I made a small batch of goat milk soap a few weeks ago…now they are ready for use. This one is made using all vegetable oil include rice bran, which is one of my favorite oils to use in soap making.

As for the scent, I prefer to use only essential oils (neroli and bergamont) since it has many skin healing benefits as well.

Goat milk itself makes for a great skin conditioning soap. Adding mineral rich Dead Sea mud also helps with detoxifying the skin. The mud contains minerals such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, bromine and calcium. And when applied to the skin it helps to detoxify and improve circulation.

I also included a little bit of Dead Sea salt as it’s proven to help with clear up skin problems. I guess I can say this is one healthy skin soap.

Rambutans used to be a rarity here in the U.S., but they can now be found in many Asian supermarkets or some farmer’s market. Before there was fresh ramutans, the best version were usually found canned. And with all the syrup they put in, it’s just takes away the unique taste and possible health benefits of this tropical fruit.

For those not familiar with rambutans it might look a bit out of this world. With the spikes and all, but don’t worry the spikes are harmless, very soft and flexible. Peeling the fruit can be tricky, but possible with your fingers or a knife. Just make sure you slice around the skin and don’t get to the flesh or seeds.

The taste is sweet with a bit of tartness. And if you’ve tasted lychee or longan, these are not so different.

Thailand is the largest producer of rambutan, but it is commonly found in other South East Asian countries as well. Even Australia has found success with marketing rambutan. It’s always exciting for me to find tropical and unique fruits have gained some popularity now.

I think it’s time to head to the beach and go fly a kite now.

“In summer I can taste the salt in the sea
There’s a kite blowing out of control on a breeze” -

I didn’t plan on growing any climbing spinach this year since I wasn’t too impressed with them. Well it turns out it wasn’t the plant to blame, but my lack of gardening skills.

Why do I say this? It’s because when the climbing spinach ended up growing on their own in mom’s backyard garden they all looked great! Of course it’s because she takes good care of her garden by fixing the soil, pest control and watering her plants daily.

Here is a perfect heart shaped climbing spinach vine leaf. The best climbing spinach grew out of the potted Mexican lime tree. It produced some of the biggest spinach leaves I’ve ever seen. The bigger leaves were the size of my hand, but those ended up in my salad.

And it made for a great summer salad that was crisp and cooling. All I did was sliced up the veggies and tossed it with rice bran oil, apple cider vinegar, honey and along with some tangy plums, cool iceberg lettuces, plus garden cherry tomatoes.

Here’s one that volunteer to grow along with Thai Basil. Theses guys like to climb, so best to grow them along fences or trellis. This one is just climbing up a small bamboo stick. Note, in the back row are mom’s super hot chili peppers. She has grown them in pots every year and they produce lots of peppers. Almost too hot and spicy for my taste buds!

Lina Hanson has recently launched the “Global Body Serum”. It’s 100% natural and made with some of the best oils for all skin type. Key ingredients include rice bran oil, avocado oil, Camellia seed oil, Grapefruit oil, Vanilla and Yuzu.

These combination of oils are full of skin nourishing vitamins that will keep your skin healthy and hydrated all day. And the scent is wonderful! Nothing overpowering or artificial here. I especially love the citrus scent of grapefruit and Yuzu, then mixed with sweet vanilla.

This is the sample I received and have been using for a few weeks. It soaks in nicely and my skin just loved it. Lina Hanson Global Body Serum comes in 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) dark glass pump bottle.

Another great thing about Lina Hanson is that the company uses ingredients that are harvested by women’s cooperatives and farmers worldwide. It’s one way the company is helping promote women’s economic growth and give them a sense of empowerment.

I just ran out of my last bottle of seabuckthorn facial cream made by Sibu Beauty. Not that there was anything wrong with Sibu’s cream, it’s just that I wanted to give a different brand a try. So I picked up a bottle of seabuckthorn facial cream made by Seabuck Wonders. To my surprise, Seabuck Wonders has been around for almost 20 years and I’ve barely heard of them.

This cream goes on smoothly and my skin just soaks it up. It’s lightly scented with orange essential oil and not overpowering at all. I normally use this facial cream at night because it doesn’t have much SPF protection, maybe SPF protection of 4-5. But if I were to use it in the daytime, I would normally apply mineral power with natural SPF.

