– A Collection of the Strange, Exotic, Admirable and Unusual in Food … and Life
The modern lifestyle with our multitasking ways, sleep minimization, non defined work hours, “no time for downtime” attitude, 24 hour connectivity and go, go, go mentality is bound to lead to increased stress. Thankfully, nature has given us some natural ways to rebalance our life. This post focuses on the medicinal herbs that can be … Read more Stress Busting Herbs that work
What is a Water Chestnut? Well, this a water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis). It’s native to Asia and grown all over the world for it’s crunchy sweet underwater corms. Have I eaten Water Chestnut? Yes, most likely. It’s the crunchy sweet stuff in your Chinese stir fry. Should I eat it raw? Probably not, you can … Read more Yes, you can grow your own Water Chestnuts … and it’s pretty easy
We have built up a solid spice collection over the past few years, and most importantly, have learned to cook delicious meals with them. Having access to a variety of spices is a big step toward cooking healthily: Healthy food does not have to be bland. With these spices, you will truly have a flavor … Read more What’s in your spice rack?
Triphala Churna is one of the most commonly used herbs in the ayurvedic health system. Ayurveda is the 5,000 year old Indian (Hindu) traditional system of health. “Triphala”, which means three and “Churna”, which means powder is used primarily as a digestive aid for colon cleanse constipation flatulence to stimulate the digestive system In addition, … Read more Triphala Churna – The antidote to the Western Diet – Body cleanse
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is the new trendy sweetener (sugar substitute) made from a real plant. In the US, the plant is not approved for food use, however the plant is approved for use in many countries around the world. What is approved in the US (and the mechanism patented) is the extract of the sweetener. … Read more Homegrown Sweetener – Growing and propagating Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)
The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is originally from South Asia, so these seeds are actually kind of “bringing it home”. I picked these up in the local Chinese grocery store, while looking for some melon/cucumber-like plants that we saw planted all over Chinatown in Chicago. This did not turn out to be them, but are working … Read more Growing monster delicious Asian Cucumbers – Tien Chin Long