I saw this documentary “Food, Inc” a while back and couldn’t really get it out of my mind. Directed by Robert Kenner and narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser.

When we walk in our supermarket aisle, we rarely think about where and how the food got here.  There are scenes with factory farm cows that is very disturbing.  But it does make you not want to eat another hamburger again.

This film explores the corporate side of farming in the U.S.  They mention Monsanto and their need to genetically modify seeds (soybean and more).

Monsanto have now increased their seed prices and many farmers are not happy. Now the Obama administration is looking into it. the New York Times reported recently, “The Justice Department began an antitrust investigation of the seed industry last year, with an apparent focus on Monsanto, which controls much of the market for the expensive bioengineered traits that make crops resistant to insect pests and herbicides.”

Monsanto isn’t just doing this in the U.S. but abroad too. They even want small farmers in South America and Mexico to use their seeds. A great idea is to plant heirloom variety seeds saved by gardeners.

My mom usually gets her seeds from other gardening friends. Especially seeds for eggplants and hot chili pepper. Seeds of Change is a great place to get organic non-GMO seeds.

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Just a few days of sunshine and we’re already eating popsicles out here in California.  But these are not ordinary fruit bars, they are made from superfruits such as acai, blueberry and pomegranate.

Dreyer’s new fruit bars are made with real fruit and are a great source of antioxidants which helps fight free radicals.  Superfruits have been hitting the market for years.  They include fruits that are high in vitamin C and are consider to be antioxidants.  It’s rare to see them made into popsicles, when they are usually sold as health supplements or juices.

These fruit bars don’t just sound good, but are good for you!  It is sweet, but is also tart and tangy too.  I especially prefer the acai and blueberry over the pomegranate.  I assume you can whip up some of these fruit bars yourself if you can get your hands on some acai berries.

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Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Fixes by James Wong.

In his book, James share many homemade and economical recipes for both health and beauty fixes.

James Wong likes to think of herbs as your very own pharmacy (although few would think this). As mentioned by Wong from The Times Online:

“The problem, Wong believes, is that there’s a big cultural dividing line between conventional medicine, which is thought of as effective, proven and serious, and herbal medicine, which has the reputation of being a bit flaky.”

James also goes to explain that up to 50 per cent of over-the-counter medicines are based on chemicals that are extracted from plants. Aspirin, though now synthetic, was originally derived from willow, meadowsweet and the shrub spirea. Morphine-based painkillers are based on opium from poppies. And the birth control pill was originally isolated from the Mexican wild yam. The World Health Organization estimates that 80 per cent of the world’s population still rely on plant-based medicine as their way of health care.

Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda is also gaining more popularity in the west as more people look into alternative therapy.

Photo from Amazon.

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Vines are some of my favorite plants, and if the vines have beautiful fragrant flowers and edible fruits, then it’s even better.

Schisandra or Chinese magnolia vine is a twining climber plant with both.  The plant is native to the Russian far east and northern China. It is similar in appearance to a clematis and can easily grow 10 to 20 feet in a season.

The leaves have been described to be slightly heart shaped with a citrus lemon scent.  The fragrant white flowers appear in spring and by autumn produce bright clusters of red fruits.  The leaves also turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

These bright red berries remind me coffee berries and grapes at the same time. I would love to try growing one of these vines. They could start to bear fruit in 3 years. Photo from Fair Life.

Backyard Gardener’s website listed the following requirements for successful planting.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 to 9
Light Range: Part Shade to Full Sun
pH Range: 5.5 to 6.5
Soil Range: Sandy Loam to Clay Loam
Water Range: Normal to Moist

Since I am in Zone 9, this plant would do well.  I mainly want to harvest them for the berries. As the dried berries are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

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Sea buckthorn sounds more like a sea creature. But it’s really a beneficial plant originating from the mountainous regions of Russia and China.  It is a winter hardy, deciduous shrub with bright orange berries.  The plant is mature for harvesting purposes at 4-5 years.

This branch is brimming with berries.  Photo from Z Natural Foods. They are also known as Seaberry, Siberian pineapple, or Alpine Sandthorn.

Sea buckthorn oil and powder is commonly used in skincare and soaps. It can also be taken internally as herbal medicine. The oil is full of are vitamins A (derived from -carotene), vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (-tocopherol). If taken internally, it is full of antioxidants and is good for your intestinal tract too.

Sea buckthorn oil is mainly used to promote the healing of skin such as burns and eczema. It also helps improve skin condition, especially with dryness and wrinkles. Sea buckthorn oil reminds me of other good oils such as Rose hip and carrot seed oil.

Last summer I saw real sea buckthorn bush at the International Fruit Orchard. I don’t remember if there was any fruit at all. Next time I visit, I will have to take a photo of it and try sampling some of the berries.

ln Europe the fruit is made into sauces or jellies and as a base of liqueurs. The juice is sour and has an orange passionfruit like flavor when sweetened. Blended with other fruits, or by itself, it makes a delicious juice. It is also used widely in Europe and Asia as a healing oil and for other medicinal purposes. - Raintree Nursery

They are suppose to grow well on fairly bad  or sandy soil. If possible, I would like to grow some of these at my mom’s backyard garden too. Across much of northern China, and in other countries, it is grown to prevent soil erosion. And it is also used in food and medical preparations. 

