Summary of blogging year, Juicy Roots 2019

In 2019 a lot has happened, but not all my dreams and efforts have come positive and true. Maybe it wasn’t my best year ever, however, I can definitely find some short episodes for which I am extremely grateful and I think we should all focus on our small victories and with that in mind march forward to face the new challenges of 2020.
 
With that being said I also want you to know that I am extremely happy that I decided to go back to writing my blog. It was definitely a good decision for me because it gives me an opportunity to collect my thoughts, practice my English and… I like to think that I am going to leave something positive and open source for each one of you as I go through my life.
 
It is true that I did not provide you with as many posts as I wanted to, but for each post that you can find on my blog, I try to put my whole heart and soul into the process of writing of it. The ever-increasing number of visits and friendly comments show me that my hard work is appreciated and well… it’s nice to gather all of us around and to see you…nice!
 
So with all that in mind, I promise not to disappoint you and to write even more content with better quality and I encourage all of us to work hard over our mind, body, and soul so that we can become something greater and stronger than we were a year ago.
 
Let’s keep up the good fight.
 
Also for the newcomers, the top 5 most-read posts in 2019 were:
 
1.Birch juice

Birch juice

2. Your guide to golden healthy Brexit

Your guide to golden healthy Brexit

3. Jam for dummies

Jam for Dummies

4. UK survival outfit for millennial budget

UK survival outfit for millennial budget

5. Get minty this summer

Get minty this summer

 
 
Best Wishes & Happy New Year
Eva
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Your guide to golden healthy Brexit

The land of the rising sun…where the sun shines bright and the mood is light…well you certainly can’t say that about the UK. To be honest I wonder if you ever could. Perhaps the land of the darkest star, where the moon falls down and the rains keeps raining and raining and raining would be more adequate don’t you think? In fact, it does seem that the mood and the sky are set…rather dark.

Perhaps you have heard a famous Chinese expression: “May you live in interesting timesand while I try to keep my blog about the positive aspect of a healthy lifestyle and diet it is so hard to ignore the upcoming hardships that we will all have to face in the upcoming years to come. The autumn is coming my dear readers and with it: the negative interest rates, political turmoil, lack of respect for Brexit voters, uncertainty, unemployment and of course a poor rainy weather.

Forgive me for dragging you into economics. It’s just that…I need to confess. I want to confess. I am but a simple girl trying to live a simple life and while I try to do things right and live my life responsibly…I do fear about our future my dear readers and for what there is yet to come. My only hope is that every now and then you find some salvation and comfort in your soul as I share with you my small simple recipes, that unlike the modern world, they are not saturated with corruption and greed but with my own experiences, kindness, love, and respect for mother nature and while I know my blog is but a small and unknown oasis…I do welcome you here very warmly. After all every little helps right :)?

That is to say…I don’t know what to do about the inflation, the corruption and all that madness caused by the selfish elite all over the world but if the history can teach us a lesson then it would seem that the gold is always the answer. From time immemorial it has maintained its purchasing value and it always will …long after we are gone which is why I have decided to protect my wealth and health with this shiny philosophy and I hope you shall do the same.

Thus my dear readers, today I present you with the recipe for liquid gold! A philosopher stone of natural medicine, an inflation-inflammatory superhero, the golden smoothie of all the smoothies also known in its milder version as golden milk, which origin comes to us all the way directly from India’s Ayurveda – natural science of health and life. In fact, the term is derived from the Sanskrit – ancient Indian notes estimated to be over 3000 years old where the words ayur, meaning „life” or „longevity,” and veda, meaning „knowledge” derived from.

My dear reader, your health is your greatest asset and it is always better to prevent than to cure, even if the cure tastes a bit bitter… am I right or am I right 🙂 ?

Thus If you ever drank or will ever drink the golden milk then you certainly will know what I mean.  It is really worth giving it a try if you want to hedge your health against the test of time.

The key ingredient of our liquid gold is turmeric plant which is one of nature’s most powerful anti-inflammation fibers and a source of a shiny golden dye. The substance within it known as curcumin works the same as NSAIDs  (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ) or hydrocortisone, but without the unwanted side effects like stomach bleeding and ulcers. As a natural ingredient it is widely used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and bring down a high temperature thus golden elixir is also recommended when one is expecting a cold as well as in the prevention of anemia, allergy and rheumatism.

An interesting fact, according to Chinese medicine, turmeric root dries the body of mucilage – thus removing bacterial fauna from your organism which is why you can experience a slight tickling sensation down your throat while you drink it – a bacteria cleansing effect.
Let me assure you, if you indeed experience such a sensation you should not worry about it – it simply means that it is working. Be sure to try this drink, and let me know the effects on your health and body.

Here are the ingredients for the Golden Smoothy Recipe:

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 3 slices of pineapple
  • glass of water
  • pinch of black pepper
  • piece of ginger
  • few leaves of baby spinach ( optional )

Preparation:

Just put everything in the blender cup and mix together.  Simple right?

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Dandelion honey and bees secret

I like a meadow covered with golden flowers and golden wreaths on my head. I like to blow my dandelions sometimes and  I love when wishes come true. What about locking some of this magic in a jar ?

It’s a bit enigmatic: wishes coming true, the gold and the jar, but I promise that everything will be explained – just keep reading.

