafmould.30 Days Health ChallengeI’ve set myself a health challenge to go high raw for 30 days as the weather warms from late Spring into Summer. I felt so great last Autumn when I was eating almost completely raw food, but the chill of Winter and the scarcity of ripe seasonal fruit de-railed my raw food diet. I’m actually aiming to eat high raw (an 80% raw food diet) from November to February. The 30 Days Health Challenge is designed to set me firmly back into better healthy eating habits.I’ve already had one false start where I only made it to day 3! However, I’m encouraged by how easy it was to begin this time by using an affirmation to inspire me each day. I also primed the fridge with some fresh green smoothies and vegetable salads so that food preparation was simplified. I find one of the biggest traps in switching to a raw food diet is realising I’m hungry and not having any raw food ready and handy. I’m motivated by how much better I felt immediately, just by choosing to be brighter and more positive about my healthy food choices. I haven’t been harsh on myself about slipping off track so early, I’m only human and there are no rules about sticking to a high raw diet perfectly, I’ll just try my best. I’d be super-excited if anyone else decided to join me on the 30 Days Health Challenge. You can set your own ‘30 Days’ health goal, whether it’s to drink a green smoothie or eat a vegetable salad every day, getting a serve of daily sprouts, trying to eat vegetarian or even going completely raw. Experts say it takes about 30 days to form a habit, so by December our healthy habits should be well-established and even Christmas won’t shake us loose! The 30 Days Health Challenge starts on Sunday November 1st. I’ll be sharing my progress, along with my favourite affirmations, healthy eating tips and raw food recipes. Please feel welcome to join in, post your comments and participate in the discussion. Wishing you the very best health, Copyright © 2009-2011 www.growingraw.com. All Rights Reserved.
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User Reviews of
Starwest Botanicals
My selection of herbs and spices were delivered quickly and were of the best quality I have seen. Great service, fantastic products. Fresh organic herbs from a supplier I trust. - Susan S.
Overall, it was a very positive experience.... they treated me in an exemplary manner when I first ordered from them. I got exactly the product I needed/ordered/expected vis-a-vis the sprouting wheatgrass seeds. I would certainly order from them again for anything that specific. - geo442