Friday, March 23, 2012

fr; astrology.com and iVillage

According to agricultural seasonal calendars, parsley is the herb most associated with the month of March as it is plentiful right now. Many holistic practitioners advocate chewing on parsley for halitosis or bad breath. But did you know that eating parsley is also believed to provoke a lusty libido and enhance fertility? Legend tells that the ancient Romans would tuck a sprig of parsley into their togas in order to promote its protective properties. The Romans also placed parsley on plates of food in order to safeguard from poisoning. In Feng Shui philosophy, parsley is often used in purification efforts, particularly in a detox bath. Bathing in parsley is believed to ward off evil and put an end to negativity, bad luck and plain old misfortune. If you want to change your luck, add two cups Epsom salts and a handful of fresh parsley to bathwater. Soak for at least twenty m inutes in order to cleanse and clear your aura and to send bad juju down the drain!     astrology.com


©Allisonians {'tis my silly parsley photo, not my words}

5 comments:

  1. ahh I love folk lore!!! Thanks for sharing
    Love Leanne

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  2. I am off to take a parsley bath! How cool Allison!! xxxx

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  3. I took one too! It was fine and I had a subtle freshness which I most definately needed. Subtlety is so amazing. Once I learned how to listen, I was forever changed by subtleness! It may not make much sense, but sometimes that is the way of nature and simple pleasures, and sometimes the not so simple parts of life are helped/lightened as well. Thank you both for your comments. I have not been very good at that. I do love your blogs! Thank you for everything! :D xxx Allison

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  4. Big hugs! No worries Allison:) I adore subtlety:) I am very sensitive to things that are too loud: noise, scent, flavor, just anything that screams at me! lol! I adored the subtle freshness too xxxxx

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  5. I was always and still am loud. It came with the teritory. Now I am inbetween. With the possiblity of it, but subtlety is key, you are right about all of that. I just wanted to say that I am one of those loud kinds and that is what took me a while to figure out how to calm down and realize that there is an extreme greatness in quiet and subtle existences. Plants are quiet, some do whistle in the breeze. I love it when the trees do, but they are subtle as well. Cheers, and thanks again! :D

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Banana This; Recycle Old Peels~ fertilizer or silver polish

There are things you can do with that old peel.

1. Do you have a green thumb? House hold plants and outside gardens require fertilization. A great way to give your plants nutrients is with a banana peel. The banana peel is very rich in potassium and phosphorus, which give that added boost to your plants soil, especially so with roses. Here is how to use a banana peel to fertilizer your soil for your plants. Remove the peel from the banana. Place the banana peel on a cookie sheet to let it air dry. Grab a paper bag or envelope. Crumble the dried banana peel and place it in the bag. Let the banana sit at room temperature for about two days. When your caring for your plant, give it a potassium treat of crumbled banana peel. Mix well in the soil to ensure the roots are fed evenly.
2. Have you been thinking about pulling out that old silver? Well there is no time like the present. Bananas peel can also be used to polish silver. Yes, polish silver. Take the old peels and place them in a blender. You want the peels to become smooth and creamy. Once they have, grab a cloth and small amounts of the creamed banana peel and begin polishing your silver. The shine will be breath taking.

SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST

SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST
Wild yeasts exist in the air around you and to some extent on the wheat berries. There are wild yeasts on grapes (unsulphured) and apples and other fruits. It is those wild yeasts which are 'captured' to make a sourdough starter. The process takes from 3 to 5 days. I wish I had specific amounts for you, but you could start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour and mix in enough warm (not hot) water to make a thin paste. DO NOT make it too soupy. That, in fact, is the trick to a good starter, according to the French bread makers, and I think they should know. And after you've fooled around with the flour and water thing, you might wish to branch out into adding those unsulphured grapes, apples, sour milk, etc as a catalyst in order to capture other strains of yeast. Each of these strains has a slightly different taste. In fact if you move to another area, you might end up with a starter that produces an entirely different flavor. For instance, San Francisco sourdough bread is well known and has a distinct taste due to the wild strains in the air there. On day one you mix the flour and water (and add any catalysts to encourage fermentation) and place in a warm spot. After 3 days, the dough should be moist, inflated, and slightly sour. More flour and water is added (mixed in) and left to sit in a warm spot. After 2 days the process is repeated. Then the next day it is done again. Note the order: 3 days, 2 days, 1 day. At this point you should be able to make a loaf of bread using part of the starter and adding back what you took out in the form of more flour and water. Rule of thumb: Use about 10% starter to size of loaf. In the case of a 2 lb loaf this is a bit over 3 oz of starter (3.2 to be exact). For a 1 lb loaf 1.5 oz would be used. A book that describes this process in great detail is The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz, copyright 1993, published by Ten Speed Press, Berkley CA. If it's not still in print, try the used books stores, that's where I got mine. Or try your local library. If they don't have it, they might be able to get it for you. ©2008 by Ernestina Parziale

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