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Protect Yourself from Salmonella and E Coli Naturally

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sitting processed chicken

Are you wondering when the next massive round of food-borne illness will occur?

It seems like every time you turn on the news there’s another food recall. If you check the FDA food recall list, there are literally dozens of products listed at any given time. Big gatherings where food sits out for hours – for instance, potlucks – often end up with people ill from some degree of food poisoning. There are ways you can help protect yourself from salmonella and e coli naturally.

Note: This article contains advice on general food safety and boosting your immune system. It is for general information purposes only.If you are experiencing severe pain, vomiting, diarrhea or other complications, please consult your healthcare practitioner immediately! I am not a doctor, I am only sharing what works for me and my family.

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Chicory – Prebiotic, Coffee Substitute, Health Tonic – Weekly Weeder #5

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Welcome to the Weekly Weeder series. Today’s featured plant is chicory, Chicorium intybus. The wild and domesticated varieties of chicory have a long history of use for food and medicine, and as a forage crop for livestock.

blue chicory flowers in bloom by a gravel driveway

Chicory is prized for its long taproot, which is roasted and used as a coffee substitute or coffee additive. The roots are also high in inulin, which is used as a sweetener and prebiotic. The plant contains compounds such as flavonoids and coumarins that may help fight disease….

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Queen Anne’s Lace – Butterfly Host Plant and Blueberry Protector

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queen anne's lace blossom

Today’s featured weed is Queen Anne’s Lace, Daucus Carota

Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) is a biennial and is also known as Wild Carrot, Bird’s Nest Weed, Bee’s Nest, Devils Plague, garden carrot, Bird’s Nest Root, Lace Flower, Rantipole, Herbe a dinde and Yarkuki. In some states it is designated as a noxious weed. Known as 野胡萝卜 in china.

The World Carrot Museum states that the name “‘Herbe a dinde’ derives from its use as a feed for young turkeys – dinde.”  (Personally, I’d never heard of that name before. Maybe it’s a UK thing?)   The Woodrow Wilson Foundation Leadership Programs for Teachers cites the origin of the name as follows:  “Queen Anne’s Lace is said to have been named after Queen Anne of England, an expert lace maker. When she pricked her finger with a needle, a single drop of blood fell into the lace, thus the dark purple floret in the center of the flower.”
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Red Clover – Nitrogen Fixer and Gentle Tonic – Weekly Weeder #4

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red clover flower

Welcome to the Weekly Weeder series. This week’s weed is Red clover, Trifolium pratense. (Trifolium means “three leaves”.) Native to Europe, red clover was introduced to North America as a fodder crop. It has now naturalized throughout the Americas, Australia and many other parts of the world. Red clover is a legume, and adds nitrogen to the soil, enriching it for other crops….

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Canada and Bull Thistle – Edible from Bud to Root – Weekly Weeder #3

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bumblebee on bull thistle blossom

Welcome to the Weekly Weeder series. Today’s featured weed is the thistle, i.e. plants of the genus Cirsium. No true thistles are known to be toxic, and they are fairly easy to identify. There are many thistle species throughout North America (and the rest of the world), but the two common in my yard are Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) and bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare). The different species are all edible and have similar uses….

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