Midnight Canning: Blackberry Jam and Apple-Mint Jelly

Friday night I went to my good friend Sadie's house to hang out and do some canning.  We had grand plans to make blackberry jam, apple-mint jelly, pesto, and I think there was something else (clearly we never got that far).  Let me start by saying that my friend Sadie is absolutely amazing!  She has an almost-2-year-old son who, as adorable and wonderful as he is, struggles with sleep.  You moms (and dads) out there know that this means Sadie now has a less-than-optimal relationship with sleep as well.  Knowing a little about the energy needed to get through those long nights, and the days that follow, makes all the things she does seem even more impressive to me (oh, did I mention she's also writing her dissertation?).  So, when I showed up at Sadie's house on Friday night and we sat down to a beautiful and delicious, homecooked dinner (I really should have taken pictures!) made from organic ingredients, 99% of which she grew in her backyard garden, I was humbled.

We enjoyed a leisurely dinner, a little Petite Syrah (gotta get those polyphenols!), and some great conversation (including a lengthy discussion about midwives, doulas, obstetricians, cesarean sections, and womens' intuition).  Then, around 10:30pm or so, we figured we'd better get cookin'.  Where had the time gone?  Ah well, we headed out to the garden in the pitch-black darkness to collect the herbs for our jelly and pesto.  It was absolutely gorgeous outside: the stars were dense and brilliant, the night was cool and crisp (you could feel autumn around the corner), and the air smelled of mint and basil.  We spent the next several hours making blackberry jam and mint jelly, largely from ingredients foraged from Sadie's garden and neighborhood.  I cannot wait to break into a jar of this blackberry jam!  We didn't get around to the pesto, but I left with a big bag full of fresh basil and wound up making that on Saturday (Thanks, Sadie!).

Some of you may be wondering what the point of this post is, where it fits in to the general health forum we've got going here.  Glad you asked.  My Friday evening with Sadie showcased so many things that I feel are integral to good health.  To name a few... Spending time with friends and family.  Nurturing good, supportive relationships.  Growing and cooking your own food.  Eating mindfully.  The importance of good sleep.  Trying new things (for us that meant apple-mint jelly).  I enjoyed every minute of it.  And now, days later, I can still feel the benefits of spending that relaxing evening with a good friend. 

It's not just food that nourishes us.  Not even close!

What non-food things in your life nourish you?  Can you find a way to make room for those things in your busy schedule?  Isn't it worth it?

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Do What You Love.  Get Moving.  Be mindful.

Feeling Hot? Just Breathe.

A friend recently sent me an article stating that June 2010 was the hottest June on record.  Well, at least I'm not going crazy!...it really has been as hot as it's felt.  Not surprisingly, the focus of my blog and newsletter topics of late has been staying cool and feeling refreshed in this summer heat.  I've written about cooling summer foods and staying hydrated naturally, and here's one more: you can also cool down by breathing.  Yup, it's true.  Here's a breathing technique that you can use to feel cooler right now.  Keep this one in mind for easing all kinds of heat: summer heat waves (the hottest July ever?), hot flashes, or even that hot feeling that can accompany frustration.

Breathing to Stay Cool (Shitali Pranayama)

• Exhale completely.
• Before you inhale, place the tip of your tongue between your upper and lower front teeth, so that your mouth does not close completely.  Curl your tongue in a U-shape between your teeth if you're able; if not, simply place the tip between your teeth.
• Inhale deeply, feeling the cool air as it passes across your tongue, to the back of your mouth, down your throat, and beyond.  Try closing your eyes and imagining the cool air traveling throughout your body.
• Before you exhale again, pull back your tongue and close your mouth.
• Exhale completely through your nose.  The air exiting your body will be warmer, so exhaling through your nose will keep your mouth and throat feeling cool.
• Continue to breathe this way -- alternate inhaling through your mouth and exhaling through your nose -- and observe your body as you cool down.

What are your tricks and tips for staying cool?  Please share.

Have you tried the Shitali Pranayama (above)?  Let us know how you like it.


Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Breathe Well.

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Tea for Daytime and Nighttime Relaxation

If I haven't already hinted at it in previous posts, I LOVE tea!  I love everything about it... filling my beautiful, orange Le Creuset tea kettle with clean, filtered water, choosing a special tea cup or mug, the anticipation of comfort while the tea is steeping, holding a warm cup in my hands, the aroma, the tastes, and the way I can use different herbs and different blends to achieve a desired result (calm, energy, clarity, headache relief, soothed stomach, and sleep).  Yes, preparing and enjoying tea, whether alone or with a friend, is such a simple luxury!

"Suppose you are drinking a cup of tea. When you hold your cup, you may like to breathe in, to bring your mind back to your body, and you become fully present. And when you are truly there, something else is also there -- life, represented by the cup of tea. In that moment you are real, and the cup of tea is real. You are not lost in the past, in the future, in your projects, in your worries. You are free from all of these afflictions. And in that state of being free, you enjoy your tea. That is the moment of happiness, and of peace."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

See there?  Do you see what just happened?  All I intended to do was fire off a quick post about one of my favorite packaged teas and it turned into a love letter to herbs and a plug for the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh.  Well, my good friends are surely not surprised by that. 

Clearly I will be returning to the topic of herbs, teas, and tisanes.  For now, though, I want to recommend one lovely tea in particular: Nighty Night Tea, produced by Traditional Medicinals.  When I can't blend my own relaxation/sleepytime tea (my "Relaxi-Tea") for whatever reason, I turn to TM's Organic Nighty Night tea.  Traditional Medicinals is a wonderful company and their ingredients are Organic and Fair Trade Certified.  The Nighty Night tea is marketed for nighttime relaxation and I have found it very useful for helping me get relaxed and sleepy in the evenings (on really tough, wired nights, I've taken 2 cups).  But you can also drink this tea in the morning or during the day if you're feeling anxious, on edge, or overcaffeinated (you know when you go 1 cup of coffee too far?).  This tea is safe and caffeine-free, but teas with a heavy chamomile component are generally not recommended for women who are pregnant or nursing, so use your best judgement there.  Also be warned that I have recommended this tea to friends in the past and they were instantly hooked!

If you want to try out Nighty Night tea and can't find it at your local grocery or health food store, I've included a link to purchase it at Amazon.com.  If you end up going that route, check out some Thich Nhat Hanh books as well: Peace Is Every Step is a great place to start.  Makes for some really peaceful morning or bedtime reading.

Do you have a favorite tea or relaxation ritual?

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Relax Well.