Texas Bird Pepper!

I'm so excited about this spicy little guy! When my husband told me there was a plant growing around our yard with bright red berries, I thought it must be one of the various shrubs at a different stage than we had previously seen it.  But when I went out there to check it out for myself, I immediately recognized it as a pepper plant - not just any pepper plant, but specifically the same hot chile I had seen growing at Monticello last Christmas.  And because I had seen the Latin name for it there, I figured it must be Cayenne with a different name.  Anyway, my favorite botanist Thomas Jefferson loved this pepper, and had a lot to do with it becoming more widely known in parts of the country where it wasn't native. According to Monticello.org, good ol' TJ was first introduced to it in 1812.

However it IS a native here in the southwest, and Capsicum annuum seems to like our back yard, which makes me a happy herbalist and cook!  I love spicy anything, so I can't wait to try out a hot pepper sauce with the tiny berry like fruits.  From what I've read online, these Texas Bird Peppers grow wild in Texas, Mexico, Arizona, and possibly even southern Florida and Central America.  They grow 'intertwined with other shrubs,' and so can be hard to find, according to Hank Shaw, over at honest-food.net.   I just can't believe we have them growing wild in our back yard! I'm so happy!

Specimen marker at Monticello, Virginia

Gorgeous berry at Monticello, Virginia

Fruit and Leaf, growing under Lantana and some grasses in my yard

Texas Bird Pepper growing in Arizona

Today's Harvest - Arizona

I'm really curious to see if this Capsicum plant can be used similarly to cayenne as a circulatory and cardiac stimulant.  It's the same Latin name, so it must be useful in the same ways, right?

Further...After posting this article, I dug a little further to discover that the Cayenne pepper we are mostly familiar with in the marketplace, is just a domesticated version of the Texas Bird Pepper.

Fairy Duster

Fairy Duster, Calliandra eriophylla, Gilbert Arizona

This plant is really special. Bees love it, and so do experimental humans! I heard on a desert plant study once that some people like to eat these lovely blossoms, because they might lead to some sort of Sonoran high.  I've tried.  I was the herbalist at the party getting everyone to eat the Fairy Duster blossoms, on a few occasions.  It's really interesting, because in its therapeutic use as a Flower Essence, Fairy Duster is good for people who have an artistic temperament, who may have mood swings or bi-polar disorder, or even for people who need to feel high to feel ok.  I love seeing how plants' physical effects correlate with their spiritual effects. 

Just so you know, the flower essence does not get people high.  But if you think it might be useful for your personal journey, let me know, and I will be glad to talk to you about creating a customized formula.

Scarlett Creeper!

Scarlett Creeper, Ipomoea hederifolia, Prescott Arizona

 

 

 

 

Scarlett Creeper is a lovely little Morning Glory kinfolk, growing wild and free in the Prescott National Forest in Arizona.  I haven't investigated its possible therapeutic qualities as potentially herbal or essential, but its effect on the human spirit might be obvious. I love this picture, because you can see the pollen resting on the trumpet shaped petals, waiting for a bee friend or butterfly to help spread its genetics. 

Horseradish!

I recently had an urge to make some spicy, sinus cleansing, airway clearing, vital energy raising Horseradish to use on well, anything you'd use it on...meat, fish, veggies. I also wanted to make a tincture, since it's really good to add to formulas for respiratory support.  I've always loved the taste - it's pungent, spicy, and gets you fired up and excited about your food!

I haven't personally used it in medicinal formulas yet, so I'm really excited to try it out.  My opinions haven't been verified yet, but my thought is that Horseradish will be useful for eliminating toxins from the body by promoting sweating (diaphoretic), possibly having a direct effect on killing germs, and preventing congestion and mucus production in both the lungs and sinus cavities.

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is a big tough root, and comminuting it (breaking it down into small pieces, more suitable for eating and making extracts) was a tough job too.  Much of what I read warned that one should take breaks and step away because the potent volatile oils could cause the eyes to water and the nose to burn.  I however, really enjoyed the sensations.  Intense but joyful!

For the condiment I decided to try fermenting the horseradish.  Fermentation makes things more readily digested and absorbed by the human body, and also provides some good bacteria (probiotics), which unfortunately the typical American's diet lacks.  To ferment the horseradish, I pureed some horseradish root, about a cup of it, with 1/4 cup whey, and 1tsp. salt, plus a little water.   I let it set on the counter loosely covered for 4 days, then moved to the fridge. It's YUMMY! 

I didn't get a picture of it, but I did get a few shots of my tincture process. Not step by step, just start and finish.

When the Horseradish tincture is ready, I'll post it to the market page so you can try it as an addition to your allergy/cold/sinus remedies!

Use Every Bit - of Your Chicken

I try my best to utilize every single part of an animal I use for food. I prefer to buy whole, pasture raised free roaming, happy, organically raised chickens when I'm making stew, soup, or whatever else.  I spent 7 years as a vegetarian, and was determined to use the best possible options when switching to an omnivorous diet - and that meant buying meat to support farmers who actually give a sh*t about the animals they are raising. Another tangent...Whole Foods and local farmer's markets are really the only ways to do this.

Wondering how to use every bit of the chicken you buy? Here's how we do it at my crib.

Boil the chicken in filtered water, with the intention to use the chicken in some recipe, or to make chicken soup, or whatever is your plan.  After you pick the meat off the bones, put all the fat, bones, gizzards, and giblets in a bowl or pot together.  If you're not making soup with the meat, you can put all that stuff back in the pot with the chicken broth you just made (by cooking the chicken in water).  Add a bit more water, and  a half a cup of apple cider vinegar.  Cook the bones and other parts over low heat for several hours, until the liquid has reduced a bit.  Strain the liquid through a fine mesh colander, and you are now left with an INCREDIBLY NUTRITIOUS chicken stock, for later use in soup, cooking grains, or just drinking as broth.

After I do this I freeze some of the stock or pressure can it for the future.

Then I pick the bones even further, and separate all the fat and meaty bits that I don't want to eat, being very thorough and cautious to make sure no bones are present.  All this fatty goodness I stuff into ice trays, and cover with a bit of the broth.  Then I freeze it to make dog treats my dog can not resist.

Next thing I do is lay all the bones on a towel to dry for a day or so (depending on where you live).  Once dry, I put them in my beautiful Vitamix and blend to a coarse powder.

I've been trying to find ways to use this in food or for dog treats, but for now I'm just saving it to use in the garden, because it's an awesome fertilizer.  Here's how it looks!  Bone meal is good for the garden because it's high in phosphorous and NATURAL.  No chemicals in this fertilizer.  I also read that it stays in the soil for up to 5 years!

Yes, it's labor intensive, but it's not difficult, and actually brings a great sense of satisfaction knowing that I have given thanks to an animal whose life was used to nourish my body and the Earth, and have given its due respect by using every part. Waste not!