THE CARROT

Among of all of crops, the richest treasure in the garden is certainly the Carrot, since it has a lot of medicinal properties. Once upon a time people were very happy that instead of gold in the ground they at least found Carrots.

Older people were saying that the Carrot gives your body the blood. It is now scientifically proven that Carrot increases the number of red blood cells and that it is the best medicine for the liver.

Every year I grow crops and most of the garden space I have reserved for Carrot. Usually I plant one big patch of red Carrot and one another patch of yellow Carrot, because it contains a lot of vitamins, such as: vitamin E, vitamin H (known as fertility vitamin), vitamin A, B1, B2, potassium, folic acid, etc.

 

Respiratory problems, especially in the winter, I reliving them with Carrot juice, which I drink early in the morning. Also the Carrot juice helps against anemia and digestive disorders.

About a year ago I had problems with my hair loss. I removed this scourge with the Carrot. I ate raw Carrot, I made a salad from it, cooked Carrot soup or make some sauce from it.  After a month and a half my hair loss problems had disappeared. It wasn’t so important how I made it, raw or cooked, but it only mattered that I ate it.

After my children got older than four months, I was making Carrot based foods almost every day for them, because it’s healthy for eyes and mucous membrane.

Baby diarrhoea can be as severe nuisance, I know it myself. When my children had digestive problems, for that I cooked Carrot soup, this is the oldest, tested, natural cure, that’s why I recommend it to all young mothers.

RECIPE FOR BABIES (with digestion problems), RED CARROT porridge:

 

We can make it like this:

 

1. First we have to wash a quarter of a kilogram of RED Carrot.

2. Then we skin the Carrot and cut it on circles or squares.

3. After that we put it in cooker and pour a half of litre of water, then you cook the Carrot until is soft but do not overcook it.

4. Then we mix Carrot in blender and add some boiling water, salt, if it’s necessary.

JThe baby meal is done. Usually takes 3 to 4 days for digestion to regulate.

I also reduce problems with excess stomach acid with Carrot soup. I cook some Carrots, cut it in circles and salt it, pour some water and cook it for 20 minutes. I eat warm soup. This Carrot soup treatment for stomach acid lasts for 2 weeks.

Carrot absorbs excess juices in the stomach, that’s why it’s appropriate to eliminate heartburn.

Carrot supplies us with carotenoids (especially with vitamin A) and protects us from carcinogenesis, especially from the lungs and prostate. Very important carotenes are alpha and beta.

In the kitchen we use the Carrot at least three times a week in soups, side dishes, salads, desserts and even for decoration purposes, because of its colour (orange is a happy colour) It puts me in a good mood.

For Carrot (especially baby Carrots) we say that it is a hormone of happiness, because it contains a lot of folic acid.

CHAMOMILE / CAMOMILE

Chamomile, this golden yellow herb that pleases us through whole summer, it is the most used herb in almost every family. Chamomile flowers have a pleasant smell and taste. In ancient times, Chamomile was prescribed for various diseases. Home grown Chamomile is very different from those purchased in the filter. Therefore it is best to grow them in the home garden, if you have one.

In my youth, parents were always cooking Chamomile tea for us children, because it helps to calm stomach and intestines. Chamomile tea also prevents inflammation.

I also remember that our grandmothers were putting around five hundred millilitres of Chamomile infusion in our bath, so that we children fall asleep easier at night.

A lot of times I make for myself Chamomile water for inhalation in which I put three spoons of its flowers. This water really helps me when I have nasal congestion and other lung diseases. We can also clean blackheads on our face with it, because after that treatment our skin is perfect softened.

I also make Chamomile lotion for myself. I mix eight drops of Chamomile oil with one hundred of millilitres of distillate of hazel catkins.

Chamomile works very calmly, I cook it for myself when I’m restless or I can’t sleep or when I’m just very tired.

When I have problems with rheumatism, I put a good half pound of dried Chamomile in linen/flax bag and dip it into very hot vinegar (preferably apple). Then I compress soaked in this hot mixture and put it on affected area. Pain disappears very quickly. With such preparation you can also treat gout.

When there weren’t so many cosmetic preparations my aunt, was using Chamomile to colour her blond hair. I even today remember her recipe. In the canvas bag she put around one hundred and fifty grams of Chamomile and put it into a litre of cold water and boils it for half an hour. When all cooled down she washed her hair with it and dry it with a towel. Hairs were lighter and nicely glossy.

