Kristina Seleshanko's Blog, page 21

FREE - The Ultimate Dandelion Medicine Book

For a limited time, my new book T he Ultimate Dandelion Medicine Book , is free in Kindle format. Grab it while you can!
In it, you'll discover a wealth of information on how the common dandelion has been used since ancient times, and how science is confirming it's high medcinal value. The book also teaches proper dosing and offer recipes for using the flower, leaves, stems, and roots for health and medicine.

Here's what some readers have said about The Ultimate Dandelion Medicine Book:

"Ms. Seleshanko had done a wonderful job of pulling together medicinal recipes for numerous types of health problems. I was impressed with the background information relating to the subject and have begun looking for dandelion products in the store until I can harvest them on my own in the Spring."
         Mr. Bill

"I was so pleased to get Kristina’s sequel to The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook! She has a knack for explaining scientifically-dense information in user-friendly language, and for giving modern folks practical information on traditional ways of doing things."
          Suzannah Doyle

"If you are looking for an herbal/wildcrafting book that's informative and covers every aspect of a single herb that can help your health in so many ways then look no further!"
          CJ's Olde Thyme Farm 
 
Take a peak inside the print version (which is black and white; the Kindle version is in color):





You'll find both the print and Kindle version of The Ultimate Dandelion Medicine Book here.

Winter Sowing Q & A

Winter sowing is by far my favorite method of starting seeds for my vegetable or flower gardens. It's so easy, so cheap, and so effective, producing hardier seedlings than other seed-starting methods do. If you want to know the simple steps required for successful winter sowing (yes, even if it is snowing, you can start seeds right now!), either check out my ebook Starting Seeds (which covers multiple methods of seed sowing) or click over to this post that gives step-by-step winter sowing directions.

I've been touting winter sowing for many years, and over those years, I've consistently heard a handful of questions about the method. So I finally made a video to answer them!

Do you have other questions about winter sowing? Or gardening? Or homesteading? Or homekeeping? Please leave a comment with your question and I promise I'll answer.

Spotting Sugar's Sneaky Names - with a FREE Printable List to Take Shopping!

Even though my family doesn't eat much processed food, I've been shocked to learn how many food products we used to buy that contain sugar. That's not because I didn't used to read food labels. I do that pretty diligently because I've been fooled before. It's because sugar hides under all kinds of sneaky names.

No wonder the nation's health is so compromised! I'm finding sugar hidden in nearly everything, including dairy products, condiments, "non-sugary" drinks, and "no sugar" pectin used for canning!

The science is in. We are killing ourselves with 26 lbs. of sugar per year, according to conservative estimates. (One website I came across claims the figure is closer to 170 lbs. per year!) Sugar, studies show, causes inflammation in the body - and inflammation is linked to pretty much every disease. Sugar puts a strain on our livers, which are working too hard to process it all. Sugar turns off our sensation of satiety while stimulating insulin, which makes us feel hungry. Sugar increases uric acid, which puts us at risk for kidney disease and can lead to gout. And while fat has unjustly been blamed for heart disease, top cardiologists now admit carbs and sugar are likely to blame. Sugar interferes with the way our bodies fight disease (bacteria and yeast feed on sugar, as does cancer). Sugar increases the risk of depression. Sugar decreases cognitive health. Sugar causes metabolic disease, which leads to pre-diabetes, which leads to full-fledged diabetes.

And this doesn't even touch upon the effects sugar made from GMO ingredients (beets and corn) may have on our bodies.
 
We have a myriad of reasons to reduce or omit sugar in our diet, but this can be difficult when food manufactuerers hide sugar under names you'd likely never guess. Since keeping sugar out of my life is of vital importance because of my diabetes (learn how I reversed my diabetes here), and because I like my children to eat as little sugar as possible, I've spent hours researching the subject. Since I don't want anyone else to have to do that, I've compiled a list for you.


I've also created a handy In addition, you may find it helpful to know the names of common artificial sweeteners. These are man-made and are linked to health issues, including blood sugar spikes. The most common are:

Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)Saccharine (Sweet'N Low, Sugar Twin)Acesulfame (Sunett, Sweet One)Sucralose (Splenda)
Here's to your health!

Keeping Sane While Cooking with Kids: 12 Tips for Cooking with Children

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I think most moms realize it's good for kids to help in the kitchen. It teaches children about wholesome food and nutrition, gives them real life math skills, and helps them learn a skill that will serve them well their whole lives. But if you've ever tried cooking with young kids, you know it can be a real hair pulling experience. (See that adorable toddler to the right there? Yeah, my kids were definately never that well behaved cute when they helped in the kitchen!)

