Jewel Garden » herbs

Spice your food right

agiyiga — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:59:50 +0000

Get healthier by these cooking herbs help fight the freed radicals that age you. You can improve the taste and up the nutritional content of your meals by adding herbs and spices. Excellent choices for your main dishes are basil, cayenne, oregano, rosemary and sage. In desserts, try cinnamon, and ginger. These standouts contain antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, and researchers says that adding polyphenol- rich herbs and spices to your daily meals can help reduce the cell damage that both ages you and increases your risk of cancer and heart diseases. Both fresh and dried herbs and spices offer the benefits of polyphenols. Be sure to store the dried form in sealed jars in a cool, dark place to maintain the nutritional content. Long- term exposure to heat, light, and air diminishes their antioxidant power as well as their flavour.

agiyiga — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:16:27 +0000

It is beautiful to look up and see the sights above, no? For it was a beautiful day with the sky so refreshingly blue. This is a crooked branch of “malunggay” or moringa that we have on our small yard. The small tree has been part of our meals/viands, our neighbors’ too, as well as tended and healed many cuts and wounds.

Ginger, baby

agiyiga — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:46:54 +0000

Hubby was not feeling well lately, so I make him drink a cup of ginger infusion. I remember my mom used to let us drink it when we were kids. In Philippines, powdered ginger is called “salabat”. Ginger is the most widely available and widely used herbal remedy in the planet, aside from being a good spice and food flavoring. Ginger has been traditionally used for 2500 years in Asian medicine to promote cleansing of the body through perspiration (helps to reduce body temperature during fever), improving blood circulation especially to the hands and feet (helps high blood pressure), to calm the nausea and vomiting (especially after surgery) and to stimulate the appetite. Ginger is an excellent remedy for many digestive complaints, such as indigestion, nausea, gas and colic, and even food poisoning; ginger is warming and soothing for respiratory problems such as cough, colds and flu, and sore throat. It was the first time I make hubby drink the powdered ginger and hot water and I was just observing him. Usually, he would scrutinize what I serve him, but he seemed to like it, and his nausea was relieved. Of course it is effective. Combining ginger with prescription medications to prevent blood clots is not advised. Ginger can prolong sleeping time, if your taking medication to induce sleep, use ginger with caution.

Dong Chong Xia Cao

agiyiga — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:00:28 +0000

I have a riddle: “In winter it is an insect; in summer it is a mushroom.”
Have you heard such a thing? Well, it’s not really a riddle for the thing indeed exist. They are called Dong Chong Xia Cao in Chinese or Cordyceps. It is usually cooked with Ba gua soup. It is kind of sad when we think of the insect, isn’t it? It is a caterpillar-like insect, in fact it is called ‘vegetable caterpillar’ after a fungi replaces the worm cells. Dong Chong means “in winter it is an insect; Xia Cao means “in summer it is a mushroom”. But this mushroom is not ordinary vegetable, as if it is not already. It is used for strengthening the immune system, promoting longevity and reducing the aging effects, as well as being good for the kidneys, liver, and even opium addiction. More of the herb’s usefulness here.

Container herb gardening video

agiyiga — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:23:33 +0000

It is so nice to make our own garden, flowers, vegetables and herbs. Herbs are ideal to be grown in small containers and near the kitchen for ease of access. We can even put the containers on the window sill for decorative purposes also. We have been planning about nicer garden, and efficient one making maximum use of space. Hydroponics and square foot gardening when the greenhouse will be built. It is very nice to use small containers for this kind of gardening, it is a challenge to see how artistic and resourceful we can be. And it pays in the with free plants, veggies and flowers in our reach. Here is a very nice video I found today about container gardening with a lot of tips:

Verses about herbs

agiyiga — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:52:41 +0000

Here are some of biblical reference about herbs, the original medicine of man.

Ahab spake unto Naboth saying “Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it, if it seems good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money”. 1 King 21:29.

I have given you every herb bearing seed… to you it shall be for meat. Gen. 1:29

Gardening

agiyiga — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:11:19 +0000

I always love gardening. My earliest memory was with my sister being the developer of the fat produce. Our plants then, mainly vegetables, were so healthy and abundant it was joy enough to see them. It had also become a major part of our daily meal. And those harvest right fresh from our gardens always taste so much better than the ones sold in the markets huh, agree? There is always that special homegrown flavor. But now that we are grown up and I have my own way, we will not just be homemakers but be that kind of gardeners too. Be having each of our own herb and vegetable gardens. So now I have started the journey to this kind of paradise and with so much plans for the future with hubby about this gardening, we will watch them together grow and ripe for the good harvest.