Essential Oil Safety News

We recently heard that ‘Young Living’ has been warned by the FDA to refrain from unsafe practices and instruction with their essential oils, especially regarding ingesting them.

The FDA was created to protect the consumer and can shut down any business that doesn’t comply with their safety rules and industry regulations.

As a Certified Aromatheropist I could never imagine recommending ingesting any essential oil as you never know how it was extracted, all kinds of chemical solvents can be used to cut costs… learning to rate the quality of an essential oil vender is something you learn when you get certified.

It is unfortunate for all of us practicing aromatherapy that one company’s bad manners affect the rules governing us all, and it’s time to find our voices and tell ‘Young Living’ that not complying with the FDA regulations is bad for everyone, so please STOP NOW!

 

We are a Frontier Coop member, the coop owns and distributes Aura Cacia Essential & Carrier Oils, is World Trade friendly, and made number five on the top ten best quality essential oil venders in 2015. Our state buying Rep’s, written literature, and recipes never recommend ingesting essential oils.

#aromatherapy #carrieroil #certifiedaromatheropist #essentialoil #essentialoilsafety #livinggreen #noordinarychick

Rose Quartz from Madagascar

Rose Quartz from Madagascar is considered extra grade because it is especially pink and more difficult to find than the paler pink colors usually seen in rose quartz.

Beautiful pink rose quartz is one of the most popular metaphysical stones. It is found in many places in the world, and usually forms in large masses. Individual crystal formations of rose quartz are rare.

Rose Quartz is the stone of unconditional love. One of the most important stones for heart chakra work; rose quartz opens the heart to all types of love, love of self, love of family, love of friends, romantic love. 

It is quartz and rose quartz can have a high energy vibration, but it is also calming and soothing.

Rose Quartz opens the heart to compassion for self and for others, and raises self-esteem. It eases guilt and balances emotions, lowering stress and bringing peace. Use rose quartz to enhance positive self-affirmations.

The soothing energy of rose quartz fosters empathy, reconciliation, and forgiveness of others. Lowering stress and tension in the heart, it clears out anger, jealousy, resentment of others, and allows healing of heart issues and dis-ease associated with holding on to such negative emotions.

Known as a romance stone, rose quartz can be used to attract love. Put a piece of it by your bedside table, or in the relationship corner of a room or home to attract new love, or to add trust and re-commitment to existing relationships. Rose Quartz lends loving energy to relationships, bringing calm and peace. The comforting and soothing energy of rose quartz can also help heal a broken heart, allowing release of pent-up emotions and grief. It also helps release unexpressed feelings about others.

Rose Quartz allows the user to be more open and accept love from others, and to recognize the unconditional love of the universe. Use it to bring calm and harmony during times of increased stress or crisis. Rose Quartz may also be used to balance all of the chakras, to remove negative energy, and replace it with love energy.

#chakras #crystals #enchantments #heartchakra #livinggreen #madagascarrosequartz #metaphysicalstones #noordinarychick #openheart #rosequartz #unconditionallove

Herbal Tips - Tarragon

This herb is associated with the element fire and the planet Mars. Throughout history tarragon has been widely used as an aid for toothaches. The ancient Greeks chewed it because of its ability to numb the mouth. This herb has been used by many cultures for centuries as a natural treatment.

Culinary
Tarragon is called the "King of Herbs" by the French, and with good reason. It is the main flavoring in many of the sauces that form the foundation of classic French cuisine, such as béarnaise, rigavote and tartar. When paired with chopped sprigs of fresh parsley, chives, and chervil, you have the traditional seasoning blend known as fines herbs. This aromatic blend enhances the flavors of egg, chicken and fish dishes, and is also used as a basis for salad dressings.
When using tarragon in cooked dishes, it is best to add it at the end, as heat tends to decrease its flavor. 


Unlike most of the other herbs, tarragon loses some potency of its flavor when dried. This may be one reason it is so frequently preserved in vinegar, which captures tarragon's essence and creates a tasty condiment that can be used in dressings, mayonnaise and as a zesty deglazing alternative to wine.

Gardening
This herb is small shrub featuring slim woody branching stems that reach up to a meter in height.
French tarragon is the variety generally considered best for the kitchen; it’s not grown from seed as the flowers are sterile, and instead is propagated by root division. A perennial it normally goes dormant in winter. It likes a hot sunny spot, without excessive watering.

Harvest & Storing
The green leaves can be picked during midsummer. The foliage may also be cut and dried in early autumn for use in a dry state afterwards. If the herb is dried for winter use, gather in August in the morning after the sun has dried off the dew. Cut off close above the root remove any stained or insect-eaten leaves and tie in bunches, spread out fanwise so that the air may penetrate freely to ail parts and hang to dry. Store dried bunches in airtight jars in a cool dry place.

#culinary #flavoring #frenchtarragon #gardening #healthyeating #herbs #herbharvest #livinggreen #naturalfood #noordinarychick #tarragon

Homemade Apple Wood Smoked Bacon

We are true bacon lovers around our house; but we don’t like the nitrites used for processing, and we don’t like the ridiculous prices of naturally smoked bacon at local farm stands and health food stores.

Our favorite specialty store carries a variety of local meats including fresh pork bellies now days so you don’t even have to special order.

We have tried making our own bacon before using several recipes but have only had success once, so this time we did more research in our cookbooks and on the internet to find exactly what kind of method to try for our circumstance of small portions and an insulated electric smoker.

The results were truly delightful and our method is relatively simple so we thought it would be fun to share it with all our bacon loving friends…

1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse Himalayan pink salt (unground)
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup maple sugar
1/8 cup maple syrup
dash fresh ground black pepper
Mix spices, maple sugar, and maple syrup in a small bowl to blend.

1 ½ pound fresh local pork belly (skin removed)
Spread seasoning paste over pork belly and place in a ziplock bag, double bag, and massage thoroughly to cover. Refrigerate, removing to massage seasoning paste once a day for 7 days.

After 7 days remove your pork belly from the seasoning paste, lightly rinse and pat dry, and rest at room temp.

4 ounces apple wood for smoking
Place your apple wood pieces and prepared pork belly in an insulated electric smoker at 225 degrees, smoke until the pork belly reaches an internal temp of 150 degrees. Cool; wrap in deli paper and refrigerate overnight to finish.

Now your homemade apple wood smoked bacon is ready to slice, cook, and enjoy! Keep refrigerated up to a week and freeze well wrapped for longer storage.

#applewoodsmoked #bacon #blackpepper #himalayanpinksalt #honey #insulatedelectricsmoker #koshersalt #livinggreen #maplesugar #maplesyrup #naturalfoods #naturallysmokedbacon #noordinarychick #porkbelly #spices