Sasktchewan, Canada also has cultivated sea buckthorn that was originally brought over from from Siberia in the 1930s. Sea buckthorn oil from Saskatchewan yields a high quality product.

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Regular facial soaps have been known to be drying and harsh, but not when you add skin loving botanical ingredients. In addition to the naturally occurring gylcerin in each handmade soap, there is also rich shea butter, grounded rose hip and colloidal oatmeal.

All these ingredients are a “dream” in natural skincare. The rose hip powder is full of Vitamin C and carotene.  Oatmeal naturally helps soothe and relieve minor skin irritations.  Both the rose hip and oatmeal are finely grounded and makes for a smooth bar with gentle exfoliation.  In addition, the shea butter helps with extra skin moisturizing qualities.

Pure shea butter has been known to help with fading scars, treating eczema and psoriasis. Dry lips and skin also benefit from the application of shea butter. And it also help deal with stretch marks and uneven skin tone as well. This list really goes on and on.

The rose shea dream facial soap is scented with rose fragrance, to remind you of a stroll in a blooming summer rose garden.

Ingredients:  Oils of olive, palm, safflower, coconut, Shea butter, rice bran and grapeseed oil.  Distilled water, sodium hydroxide, rosehip powder, colloidal oatmeal, and rose garden fragrance oil.

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Another new soap I like to introduce for March is something more floral.

It is made with goat milk and scented with the sweet smell of honeysuckle.  I thought it would be nice to imagine being in summer when it’s barely spring.

Notice the speckles?  They are from the Himalayan pink salt.  You may wonder if the salt would sting any cuts or rashes.  But I personally think the salt offers a healing component.  Just give it a try and see for yourself!

This soap also has skin loving oils such as avocado and rice bran.  And finally a good heaping of fine pink Himalayan salt.

I’ve always loved Himalayan salt, as I am slightly obsessed with the salt lamps.  Himalayan pink salt is mined from the pristine Himalayan mountain range.  It has 84 trace elements and iron.  Not only is it great for cooking, it’s also great for skincare.

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I would love to have my own potted lemon tree.  Beautiful European gardens always have rows of lemon or other citrus.  And it’s such a welcome sight to see the bright fruits in the middle of winter.  Although I’ve noticed some variety that bear fruit all year.

According to Sunset’s March 2010 issue, one of the most popular potted citrus tree of the moment is the “Eureka”.  Photo from Four Seasons Growers.

Four Seasons Grower recommend this type of plastic terra cotta color pot. As a black container would end up heating the root.

And here are more good advice from them for successful container growing of citrus:

1. Select the right size pot with adequate drainage holes.

2. Use a soil mix that is lightweight and drains well. If the mix is dense or contains peat moss, amend your soil mix with 1/4-1/3 volume of 1″ redwood shavings.

3. Develop a watering schedule so the tree stays on the dry side of moist.

4. Provide 8 or more hours of direct sunlight or grow light per day.

5. Plant the tree so the root collar is above the soil line and the top of the root crown is barely below the soil. Do not cover the trunk with soil at all.

When young, the fruit of the Eureka lemon is green but streaked with gold.  It then matures to pale yellow and has pink flesh.  This sounds like a cross between a pink grapefruit and lemons.

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The latest soap off my curing rack is one that is packed with goodness! Instead of water, I substituted it with beer. As beer has all kinds of nutrients from the hops and barley malt.

The top layer has activated charcoal, which has the powerful ability to trap inorganic matter and pollutants.  It’s able to absorb thousands of times its own weight in pore-clogging impurities.  So it helps give your skin a nice deep cleansing ability.

The second layer has less charcoal and more of spirulina and rice extract.  Spirulina is an algae that also help detoxifies and is rich in antioxidant agents.  It brings many vitamins and trace elements to benefit the skin.

This bar is scented with sweet and fruity lychee (the popular Asian fruit).  I also added an uplifting scent of tangerine fragrance oil and grapefruit essential oil.  It’s a good way to brighten your day.

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Last weekend, I decided to pick up Costco’s Kirkland brand of green tea.   It was surprisingly very good green tea.  The tasted reminded me of the green tea served at authentic Japanese sushi restaurants.

It turns out the teas are Japanese grown green tea and packed by Ito En.  According to Ito En, out of Japan’s 47 prefectures (provinces), there are only three major tea producing regions.  For a small island nation where space is a premium, growing tea must be something they cherish.

It is definitely good green tea.  Even when steeped for a long time, the green tea never gets bitter. It reminded of the green tea I got from Two Leaves and a Bud, but so much cheaper. Being that it was 100 bags for around $12. They are also available at Amazon for slightly more.

The tea is packed in flat nylon mesh bags. At first thought, maybe this contributed to the taste of better tasting tea.  As the material is suppose to encourage a better infusion. Many “gourmet” packaged tea have been using these nylon tea bags for the past decade.

The downside to the nylon bags is that it’s not biodegradable. And at the rate of 100 bags per customer, that’s a lot of nylon bags being thrown in the landfills.

I also don’t feel so safe (health wise) about exposing the nylon bags to the high temperature of my water.

Due to these reason, I can’t get myself to purchase the teas again.  I would suggest they change to tea bags made from natural fiber.  Even the cornstarch based mesh tea bags are biodegradable, but they are still made with GMO- based material.

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