Cedar, creators garden, Plant Medicine

Cedar Tea

Today I had my honey go in our backyard and grab me some Cedar to make Cedar Tea. This stuff is medicine folks. I was thinking this morning about how it is crazy that I am not making this on a regular basis, especially because it is so easy to do so.

I am using the method of making the tea from Joe of the Creator’s Garden but you can Google other ways to make this tea but any way you do it, it is simple. And you really can’t screw it up. Just make tea! 🙂 That was probably the biggest lesson I learned from spending a day with Joe in the bush and in class a few years ago. When it comes to the medicine in nature, just make tea 🙂 and you can’t screw it up as long as you know the plant is safe and not poisonous or toxic.

Take a pot of water and heat it to just about boiling but not boiling. Then add your cedar. Make sure there are no brown tips and if so remove those and give your cedar a rinse or wash before using. Joe says a handful the size of a toddler’s hand but I added a bit more. I always go big. 

And that is it, let it sit for like 12 hours and take out the cedar, reheat and enJOY. I will add honey or maple syrup to mine. 

You can if you like boil your water, toss in the cedar and simmer it for a short time and then remove. That works too but for me I like the idea of a long process where the goodness gets drawn out. 

Cedar is chock full of Vitamin C and other nutrients and is super good for our lymphatic system. I found a great post on this from Joe at Creator’s Garden.

Here is the link to learn more about Cedar and its benefits:

I hope that you enJOYed having tea with me today and let me know how yours turns out. 🙂

Kitchen Hacks, Maggie's Soups, Soups

Never Ever Throw This Ingredient Out!

Today I will share with you one of my favorite hacks to boost nutrient content in your cooking and to have a source of stock for things like soups, gravies, stews, and more.

I like to steam my veggies in a steamer pot.

Broccoli in my steamer pan

So yesterday I steamed up some green beans for dinner and then after dinner I boiled some sweet potatoes for one of my favorite brownie recipes that has avocado and sweet potatoes in it.

What is left after steaming and boiling your veggies is nutrient dense water! I save that water and use it in my cooking and I will give you an example from today.

My leftover water from steaming my beans and boiling my sweet potatoes.

I saved my water from steaming my beans last night and from boiling my sweet potatoes and mixed them together to store in jars in the refrigerator for future use. This stock can be used in anything…. even smoothies!

Today is Sunday and at our house on Sundays we do a breakfasty brunch and I like to put potatoes on a sheet pan with some spices and roast them in the oven. So today I soaked them in some of this stock with some spices and it added a whole new dimension to them! And of course after soaking I am adding that stock to the batch too! Potatoes are full of so many nutrients and I don’t want to toss that water either!

The water left from soaking my breakfast potatoes in my water from my beans and sweet potatoes.
Potatoes soaking in the veggie water… I let the soak for about 20 minutes and tossed every once in awhile.
My nutrient dense roasted potatoes.

So there you have it. Always keep your veggie water from steaming or boiling and then get creative as to what you can use it for. It is especially perfect for soup stocks!

I hope you enJOYed today’s hack and I encourage you to get creative in your kitchen too!

If you would like to connect and chat about anything, please feel free to schedule a time here:

Kids

Ontario Education Support Deadline Feb. 8/21

Today I filled out my online application for this help that is offered by the Government of Ontario. It was an easy process and I thought I would share with everyone in case they were not aware. I will share the link at the bottom of this post to register.

About Support for Learners

You can get financial support to help with additional costs during the 2020-2021 school year due to COVID-19covid 19. Eligible applicants will receive a one-time payment of:

  • $200 for each child or youth up to Grade 12
  • $250 for each child or youth up to age 21 with special needs

The deadline to apply is February 8, 2021.

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply if you live in Ontario and are a:

  • parent or guardian to a child or youth up to Grade 12
  • secondary school student over the age of 18
  • parent or guardian to a child or youth that is 21 or younger and has special needs

A child or youth with special needs is:

  • any student reported to be receiving special education programs or services by their school board
  • any child enrolled in licensed child care reported to be receiving special needs funding or support
  • any child identified as having a special need

We do not consider students who are identified as being solely gifted to have special needs under this program.

It doesn’t matter if a child or youth is enrolled in school or child care.

Children, youth or students are eligible if they: 

  • attend a publicly funded school
  • attend a private school
  • attend a First Nation operated or federally operated school
  • attend school in-person or online
  • are homeschooled
  • are enrolled in child care
  • are at home

HERE IS THE LINK FOR INFO AND TO GET THE HELP

I hope you found this helpful and please share with parents ASAP as the deadline is Feb. 8/21.