Given a choice between green tea or black tea, I always go with green. Yet there are also health benefits to drinking black tea.

A small German study found drinking black tea significantly improved the ability of arteries to relax and expand to keep blood pressure healthy.

Another study at The University College London also found that black tea helps cut levels of the stress hormone cortisol circulating in the blood.

Professor Steptoe said, “This has important health implications because slow recovery following acute stress has been associated with a greater risk of chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease.”

Once I had my first cup of St. Dalfour organic Earl Grey tea I just love it. It took me a while to find black tea this good.

The bergamont in this black tea makes it that much better. Made with pure organic Ceylon tea. Selected and blended under the direction of the tea experts of St. Dalfour France. Enhanced by the all natural flavor of bergamot.

St. Dalfour tea come from the Himalayas of India and the highlands of Ceylon. St. Dalfour describes this about their tea:

“Since tea is made directly from tea leaves plucked on a continuous basis during harvest (and these tea leaves are not washed), it is vitally important to make certain these leaves are free of any chemicals. Be confident of having pure, wholesome tea when buying St. Dalfour.”

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been on a yarn frenzy lately and came upon the discussion on milk yarn. It is consider to be fine material with a nice luster.  One that feels luxurious and silky.

The question for me is whether it’s an eco-friendly material?

Cyarn, the producer of milk yarn, suggest their yarn is eco-friendly as it passed Oeko-Tex Standard 100 green certification for the international ecological textiles.

They also mentioned, “It combines the advantages of natural fiber and synthetic fiber - the protein fiber is a kind of fresh fiber with healthy function..”

Milkofil is another milk fabric maker. Info from ecouterre.com:

“A silk-like fabric by made from casein, the white, odorless protein from which cheese is made. Made by Maclodio Filati, Milkofil is said to have naturally antibacterial properties and perhaps even boost circulation. It does, however, take about 100 pounds of skim milk to make 3 pounds of milk fiber, a likely reason why it isn’t more widespread. b: Can be blended with other fabrics like cotton, silk, and cashmere to give it different characteristics.”

So far it sounds good, but I’ll have to say it can’t be too eco-friendly. Especially since it takes 100 pounds of skim milk to make 3 pounds of milk fiber. And not to mention all the chemical necessary to process all this stuff. And I am all for natural fibers, but I’d hate to see them use all the milk from the cow just to make yarn. And who knows how these cow are treated anyway?

Besides all that, it’s also rather expensive yarn. Cascade Yarn ran a test on some brand name yarns that claim to have milk but was instead made with acrylic. Here’s some of what they found from their test:

Read the rest of this entry »

Another fruit that produces fabric is pineapple. Well not from the juicy fruit part, but from the leaves.

Pineapple fabric is an eco-friendly and sustainable because the plants are a renewable and natural resource.

100 % pineapple (leaf) fiber is lightweight and stiff. Some describe it as similar to linen but softer than hemp. This fabric is called piña, it’s Spanish for pineapple.

Main producer of pina comes from The Philippines. For Filipinos, piña clothing is usually reserve for wedding attire such as “Barong Tagalog” shirt for men. The colors are naturally white or cream.

Anne Harte gave a neat description of how families process pina fabric with the Textile Society of Hong Kong newsletter.

Ms. Harte describes the extraction process as being done by hand.  The material is scraped from the pineapple leaf by using a broken plate or coconut shell.

These are usually done by families who get their pineapple leaf from the island or imported from Hawaii.

The number of pina weavers are limited so these fibers are expensive. So they usually blend the pineapple fiber with cotton or silk.

The resulting fabric is very soft and lustrous. I have yet to see any pina fabric for sale locally. I’m sure it would make the perfect summer outfit.

In the meantime, when I do cut up that pineapple, I’ll be sure of think of it’s contribution to pina fabric.

Photo from Wikipedia.  Pineapple leaf being scraped by hand  with a broken ceramic plate.

Instead of fabric softeners, I was using the blue plastic dryer balls with rounded spikes for a while. I practically grew up with Bounce, but after realizing how much chemicals was in that stuff I’ve switch to dryer balls.

I used the blue ones for a few years until they started to fall apart. The noise factor was also very loud. It sounded just like tennis balls being thrown around the dryer.