When my daughter was four years old, she absolutely loved to help in the kitchen - but she wanted to do everything herself. She burned herself on the stove around that age (which quickly taught her that when mommy says "Hot!" you need to stop immedietly and back away.) After that, I found myself reassessing how to involve my kids in a chore they had clear interest in, but in a way that was safe and less frustrating for us all. Sometimes I just wanted to banish the kids to their rooms or set them in front of the television until I was done making dinner, but instead, I learned a few tricks for making cooking with my children a more pleasant experience:

1. Give your child a few of her own tools. Let's face it; for a lot of kids, just pretending to cook is as fun (if not more so) than actually cooking. My kids loved having their own aprons and a tiny rolling pin that really fit their hands. (Here's the exact one they used. I still use it myself today, I really like the size.)
My kids in the kitchen, years ago.
2. Use a sturdy stepping stool. Standing on chairs just isn't safe and sitting on the counter is awkward at best. A good step ladder with a rail that stands behind your child is a real must. You could also use a kids' "kitchen helper," like this one.

3. Don't let your child cook on the stove until he is truly ready. Some kids won't be responsible enough for this chore until they are teens; most experts suggest waiting until at least age 10, yet some kids are responsible enough at a much younger age. When you do finally let your child use the stove (or add or remove things from the oven), give him a heavy, quilted apron, good oven mitts, and a long handled spoon (wooden, so it doesn't transfer heat) for stirring. And always, always, always supervise.



4. Avoid teaching your child new cooking techniques or recipes when you're in a rush. Keep the stress level low by doing these things when you have more time to focus on "kid cooking."

5. Keep kitchen chores age appropriate. Children don't like it when you end up doing most of the work. In fact, it can really turn them off to cooking - and doing chores in general.  Make it clear that there are some things in the kitchen only adults should do, but make sure they feel their jobs are important, too.

6. Sometimes make it all pretend. Although most parenting magazines suggest letting toddlers and preschoolers stir things in bowls, the stirring motion isn't especially easy for young kids and if there's much in the bowl, it may take more strength than they have. Make it easier for your children by giving them their own mixing bowl with just a little bit of the ingredients inside it.

7. Let 'em wash. Most preschoolers can learn to thoroughly wash veggies. If you have a salad spinner, this tool will keep kids even toddlers happy.

8. Let' 'em throw it away. Young children like to throw things in the trash (or kitchen compost bin). Again, it's an easy job that makes them feel useful.

9. Let 'em grab it. Young children can usually grab items from the fridge or cupboards - which keeps them busy while you attend to tasks (like chopping) they can't yet do.

10. When you finally allow your child to do some cutting, start them off with a plastic serrated knife, like this one. Leave the real knives for their teen years.
Cute mini pies my kids used to make.
11. Give 'em their own dough. Remember how Ma, in Little House in the Big Woods, gives Laura and Mary their own bits of dough to make their own funny cookies? What a wise woman! Whenever you make pie, pizza crust, bread, or cookies, give your child a small piece of the dough and let him get creative. (Here are some how-tos on an easy way to make mini pies and decorate them with cookie cutters.)

12. Give children too young to cook a drawer in the kitchen filled with safe things like plastic cups, a wooden spoon, and a small pot you don't mind letting them bang. You can keep preschoolers on up busy by having him set the table or make butter. Toddlers on up can also "wash" plastic bowls in the sink or sit on the floor with a colander and try to stick uncooked spaghetti through the holes. All these things keep your children busy in good, learning pursuits, while also keeping them nearby and out of your hair.

A version of this post originally appear in April of 2010.

Simple Low (or No) Sugar Homemade Hot Chocolate (Hot Cocoa)

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Long ago, I learned that made-from-scratch hot chocolate was far and away better than store bought hot cocoa mixes. First, there's the taste. In my opinion, store bought mixes often taste chemically...and I guess they should, because they contain a lot of dubious ingredients. For example, here's the ingredient list for classic Swiss Miss Cocoa Mix:

"Modified whey, cocoa (processed with alkali), nonfat milk, maltodextrin, hodrogonated coconut oil, calcium carbonate, less than 2% off: salt, dipotassium phosphate, carrageenan, mono- and diglycerides, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, artificial flavors."

Did you know manyof those ingredients are things nutritionists say we should avoid?

I also get peeved because the container boasts "no added sugar," when in fact maltodextrin acts like sugar. Oh, and by the way, sucralose is an artificial sweetener linked to spiked blood sugar, weight gain, and increased appetite. I could go on. (For example, while coconut oil is good for you, any fat that's hydrogenated is highly processed. The Harvard School of Public Health website says such fats make our immune system to go into hyper-drive, causing inflammation that's linked to heart disease, diabetes, and just about every chronic illness.)