I wish I could say that this is a secret recipe for the gummiberry juice, because as you know ”Magic and Mystery,
Are part of their history,
Along with the secret,
Of gummiberry juice. ”

Undoubtedly,  the recipe for gummiberry juice would be something big and I promise you that one day I will share this secret with you -work in progress.

In the meantime, I would like to tell you about another, equally wonderful, secret recipe. It’s the most carefully guarded by the bees recipe for honey from dandelions.

This is a real magic potion with lots of benefits for your health :

  • Lots of vitamins A, C and D, which boost our immunity, help to fight cough and support our bones
  • Vitamins B – necessary for nervous system and supporting the liver in removing toxins from our bodies
  • Potassium, magnesium, iron and silicon – supporting your immunity and digestive system
  • Multiple tannin with their anti-inflamatory antipruritic and  germicidal properties which are particularly useful in fighting throat infections
  • Flavonoids slowing ageing processs and decreasing the risk of cancer and circulatory system illnesses
  • Triterpene – helping to lower cholesterol levels and showing painkilling, antiviral, antimycotic and detoxificating properties
  • Aspargine – supporting our thinking processes
  • Inulin – protecting intestines from infections, lowering sugar levels in your blood, supporting your immune system
  • Silisic acid – accelerating wound healing and improving the look of the skin
  • Polifenol – antiarteriosclerotic agent, improving the metabolism, fighting the fever and rheumatism

No wonder it’s called a liquid gold !

I have to admit, I’ve adjusted this recipe a bit to make it easier. Bees have hundreds of years of tradition and all infrastructure created only for honey production. We are not able to compete with them.

We can make our “honey” of dandelion flowers in an easier way, though.

 

                                        Recipe for dandelion honey

 Ingredients:   

500 gr of flower petals
1 liter of water
Juice of 2 lemons
800 gr of sugar

Recipe:

Making honey this way is really not difficult.
You only need flower petals, water, lemons and sugar.

Remember to leave the petals spread on some paper for a while. This will give the ants and meadow spiders a chance to escape and avoid bathing.
When every living creature is safely out, put flower petals in a pot, add water and cook for 20 minutes.                        Leave it for the night.
Strain the dandelion petals.
Pour into the pot dandelion brew along with sugar and 2 lemon juice
Cook it slowly on a low fire for an hour or until the syrup becomes thick.

To check if the syrup is thick enough, take a little of it on a teaspoon and pour it onto a flat plate. It should get thick in a few minutes.

Enjoy your sweet honey from golden flowers ☺

 

 

 

 

Let me know if in your country you also have a dandelion and blowing them away makes wishes come true.

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Birch juice

 

Long time ago, when our Sun was God, people also worshipped the common birch. The white tree was celebrated as a symbol of life, wisdom, and fertility.

Nowadays, thanks to advanced laboratory methods, we know that the magical properties of birch undeniably exist and we were right about its healing power.
Village healers and shamans never needed such evidence. Their knowledge of plants, potions, and ointments was based on experience of many generations.
The properties of birch tree can help with numerous diseases, heal the damages of the internal organs, deal with general weakness and tiredness of the body as well as grievous, difficult to heal wounds and eczema. Birch was used as a remedy for ailments of the soul such as anxiety or melancholy. During the Second World War, the Russian orphans had a chance to experience the life-giving powers of the tree; they were given the rich in nutritious glucose and fructose juice as a substitute for mother’s milk. The main property of birch juice is a general boost of body’s immunity by stimulation of its immune system. Juice, in addition to the groundwater collected by roots, also contains valuable nutrients such as simple sugars, high energy compounds, organic acids, alcohols, mineral salts, vitamins, and probiotics. Thanks to the content of all these ingredients the juice purifies the blood, immunizes, improves metabolism, it has beneficial effects on the kidneys and liver as well as the complexion and hair.

The easiest way to get juice at any time of the year is to buy it in the store. If we want to get the juice by ourselves, we can do it only in the early spring. For this purpose, you can cut the birch twig and drill a hole in the tree. Then insert the tube to the hole and put its end to a bottle hanged below.
One litre of juice can be taken from one tree, and the hole made in it must be then secured with a wooden bung and a garden ointment.
The fresh juice needs to be consumed pretty quickly, usually fermentation starts within 2 or 3 days. This can be prevented by preserving the juice with sugar, pasteurizing, mixing with alcohol, or freezing. However, birch leaves are easy to store, and can be simply collected and consumed in the form of teas. The leaves show a diuretic and saluretic effect and can help in diseases with metabolic disorders, young acne or rheumatism. Externally, they are used for hair loss and psoriasis. Often picked in spring and summer, birch whisks have long been used in Russian banya and Finnish saunas.

Nowadays, it is known that methyl salicylate, which protects against colds and skin diseases, is released during the burning process of birch twigs. Knowing this fact, can you, Dear reader, make a connection between a birch twigs and our all too familiar subconscious image of a witch flying on a broom? Perhaps now, with a proof provided by modern science, it is clear that the hidden messages in old children stories hide in plain sight the secret, magical ingredient of health and beauty power, used by witches and alchemists all over the world to pro-long their life and beauty. After all what makes a witch’s broom fly?

 

 

 

Cheers

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