Organic, Local and Fresh

Many traditions and ceremonies are also practiced to help Onkwehonwe perform annual cleansing that helps to protect them from illness of any kind.  In fact, every group in the world has traditional practices that help to protect them from illness by working with the plants that grow locally. 

Onkwehonwe elders teach us that Creation always provides whatever it is we need to be healthy. Jewel Weed usually grows near Poison Ivy and provides fast relief from the painful burning that happens when our skin comes into contact with Poison Ivy.  Mullein often grows close to people with lung ailments.  Take note of what is growing near friends and family because often when a certain plant is growing near someone, it can warn that person to start paying attention to a specific area of their health. 

Environmental pollution has been on many peoples’ minds around Akwesasne and many will not garden because they know that environmental toxins go into the plant life and the last thing we should do is eat vegetables & herbs that are full of environmental toxins. 

You can find some interesting chemical facts online and I include links at the end of this article. 

Maintaining a four-season greenhouse, indoor gardening, or supporting local community supported agriculture (CSA) can help you to enjoy the benefits of organic local fresh food.  You can produce enough food for yourself, all year long, with one square foot space and tons of information can be found online about square foot gardening.  Raised garden beds can be covered with hoops and greenhouse plastic to create a more controlled eco environment.  Remember to not water your plants with super cold well water because that can shock them.  Setup a watering system where the water is warmed by the sun or some other means before the water is put on the plants.  The sun can keep rain barrels warm enough to provide the right temperature for watering plants in a greenhouse and hoop house. 

Growing cilantro and/or italian parsley on your kitchen windowsills and counters provides you with enough to have fresh organic homemade pesto all year long.  Dr. Thomas Stearns Lee, NMD of NaturoDoc.com suggests Two Teaspoons of Cilantro Chelation Pesto for three weeks, at least once per year because it will increase the urinary excretion of mercury, lead, and aluminum from our bodies. Pesto can be eaten plain, on toast, on potatoes, and in pasta.

Cilantro Chelation Pesto

Ingredients:

Garlic 4 cloves

Brazil Nuts 1/3 Cup

Sunflower Seeds 1/3 Cup

Pumpkin Seeds 1/3 Cup

Fresh Cilantro or Italian Parsley 2 Cups Packed

Flaxseed Oil 2/3 Cup

Lemon Juice 4 Tablespoons

Dulse Powder 2 Teaspoons

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

Soak the nuts and seeds in fresh water for an hour or overnight then rinse very well in a fine strainer / colander. Clean the Cilantro or Italian Parsley by soaking in a bowl of fresh clean water and rinse well.  A salad spinner also works well and they are created specifically to wash greens.

Blend cilantro and flaxseed oil in blender until cilantro is chopped.  Add garlic, nuts, seeds, dulse, and lemon juice.  Blend until mixture turns into a paste.  Add a squirt of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos until you like the taste and blend again.  Store in dark jars.  You can also freeze this for the year.

References

A practical guide to removing toxins from the body.  Retrieved April 25th 2012 from

http://www.ProLiberty.com/observer/20080201.htm

Revealing Chemical Facts. Retrieved April 25th 2012 from

http://www.EvenBetterNow.com/index.asp

Your Liver – the body’s chemical factory and detoxifier, the IO, Back to Basics, March 2007.

The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine, by Daniel B. Mowrey, 1986, page 88.

Chaparral: Nature’s Detergent for the Body, The IO, Back to Basics, August 2000.

Dr. Thomas Stearns Lee, NMD, http://www.NaturoDoc.com