So I switched to these from Joanne’s sold at $4.99 for two. This one doesn’t make any noise. But it also doesn’t remove the static cling too well.

And the folks at Treehuger had this to say, “(PVC) material the supposedly “nontoxic” dryer balls are made of is one of the most poisonous plastics ever created, posing great environmental and health hazards in its manufacture, product life, and disposal.” They were talking mainly about the blue ones made by Nellie’s.

There are also these PCV-free dryer balls but a bit costly at $25 and not to mention the fragrance stick is additional $10. I know I am not going to spend $35 on dryer balls.

After looking at this for a while I came upon people talking about wool dryer balls which are more budget and eco-friendly.

The wool dryer balls absorb moisture from the clothes and separate them to make drying time faster. It’s also suppose to remove static too. And very eco-friendly since it’s from natural wool fibers.

Photo from Amazon. EveryDay Willow Set of 3 Organic Wool Dryer Ball Gift available for $19.95. Still a bit too expensive! The best way is to make it yourself. Spinning Alpaca Yarns has a DYI and it came out looking very nice. I will have to make some of these soon with some 100% wool leftover yarn.

I’m also thinking of using wool from some sweaters I’ve felted and wrapping them with the wool yarn. Hopefully will get to do it soon and post my review later. As for fragrance, I’m thinking of adding a few drops of essential oils in the wool dryer balls before putting them in the dryer.

Bananas aren’t just for eating as they also give us fiber for making yarn. Well not exactly from the fruit, but from the stalks and shoots of the plant. According to Textile Exchange, banana plants have long been a good source for high quality textiles around the world. With Japan and Nepal leading the pack.

The fibers come from the banana stalks and shoots. As the outermost fiber are more coarse, it’s used for making ropes and mats. But the inner part is much softer and used to make fabric.

In Japan, some traditional dresses like kimono are made with banana fiber. It’s lightweight, comfortable, and perfect for summer time clothing. With the fabric being similar to rayon and bamboo.

In Nepal they process their banana fiber to become as soft as silk. They use the outer aged and decaying bark of the banana plant. An eco-friendly way of using all parts of the plant. The pulps are extracted and processed then hand spun and hand dyed into colorful yarn.

Photo from Yarn Market.  A skein of banana silk yarn in blue.   I can imagine a knitted soft and silky scarf with this yarn.

200 grams at $13.85 from Yarn Market.  More info:

“Frabjous” means joyful, excellent, fabulous, and these are definitely the terrific feelings you’ll get when you create with heavy-worsted “Banana Silk.” Handspun from the readily renewable banana stalk, “Banana Silk” is similar to rayon in terms of softness & sheen but keep in mind that some of the profits go to support fair trade women’s cooperatives in Nepal. “Banana Silk” is spectacular knitted & crocheted into hats, shawls, scarves, bags & more.”

Next post… fiber yarn from Pineapple. Not the fruit either, but the pineapple tops. Once processed, the material is similar to linen, however it is softer and more lustrous. Stay tuned!

Reference notes: Textile Exchange

It’s finally starting to feel colder out here in California. And the cold weather means indoor heat. Indoor heat also means dry skin and dry scalp for me.

Then I came upon this “Ginger Scalp Care” shampoo by The Body Shop. It seems to be working well so far.

Natural and botanical ingredients include ginger root extract, birch bark, white willow, and oak moss. The astringent properties of these ingredients help promote a healthy and clean scalp.

Description from The Body Shop:

“Organic honey moisturizes and helps condition the skin. Helps protect and preserve the forest as well as providing necessary income for beekeepers, an increasing number of which are now women.

The honey that we use comes from communities living in and around the Ba’le Forest in Ethiopia, in the south Oromia state. This area forms part of the East African Montaine Eco-Region, which has been identified by the UN as a global hotspot for biodiversity and has several endemic species within the region that are classified as endangered.” - The Body Shop.

It’s a great shampoo for soothing that irritated scalp. I also like the spicy, sharp and warm scent of ginger oil. This scent is also more pleasant than most other dry scalp shampoo.