Chamomile must be harvested in a sunny day, because this is the only time when Chamomile contains the most of essential oils. It must be dried in shadow and must be careful that it won’t fell apart when they are dried enough. Chamomile must be storaged in dry space where it won’t get mould, because Chamomile likes to absorb moisture. Chamomile usually grows among grain, which it is unpleasant for farmers as weeds, but that Chamomile is the healthier one.

Chamomile isn’t a demanding plant because it even grows on very infertile soil.

THE APPLE

From the first civilizations on Earth everything revolves around Apples. Even today an Apple is a symbol for a healthy life. But on the other hand this fruit does not receive as much attention as it should.

We can buy Apples in every grocery shop, all year round. But these kinds of Apples must be handled with care. Because they are most likely sprayed with pesticides, we must give them a good wash before eating them. If we want to eat healthy apples it is best to get them from controlled plantations where they don`t use pesticides. Apples grown there might be smaller in size, but much healthier and natural.

 

I have been wondering, where do the most tasty and quality Apples grow. I`ve looked up some research done by experts and they determined, that the best Apples come from Slovenia. Even The Japanese and the Americans are fighting over them. The best pectin and extracts are produced from Slovenian Apples.

 

When I have stomach problems, I prepare myself Apple compote, because it moisturizes inflamed stomach and intestines.



When I get diarrhoea due to improper diet or maybe bowel inflammation, I grate some Apples and let them rest for ten minutes. Apples prepared that way regulate concentration of substances in the body. In the old days they even treated dysentery like that.

I eat Apples a lot when I have a weakened immune system, especially after a disease, because they contain several vitamins and minerals: pectin, iron, vitamin C and especially a lot of tannins, which eliminate the inflammation in the intestine, bind proteins and steal food from the bacteria, so that they are not feeding in our intestines.

A juice from two Apples and a lemon is a great persecutor of useless bacteria from the gut.

Each year, I also prepare dried Apples. Everyone in our family eats these Apples throughout the winter, when we exercise less. And they are a great substitute over potato chips or salted peanuts. You can also use finely chopped Apple wedges with teas such as rosehip with Apples and lemon, or lime tea with Apples and cinnamon.

Apples can be very useful in the kitchen. Just these days, I made a great Apple strudel. I made puff pastry, grated Apples, and added a little sugar, cinnamon and a little sour cream. Rolled it up in one big roll, greased with olive oil, and made some holes in the dough with a fork (so that it does not inflate), and bake in the oven until golden brown. Apple pie is also very good, which is made with short crust pastry.

Apples are most healthy eaten unpeeled as most valuable natural substances, are in the peal.

BLACK ELDERBERRY

The Elderberry is a medicinal plant which deserves the highest recognition for its healing properties. We used to have a blackberry bush near every house, but today it is only found at the brink of a forest or in a glade. People do not always realize that the elderberry is very healthy.

Elderberry leaves and blossoms stimulate the sweat glands, and increase urine output and toxic substances from the body.

Each year I gather fresh Elderberry blossoms and dry them on fresh air, but not on the sun.

The colour of the blossoms must remain yellow golden in colour. When they are dry I keep them in a paper bag.

When I have a strong cold or a bronchial infection, i prepare myself some Elderberry tea.

Elderberry is very efficient at regulating blood sugar levels, therefore I recommend it to diabetics. Elderberry tea also purifies the blood.

When the Elderberries are ripe in the autumn, I prepare myself some juice. I put around 2 kilograms of berries in the juicer and squeeze them. I cook the juice for an hour and a half and then add 20 dekagrams of honey. When the juice is lukewarm, I pour it in a bottle and store it in a dry and dark space. I drink one spoonful three times a day. Elderberries contain a lot of vitamins, such as vitamin A, B, B1, B2, and C.

I prepare Elderberry tea at least three times a week. I pour boiling water over two tea spoons of dry flowers, strain it after ten minutes and add honey. The tea is very effective against bad body odor. I also use it for rinsing my eyes (without the honey).

Tea from the leaves and tree bark helps with constipation and urinary leakage.

As a child I have fond memories of fried Elderberry flowers, which my mother prepared for dinner, I prepare them even today. I make dough for pancakes and dip elderberry flowers in it (the best are fresh), then I quickly fry the batter, and sprinkle the pancakes with lemon juice, fold and sweeten them with powdered sugar. (Instead of lemon juice I also use honey).

Fresh elderberries should not be eaten raw, otherwise you could get sick or get diarrhoea.