Organic Granny

Delicious & Fragrant Organic Borscht with Basil, Red Lentils, and Purple Cabbage I was at Costco today and saw a 2-4 servings package of ready-made beet borscht for ... are you ready?... $12+ change!!!!!  I knew I had beets at home in the fridge (thanks to that wonderful organic-vegetable-growing son of mine who harvested close to 3000# of beets this Fall!) and I DO know how to make borscht, so I could hardly wait to get home to make such a valuable-- and delicious of course-- soup. And this borscht I am making is ORGANIC, it does not have any GMO possibilities, or high fructose corn syrup lacings.  This recipe will feed 5 people... so, I guess it must be worth about $25?  You can make it too: Ingredients : 2 Tbs. Coconut Oil *4 small Onions , halved and sliced (3 cups) *1 T. organic dried whole Basil *2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt *6 cloves Garlic , minced *3 medium Beets , peeled and grated, or pulsed until fine in Food Processor *Greens from beets (or bunch of Swiss Char

This luscious Ginger-Grape Jam is made with my own organic seedless green grapes! *Recipe for cakes below The kitchen smells of Jam.   Ginger-Grape Jam.  It is a dark rainy night in the Comox Valley. This is the kind of night that Grandmothers use to make jam.  We have a grape arbour that produces sweet seedless green grapes. This was a long hot, dry summer-- apparently the kind of growing season that these grapes enjoy! Originally the grapes  were used for wine-making. But we call them "Table Grapes". We freeze each little gem and use them in smoothies for most of the winter. And we make Jam.  Please note: This jam was made with ORGANIC seedless green grapes during ORGANIC WEEK!   So, let's get right to the recipe: Pick the grapes (at least 1 Kg/2 pounds) and soak 20 min. in basin of water with 1/4 C. Vinegar mixed in.   INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds/ 1 Kg  Fresh, Ripe Grapes .  1/4 Cup / 60 g  Sugar  or other Sweetener 1/2  Lime, Juiced , Fresh lem

Thornless Blackberries are the most prolific fruit in our back garden. Thornless (or prickle-free) blackberries are a cultivar of other blackberries -- maybe wild blackberries, but most often, other commercial varieties, such as loganberries. Wild blackberries still spring up with wily abandon on most empty lots in the Pacific Northwest (Canada and the USA).   When we came to Vancouver Island nine years ago this Fall, I was thrilled to hike around our neighborhood berry patches with a pail every summer.  Most of our neighbours were quite incredulous at my  industry-- why was I picking so many berries?  Most of them picked enough for a pie or a few jars of jam, and that was it.  The novelty had worn off.  They had so many other wonderful fruits and berries to choose from, many growing in their yards.  At the time, my husband and I were falling in love with-- actually, fast becoming addicted to-- green smoothies.  We were amazed by the simple abundance of the FREE blackberries.  W

I love lavender . Beautiful hues of purple. Drought resistant. Heavenly scent. Edible. Organic. What is not to love?  Here are 25 Things You Can Do With Lavender (if you have other suggestions, please add below!) 1. Scent your Linens :  Put sprays of dry lavender in with your sheets for a pleasant, relaxing effect. 2. Protect your Wardrobe: Hang Sachets filled with lavender buds to repel moths and bugs. 3. Make Lavender Chocolate Truffles for that everything-chocolate Auntie with a birthday. 4. Create a beautiful Lavender Bouquet for your wedding. 5. Bake a Lavender Cake for that Summer Tea Party. 6. Stop a Heat Stroke in its tracks with a couple of drops of  Lavender Essential Oil 7. Braid an enchanting Lavender Wand . 8. Chill out with Lavender Ices (ever so elegant!) 9. Spritz home-made Lavender Water to disinfect and before storing linen and clothing. 10. Wash doggie down with home-made Lavender Doggie Shampoo and repel fleas. 11. Relieve a heada