Making your own Green Powders
I have long been interested in producing my own green powders for keeping the family healthy during the year. I had looked at buying them but they cost an arm and a leg. This is one of the subjects I have been meaning to look into further, and then a post came up from a favourite blog of mine exploring this topic and indeed giving instructions as to how to produce your own green powders and giving a selection of leaves to use.
I have learned a lot from this particular post. Sarah Head of Tales of a Kitchen Herbwife
http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.com/2020/04/making-your-own-green-powder.html
Sarah has used violet leaves, nettle leaves, and various other wildings leaves to produce her green powders. I was particularly interested also in the use of violet leaves as I have been slowly increasing my stock of these lovely little flowers. It will therefore be very gratifying to be able to use some of the leaves as well.
The original sweet violet plant came from my Great Grandmother's garden. When she passed, my Granddad transplanted some to his garden which was there for about 60 years. Mum took some plants and transplanted them in her garden and when we were in the process of selling the family home I took a clump and brought them home with me.
One of the reasons I have been cultivating my violet stock is that I want to be able to crystallise a lot of violets in the future for cake decorating and this is one of the reasons I have been increasing my stock on these. The violets seem to like my current garden as from a small clump I now have two big planters full, and the violets have self-seeded on several other pot plants as well (these are going to be transplanted into bigger tubs shortly). Sarah has also used Sorrel, Kale and Spinach to create powders as well. It strikes me that this would be a very useful way in which to get "greens" into littlies without them knowing it. I had also thought that the sweet green leaves which surround a cauliflower might also be used in the same way. I already steam these with the rest of my veggies as they are also full of goodness. I have plans to shortly do a bulk make of cauliflower cheese and cauliflower and broccoli cheese with garlic for the freezer. I intend to dry any such leaves then. The something extra element the bonus of preparing something else.
The post from Sarah falls in very nicely with something I was going to do in any event. I have a foraging session planned for this week to collect nettles for making nettle wine, nettle beer, nettle cordial, and drying leaves for use throughout the year to make nettle tea. I was also considering freezing chopped nettle leaves to use with pasta as well. (Need to do more research on this and I was also thinking about nettle pesto). The drying of the nettles is where the post falls in with post prepared by Sarah as I had planned to dry a load of nettle leaves in any event to make a herbal tea.
I do think that this post is extremely informative and extremely useful. It will also help save pennies, whilst ensuring that the right vitamins are being added to the food we eat to help give our systems a boost, especially during the winter months.
As I have arthritis and various other immune conditions it also struck me that the nettles dried in this way might actually help me manage the ordinary osteo-arthritis more successfully. I will need to do more research on this also. I am aware that when I get the flare ups in my system and a lot of pain that this is usually down to my auto immune system fighting off an infection. I am not treated specifically for Osteo-Arthritis as the medication I have which is Hydroxychloroquinine (Quinine) is aimed specifically focused on dealing with the anti-bodies I produce in my system. I produce too many and the body ends up attacking itself. I have a condition called Scleroderma. For the best part this has worked well and from an out of control situation when they first diagnosed me, the condition has been brought under control.
I was always taught to harvest the tops of young nettles from the end of April to beginning of May as this is when the plant is at it's sweetest and tenderest and has no tough bits.
In any event, producing your own green powders will give your system a boost especially in the winter months, and if you can make them cheaply yourself - even if you only use the well known vegetables i.e. Sorrel, Kale etc. It will help maintain your system in a much more natural way and can be added discretely to lots of different food to give more flavour.
I am looking forward to a small foraging trip out of the way of everyone else. I am looking to go when it is quiet and no one is around armed with my carrier bags. I will see how I get on.
Catch you soon.
Pattypan
x
P.S. Since drafting this post Sarah has come back to me with some very useful ideas for the control of arthritis and also the pain. If you check out her post as above you will find the details. Thank you Sarah for your assistance. I will certainly try the cider vinegar with nettle extract.
PP
I have learned a lot from this particular post. Sarah Head of Tales of a Kitchen Herbwife
http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.com/2020/04/making-your-own-green-powder.html
Sarah has used violet leaves, nettle leaves, and various other wildings leaves to produce her green powders. I was particularly interested also in the use of violet leaves as I have been slowly increasing my stock of these lovely little flowers. It will therefore be very gratifying to be able to use some of the leaves as well.
The original sweet violet plant came from my Great Grandmother's garden. When she passed, my Granddad transplanted some to his garden which was there for about 60 years. Mum took some plants and transplanted them in her garden and when we were in the process of selling the family home I took a clump and brought them home with me.
One of the reasons I have been cultivating my violet stock is that I want to be able to crystallise a lot of violets in the future for cake decorating and this is one of the reasons I have been increasing my stock on these. The violets seem to like my current garden as from a small clump I now have two big planters full, and the violets have self-seeded on several other pot plants as well (these are going to be transplanted into bigger tubs shortly). Sarah has also used Sorrel, Kale and Spinach to create powders as well. It strikes me that this would be a very useful way in which to get "greens" into littlies without them knowing it. I had also thought that the sweet green leaves which surround a cauliflower might also be used in the same way. I already steam these with the rest of my veggies as they are also full of goodness. I have plans to shortly do a bulk make of cauliflower cheese and cauliflower and broccoli cheese with garlic for the freezer. I intend to dry any such leaves then. The something extra element the bonus of preparing something else.
The post from Sarah falls in very nicely with something I was going to do in any event. I have a foraging session planned for this week to collect nettles for making nettle wine, nettle beer, nettle cordial, and drying leaves for use throughout the year to make nettle tea. I was also considering freezing chopped nettle leaves to use with pasta as well. (Need to do more research on this and I was also thinking about nettle pesto). The drying of the nettles is where the post falls in with post prepared by Sarah as I had planned to dry a load of nettle leaves in any event to make a herbal tea.
I do think that this post is extremely informative and extremely useful. It will also help save pennies, whilst ensuring that the right vitamins are being added to the food we eat to help give our systems a boost, especially during the winter months.
As I have arthritis and various other immune conditions it also struck me that the nettles dried in this way might actually help me manage the ordinary osteo-arthritis more successfully. I will need to do more research on this also. I am aware that when I get the flare ups in my system and a lot of pain that this is usually down to my auto immune system fighting off an infection. I am not treated specifically for Osteo-Arthritis as the medication I have which is Hydroxychloroquinine (Quinine) is aimed specifically focused on dealing with the anti-bodies I produce in my system. I produce too many and the body ends up attacking itself. I have a condition called Scleroderma. For the best part this has worked well and from an out of control situation when they first diagnosed me, the condition has been brought under control.
I was always taught to harvest the tops of young nettles from the end of April to beginning of May as this is when the plant is at it's sweetest and tenderest and has no tough bits.
In any event, producing your own green powders will give your system a boost especially in the winter months, and if you can make them cheaply yourself - even if you only use the well known vegetables i.e. Sorrel, Kale etc. It will help maintain your system in a much more natural way and can be added discretely to lots of different food to give more flavour.
I am looking forward to a small foraging trip out of the way of everyone else. I am looking to go when it is quiet and no one is around armed with my carrier bags. I will see how I get on.
Catch you soon.
Pattypan
x
P.S. Since drafting this post Sarah has come back to me with some very useful ideas for the control of arthritis and also the pain. If you check out her post as above you will find the details. Thank you Sarah for your assistance. I will certainly try the cider vinegar with nettle extract.
PP
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