Which leads me to reason #2 from-scratch cocoa mix is better: The ingredients are simple and clean.

The third reason I love from-scratch hot chocolate is that it's more frugal. I'm always looking for ways to save money on our grocery bill!


And the fourth reason is that homemade hot cocoa is really just as quick to whip up as store-bought mixes.

In 2016, I posted my favorite from-scratch hot cocoa mix recipe, but since then, things have changed. Namely, I was diagnosed with diabetes. Naturally, this altered my eating habits (I went from a low sugar whole foods diet to a low carb, no sugar whole foods diet called keto; you can read about how keto has benefited me here). This also meant my kids were at higher risk of developing diabetes. That 2016 recipe isn't bad, exactly, but it is higher in carbs than I prefer. For example, it uses milk, which is naturally high in sugar. (My new recipe uses heavy cream, which not only makes for a creamier hot chocolate, but naturally reduces the sugar in the drink.)


This new recipe suits both me and my kids. It has fewer ingredients and is lower in carbs and calories, too!


Simple, Healthy Hot Chocolate Recipe (Keto Approved!)

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I love this stuff, but I use this for the kids)8 oz. boiling water1/4 cup non-carrageenan heavy creamsweetener*

*For my children, I use cane sugar because it is GMO-free. For myself, I add monk fruit (this is exactly what I use), which is a natural sweetener that doesn't spike blood sugar. You could use any sweetener you like, of course, though I do not recommend artificial sweeteners, which are of questionable health.

1. Place the cocoa powder in a mug and add the water.

2. Stir in the heavy cream. Add sweetener, to taste. I use a scant 1 tablespoon of sugar for my kids, and 2 - 3 drops of monk fruit for myself.

HINT: Want a more intense chocolate flavor? Add 1/8 teaspoon of instant coffee granules to your cocoa! 

If desired, top with healthy marshmallows or homemade whipping cream. 

I have yet to see any pre-made whipped cream that's healthy. Instead, pour a little heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip it until peaks stand up in the cream when you remove the beater. Add sweetener to taste.

For those who eat sugar, these organic marshmallows are a healthier option. Better yet, make your own without sugar at all. 







Approximate nutrition without whipping cream or marshmallows, according to LoseIt. (Depending upon products used, your version may vary.) Without Sugar: Calories: 210; Fat: 20.5 g; Protein: 1g.; Carbs: 3 g. With 1 tablespoon sugar: Calories: 225; Fat: 20.5 g; Protein: 1 g.; Carbs: 7 g.

Most Popular Posts from 2018

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Please see FCC disclosure for full information. Thank you for supporting this site! 

Another year come and gone. To me, it seems time speeds up each year! But now that Chritmas and New Year's are over, I need to hunker down and get to work. I'm currently finishing up a historical fashion book for Dover Publications. (Years ago, historical fashion books were my mainstay and I've enjoying getting back into that subject.) And as usual, this year I want to try to make this blog better than ever...meaning, I want to hear from you! What do you wish I'd blog more about? Let me know in the comments or through a social media message.

This is also the time of year I look at this blog's stats to see if I can understand my wonderful readers even better. It's always fasncinating to see which posts you like best.

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I also look at which posts are all-time favorites:



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Happy new year!

How is Toothpaste Like Your Tongue?

Here's a fun way to help kids visualize and remember that words can't really be taken back.

Have your child grab a tube of toothpaste (for this exercise, I bought a tube at the Dollar Tree; any brand will do) and cover a table with a plastic tablecloth. Tell him to squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube and onto the cloth. In my experience, kids think this is loads of fun. (After all, all their life they've been told not to use too much toothpaste or squirt it all over the bathroom counter!)

When he is all done, listen to the squeals as you tell him: "Now, put the toothpaste back in the tube!" If you want to up the ante, you can offer a monetary reward or a special privilege if he can complete this (impossible) task.

When your child gives up, say:

"The toothpaste is like your tongue. Once words come from your tongue, it's impossible to get them back inside your mouth. That's why we have to be careful what we say. You may wish you could take words back, but you really can't. Hurtful words, once out of your mouth, stay out."