On the downside it does contain a number of ingredients they could leave out, such as SLS and parabens. Then again, maybe it’s time I start making my own shampoo bar with honey and ginger oil extract.

The shampoo retails for $10 for 8.4 fl oz. Smaller bottle than most other shampoo. But you can use this once a week and switch between a regular shampoo.

Note: Taking fish oil (supplement) is another great way to increase moisture and prevent dry skin or scalp. You’ll notice the difference in your skin and have healthy heart and joint too.

After picking apples, we stopped by Santa Cruz to catch the sunset.  It was a perfectly clear day and the weather was nice for the coast.

There were lots of nice beach homes along Cliff Drive. It must be wonderful to wake up and see the ocean right in your front yard. And to breathe in the fresh ocean air.

A little sandy cove along the cliff. The green plants are mostly ice plants.

Some sea moss and also more ice plants.

Ice plants in bloom. These are white, but I especially like the purple variety. The leaves are plump and juicy - not that I ate them. It was just filled with juice.

There’s even a lone palm tree here. Not something you see often in Northern California, especially along the coast.

Sunset at Natural Bridges State Beach. Santa Cruz, CA.

Nature Walk Note:

We also walked the Monarch Butterfly Trail to check out the Monarch butterflies.  I didn’t photograph any because it was dark in the grove.

There weren’t many butterflies when we got there. But they say the best time to go is early morning when the butterflies will cluster among the leaves. From middle of October thru February, they cluster in eucalyptus groves. So if anyone is interested in seeing them, there’s still time.

Apple season is coming to an end out west. Many “U-Pick” orchards are closing their doors this weekend. Luckily we made it just in time to pick the last few apples left on the tree.

Gala apple hanging on a branch.

Clearview orchard is open only during the weekends. Located in Watsonville, just a few miles from Santa Cruz. The apples are grown in rows on a steep hill. When picking the apples, you have to be careful and not get your eyes poked by the branches.

This is the first time I’ve been to a “u-pick” farm and wasn’t used to paying for fruits that I picked myself. I guess I’ve always been lucky to get FREE fruits, whether it’s from a friend’s yard or our own.

We found out about Clearview Orchard from a Groupon deal, 10 lb for $10, normally it’s $2 per pound of organic apples. We easily picked 14 lbs in no time! And it was well worth it for fresh crisp apple right off the tree.

Bumper crop of Fuji apples.

On the down side I wish they had more varieties of apples such as Granny Smith. There seem to be only two types, the Gala and Fuji apples. Another downside was that there weren’t any animals around like goats or chickens. It would be fun to have a petting zoo. 

But next time I want to try a different orchard, one with a working farm and red barn too. Gizdich Ranch is also located in the same area and sounds like fun.

The person who came up with this idea is brilliant! It almost feels like the fishes are crowded, but they seem to enjoy the new view.

Now you can turn your backyard fish pond into a small aquarium. It also seems easy enough to put together with plexiglass.

Hoyas are commonly called wax plants. This is probably because the leaves feel almost like wax, or at least to me more like plastic.

There are many variety of hoyas with many different shaped leaves and flowers.  They are tropical vines that make great houseplants and require little water.

The one I have pictured here is “Carnosa Tricolor”.

With some care and proper watering, it will reward you with attractive flowers. Be careful to not over water, as wet soils can kill a Hoya fast.

The flower is the real prize of this plant. I have yet to see the real flower and am looking forward to it. It’s been described that Hoya flowers are very fragrant and some species even smell like chocolate.

Care for your hoya plants by putting them near bright light but not direct sunlight. Let the soil dry between watering.

They don’t like big pots and bloom when root bound. This little plant I have is root bound and there are now 2 buds. I’m not sure when it will bloom, maybe in a few months.

More info about hoyas:

They are epiphytes (like orchids) and like well draining and porous growing medium such as chopped coconut husk or sphengnum moss.  A good mix is about 1/3 of an orchid mix (bark, perlite, charcoal.)

Fertilization is average. And once the Hoyas start to bloom, they will continue blooming from spring to summer.

A popular variety is Hoya kerrii:

Belongs in the frangipani family, apocynaceae.  

It is best to propagate any type of cuttings or seeds in a mixture of moist peat and perlite.