Here’s a list of some of the benefits of the cream (as mentioned by SeabuckWonders):

Enhances skin tone and texture
Made with certified organic Sea Buckthorn
Vegan; Non-GMO
Paraben-free; Cruelty-free
Naturally scented with essential orange oil
For all skin types

Besides all the beauty benefits, the company also believes in sustainable farming. As noted by Seabuck Wonders;

“The berries are harvested once they have reached maturity and allowed to re-fruit the following year. Only the minimum number of branches and leaves necessary are removed, leaving the majority of the plant intact, to continue to grow for the next season’s harvest. These practices allow for healthy trees and a sustainable source of income for the farmers.” That’s what I call good farming and business practice.

At the moment Seabuck Wonders is having a sale on their berry oil, facial cream, and body lotion set at their website. Enter coupon code SUN50 fro 50% good until July 7, 2013.

Btw, I love seabuckthorn that much and even have my own plant, which is now 4 years old. It’s gotten a bit bigger now, but no seeds yet.

I can’t remember the last time I ate a star fruit (aka carambola). So when I saw these at the Asian market I had to give them a try.

The outside skin appears waxy and is very smooth. There is a crispness to the fruit and to my surprise they tasted very familiar. Like a mix of really juicy Asian pears and a hint of apple flavor.

As for nutritional value, star fruit is high in vitamin A and C. For those suffering from kidney stones or on dialysis, this fruit can be dangerous or fatal due to the high level of oxalic acid.

Because these fruits are so rare, they are quite pricey. Expect to spend at least a few bucks for just 1 or 2 fruits. If I had to chose between a star fruit or dragonfruit, I would definitely go with the dragonfruit.

Besides the rather common fruit taste, the fruit itself looks very unique. I remember seeing a star fruit tree in Hawaii once. Other states in the U.S. that can grow star fruit would include Florida and Texas (due to their warmer climate). These fruits are imported from Taiwan.

We have several aloe vera plants in the garden, most are in containers. There are the plain green ones, some are spotted and one has variegated leaves.

We’ve probably had this Aloe Vera plant for 5 years. And this spring it started to blossom. I’m not sure when it will open up completely. So far I’ve seen succulent flowers come in shades of pink or yellow.

Notice the spiders have started to make the flowers their new home. I don’t mind spiders as much, as long as they keep out bad insects in the garden.

It’s a good idea to keep Aloe Vera around because of it’s medicinal value. What I like most is that it’s mostly low maintenance, so no green thumbs necessary. And of course it comes in handy for minor cuts and burns.

Been feeling mentally drained these past few days and weeks. Found this heartfelt quote…

“Wherever I am in the world, all I need is the smell of eucalyptus to recover that lost world of Adrogué*, which today no doubt exists only in my memory.”
– Jorge Luis Borges

In my lost world of Adrogué, instead of the smell of eucalyptus, it would be the scent of wild honeysuckle in a summer night’s breeze.

I like this photo where it looks like the sun will always come out, especially after the rain. Photo by PhotoDictionary.

* Adrogué is a city in Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. At slightly more than 30,000 inhabitants, it has numerous cobbled streets, lush trees and several town squares.

Last spring I grew a few herbal sage seeds right into the ground. I also grew one in a small container. It turns out the potted sage did much better. I didn’t realize this plant would make it pass our freezing nights. The pot must have kept the soil warm and thriving.

Once in a while I’ll use the leaves in soup or make tea with them. But just recently I was reading about smudging and found out about how sage is used for spiritual cleanings.

It’s believe since the ancient time that burning sage helps to chase out bad spirits or energies from a home or person. They are refer to as “Smudging ceremonies” and one does it when moving into a new home or space.

Mother Earth Living notes, “white sage’s healing powers have been traced through time and have impacted many different cultures, including the ancient Babylonians, ancient Greeks, the Chinese and a host of Native North and South American tribes who used white sage in their healing and prayer rituals.”

The process involves placing the bundled dried sage into a ceramic dish then light it for a few seconds until billows of smoke come up. Be sure to stop the flame as you only want the sage scented smoke (much like burning incense).

The ceremony uses White Sage but garden sage can also be used as a substitute. White Sage has white to silver looking narrow leaves and are seen growing in the mountains and deserts of California.