Is it Spring Yet? Or should I just eat more chocolate!

From Grandma's Desk: I woke up this morning to 42 degrees and the patter of rain on the roof. It is Dec. 29 in the mountains of Montana! As the seed catalogs arrive so does the spring weather? I think this weather is via the garden fairies who want to see us plant lots of beautiful flowers in our gardens. Even though it is not yet January the weather makes our brain think spring and before you know it you have sent away for $100 worth of seeds and gardening tools just so you don't miss the first opportunity to eat fresh peas from your garden. Instead of ordering seeds to early I begin to plan my garden so I am not wasting valuable resources on things that will never come to fruit or flower in my zone. Although we live on the shady side of the mountain in winter I know that Spring is only a few months away. It is time to get out my garden journal from last year and begin to remember. I love planning the next year of gardening. Even though it will take many turns and u-turns before the final design is in.I like to dream of the possibilities. My mountain garden has really changed how I garden and when I plant. I have found it is best to spend some time away in early spring so that I don't jump the gun and plant to early then get frustrated with a late frost and loosing my valuable starts. Last year I went to Hawaii in February & came home to begin my garden atarts. Then as March arrived I had herbs and tomatoes that were a bit leggy even though I have lights and a green house it was a bit early. I think this year I will wait until early March or even April to plant seeds indoors. I can't plant tomatoes or peppers outside until late May or June and even then they are in a greenhouse. Last year we had a frost around the 4th of July! So with Christmas behind me and the New Year to look forward to I meditate on my lavender staying warm and viable under a blanket of snow until Spring really is here. I think I will wait to order seeds until I have a plan and a chance to inventory what is left from last years supply. I try not to over buy from the seed catalogs but wait until our local seed sources are available. I feel the seeds I buy from Montana seed producers are best suited for Montana. The local gardeners and seed companies know better than companies in warmer or moister climates. I will seeds that I gathered myself from my garden last year and only buy a few new varieties to test and see if they are hardy enough for my Mountain Garden Home. For now I will plan my Montana Garden of Eden and envision the possibilities. While enjoying a cup of sipping chocolate and other dark chocolate delights. Dream of snorkeling in Hawaii and get out the graph paper for this years design possibilities! "I feel sorry for plants that are obliged to make a struggle for life in uncongenial situations because their owner wishes all things." Elizabeth von Amim. From the book Zen and the art of Gardening.

From Grandma's Desk: For Christmas my niece Lindsey gave me some wonderful homemade lotions and potions. One of the potions was a face wash she made from Olive Oil and Castor Oil. It is fantastic. Instead of using soap or cleanser that tend to dry out the skin this blend of oils cleans the dirt off your skin without drying or stripping the bodies natural oils. It is very simple and wonderful 8 parts Olive Oil and 2 parts Castor Oil. Use a small dab in your hand then massage it into your skin leave on for a few seconds then wipe off with a moist warm cloth. My skin cleared up in 2 days. This morning before washing my hair I applied it to my scalp and it made my hair beautiful and my scalp felt healthy and not itchy as before. Thanks Lindsey for a wonderful Christmas gift.

Winter Joy-

From Grandma's Desk:
I created this essential oil formula to go in my diffuser during the long, cold winter months when we get very little sunshine on our house and don't go outside much because of the cold. Use in a diffuser or with a carrier oil if you want to put it on your skin. I like to use Jojoba Oil as a carrier as it is closest to our own bodies oil and is very soothing.

Winter Joy Essential oil Recipe

10 drops Ylang Ylang
12 drops Lavender
6 drops Jasmine
6 drops Palo Santo
12 drops Clary Sage
9 drops Frankincense & Myrrh

I have also added St John's Wort and Sandalwood oil when using on the skin need 60 drops of Jojoba Oil or fill a 1 ounce dropper bottle or another great way to use is a roll on bottle that you can roll on pulse points to help those winter blues!

I have gotten some very positive feedback from friends and family on this one.

Something Special for You

From Grandma's Desk:
Greetings,

Special One-time discount on Floracopeia Essential Oils!

Karrie Westwood is now partnered with Floracopeia, a global botanical therapeutics and essential oils provider. Through Floracopeia we will provide our customers with the highest quality essential oils and other botanical aromatic treasures. We want to share this with you and we have included a "Special Aromatherapy Essence" invitation to try these amazing products with a special 25% off discount when purchased online only.

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All the best,
Karrie

Natural Remedies for ear pain

From Grandma's Desk:
I first discovered that antibiotics do not always work when my infant grandson had numerous ear infections but none of the antibiotics we gave him worked. Then someone suggested we try garlic oil in his ear. Since we were desperate for a cure we tried garlic in a capsule form and dribbled a few drops in his ear and it worked! A few months after this I was at a street fair in Jacksonville, OR and I told her about my grandson and she had ear drops made from Lavender essential oil and Olive oil. I bought a bottle from her, but she was kind enough to give me her formula which was 1 part lavender essential oil to 10 parts olive oil. Use 3 drops in the affected ear twice a day until the pain is gone. This has been a tried and true formula for my family ever since. We have never had to use antibiotics for an ear infection since learning about this! The Lavender smells much better than the garlic oil too.

Etsy.com

I just set up my shop on Etsy I only have my Nature's First Aid Kit for sale but will be adding to the shop as time and energy allows. So link to: www.etsy.com/shop/grandmasfarmacie.com
See you there. If you haven't discovered Etsy yet it is a trip unto itself. It is the ebay of handmade goods and antiques. There is lots of fun stuff on there! Let me know what you think.

Honey Jams!

     I have just finished making a batch of Blueberry Honey Jam using no pectin, besides the blueberries and Honey I also added 2 T lemon juice and juice of one lime. I let it simmer for 30 min. then whipped it with a handheld blender till smooth, then used a wire whip for 6 min. The whipping seems to help set it and thicken it, releasing the fruits natural pectin. It tastes great and we will see in a few weeks if it has set. I did this with some raspberry jam a few weeks ago and it turned out amazing. I did strawberry but did not quip it and it seems a bit runny.
      If you have other great successes with honey in your cooking let me know it makes such a nice jam and I also like to can with it.