Then look up some Bible passages together about taming the tongue; here are some to get you started:

"Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble." Prov. 21:23


"Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing." Prov. 12:18

"Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut." Prov. 10:19

"Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips." Ps. 141:3

"If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. " James 1:26

"Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." Eph. 4:29

"If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies." 1 Pet. 3:10

"Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself." James 3:2-6

"A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare." Prov. 15:1

"Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent." Prov. 17:28




"[For there is] A time to be quiet and a time to speak." Ecc. 3:7

When I originally did this project with my kids, my oldest was just 5. She loved the exercise, and afterward, any time her tongue started saying something it shouldn't, all I had to say was "Toothpaste!" Now my oldest is a teen and this exercise is a dim memory for her. Given how tongue-vicious our society is these days, I think it's a great time to re-do this valuable life lesson with both my children.

A version of this post originally appeared in April of 2011.

Deciding What to Plant in Your Vegetable Garden

Is 2019 the year you're finally going to grow food? Or maybe it's the year you get serious about growing enough veggies to stop buying them at the store? If so, you may already find yourself inundated with seed catalogs...and like an 18th-century sailor hypnotized by the siren's song, you might be under the spell of the many, many, MANY seeds available to today's gardeners. But before you spend a bunch of money on seeds, I encourage you to take a good hard look at what you really should be growing.

What Do You Eat?

Surprisingly few people ask themselves this question when browsing seed catalogs - yet what you already eat should be the backbone of your home vegetable garden. While you might be tempted by all manner of fancy or rare vegetable seeds, first consider how you can replace store-bought produce with home-grown.

In some cases, you might not be able to replace everything you buy at the store. For instance, I can't grow the mandarin oranges my son adores because they simply don't produce in my area. (Unless they are in a heated greenhouse, which isn't within my budget any time soon.) But in most cases, you can grow most veggies you currently buy.

When I look at what I vegetables I buy the most, I see onions, bell peppers, and garlic at the very top of the list. Bell peppers are the most difficult for me to grow here, but I can do it if I choose a warm enough location. Therefore, my goal on our mountaintop homestead is to eventually grow all the onions, bell peppers, and garlic we need for at least a one year period.

To that list, I'd add our favorite low carb veggies, which are side-dish staples at our house: broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, Brussels sprouts, kale and collards, lettuce, cabbage, asparagus, kohlrabi, and zucchini. Happily, our location is terrific for all of these foods, except zucchini (which, believe it or not, I've struggled with growing on our new homestead). So already I have a strong list of must-haves for my garden.

To determine what vegetables your family eats most often, I recommend jotting down every veggie you buy for at least one month. These are your staple veggies, and should be priorities for growing at home.




What Will Save Money?

Almost all of us have limited growing space; therefore we have to ask ourselves what foods we can grow that will save us money. For example, when I lived in the suburbs, growing garlic was not a priority for me because I had such limited space and garlic was pretty cheap to buy at the store. And although I liked canning dilly beans each year, I knew a local gardener with much more space than I had who'd sell them to me super-cheap. It made more sense to buy my green beans from her than to use up a lot of space growing my own.

If organic food is important to you, you may also wish to consider the Dirty Dozen. Which store-bought foods have the most pesticides, and therefore are more important for you to grow?


What Can You Not Afford to Buy?

Next, think about veggies that you'd love to eat more often, but simply can't afford. For my family, Brussels sprouts fall into this category. We love them, but they've been really expensive the past few years, so we haven't been eating them. Growing these is a top priority for me.

What Will Give the Most?

If you plant loose leaf lettuce, it will give you lettuce the entire time it's growing in the garden (as long as you leave behind at least three center leaves). If you plant head lettuce, you'll only get one head of lettuce per plant. Likewise, an onion plant only gives you one onion, but a green bean plant provides you with many meals. Choose plants accordingly.




How Much to Grow?

If you're new to gardening, it's smart to start with a small garden. Trying to grow all your own produce in your first year is likely to lead to frustration, discouragement, and expensive mistakes. Instead, keep your garden small at first and gain some knowledge and experience.

If you've never grown a particular type of veggie before, it's also wise to start small. Instead of planting rows of something new, nurture just one or two plants. I also like to try two or three different varieties of that new-to-me vegetable, so I can get a feel for which varieties do best in my garden.

Each year, aim to expand your garden as your experience and know-how also expands.

For ideas on how many plants you need to feed your family, see my post "How Many Vegetables to Plant?"

Choosing Varieties Suitable to Your Garden

It's a huge mistake to not consider your growing conditions when selecting seeds. You should not only know your USDA gardening zone, but you'll also need to know the growing conditions in your garden. Do you have full sun (6 or more hours per day)? Then you shouldn't grow, say, spinach, which likes some shade. Do you only have part shade? Then there's little point in planting tomatoes, which will only happily produce in full sun.

You should also strive to purchase seeds that are grown in a climate similar to your own. For short season climates (the northern tier of the U.S.) I generally recommend: Stoke Seeds, Johnny's Select Seeds, Veseys Seeds, William Dam Seeds

For moderate climates (middle America, where the summers are hot and steamy and the winter freezes the soil at least 12 inches deep.): Stoke Seeds, Johnny's Select Seeds, Harris Seeds, King Seeds

For warm climates (southern America, where the soil doesn't freeze solid and the summers are long, hot, and humid): Park Seed, Southern Exposure, Seeds for the South.

For maritime climates (the Cascadia, including the redwoods of northern California, extending into Oregon, Washington, and the Lower Mainland and islands of British Columbia, with relatively cool summers and rare soil freezing): Territorial Seed, West Coast Seeds, New Gippsland Seeds.

Find more seed companies by region here. 

Also consider how long it takes each variety to produce. If I have a choice between a 40-day tomato and a 70-day tomato, I'll almost always pick the tomato that matures more quickly. After all, that means more food in my kitchen, sooner, and more room opened up in the garden for another round of plants. 

For more tips on choosing the best seeds for your needs, click here.


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23 Fun & Practcal Ways to Upcycle Feed Bags

If you have any pets or farm animals, you've probably thrown away a ton of feed bags. Each time you've done this, maybe you've wondered: Is there something better I could do with this?

Well in fact, there is! Feed sacks are made from wonderfully durable material and with just a little imagination, you can turn them into all kinds of useful and fun things. Here are some ideas:

1. Nail feed bags to the walls of your chicken coop (or garden shed, or stall, etc.) to help give added warmth during the winter.

2. Use a sack as a container for muddy/sandy clothes or shoes.

3. Cut open a bag or two and lay them flat in a car trunk, to help keep the floor clean.

4. Sew a bag or two into a tote bag perfect for groceries. Or a messenger bag.

5. Sew a feed bag into an apron.

6. Use feed sacks as a grow bag. This might work for potatoes and tomatoes, as I often see online, but I think they'd be even better for herbs, greens, radishes, carrots, and similar crops.

7. Use empty bags in place of landscape fabric, between garden rows. Pull them up every year, however, or you'll end up with bits and pieces of plastic all over your yard.






Outdoor cushions, via ThriftyFun.8. Use bags as garden totes for hauling weeds, cuttings, compost, etc.

9. Use empty sacks to store manure you'll later use in the garden.


10. Use feed bags as trash bags.

11. Place donated clothes and household items inside empty bags (instead of wasting garbage bags).

12. Cut bags open and use as shelf liners in the garden shed or garage.

13. Cut sacks open and let your kids use them as sleds.

14. Turn old feed sacks into farmhouse decor Christmas stockings.

15. Sew feed bags into outdoor cushions. Talk about low maintenance!

16. Turn empty bags into a tarp.
Feed bag apron, via Scoop from the Coop.
17. Sew sacks into a tablecloth. This would be perfect for garden stands, the farmer's market, a picnic, or even just as a table covering for kids to do messy crafts upon.

18. Sew a sack into a zippered pouch. Really, you could use almost any purse, pouch, or bag pattern.

19. Turn an empty feed bag into a bib.

20. Make easy wall decor.

21. Turn a feed sack into a
22. Make a pillow. This would be cute for the porch!

23. Sew some feed bags up into a dress?!
Feed sack grow bag, via Linn Acres Farm.

The Ultimate Dandelion Medicine Book is here!

After years of using dandelions medicinally for myself and my family, after many months of additional research into dandelion science, and after even more months of writing and editing, The Ultimate Dandelion Medicine Book is now available!

Dandelions are my favorite wild edible and medicinal plant because almost everyone already knows them...and takes them for granted. They are the blossom children love and adults spray to eradicate - but it hasn't always been that way. In fact, dandelions were purposefully brought to North America by immigrants who valued the plant as both food and medicine. With a history of use going back to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, modern science has shown this common weed is useful for treating a number of ailments.

The Ultimate Dandelion Medicine Book will help you to learn how life-changing dandelion medicine can be. You'll discover:

* What each part of the dandelion is used for.
* What conditions the plant treats.
* How to properly dose dandelion medicine.
* What recent scientific studies have been conducted on dandelion medicine.

In addition, you'll discover over 40 recipes for making dandelion tinctures, teas, capsules, decoctions, salves, oils, baths, poultices, vinegars, and more.

I've purposefully made this book inexpensive so that more people can learn about herbal medicine and the value of this common weed. You can buy it inexpensively in full-color Kindle format (which can be read on nearly any device; learn more about that here) or as a very affordable paperback with black and white photos. It also makes a terrific gift, especially when paired with my bestselling The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook!

I hope the book will be a blessing to you.