EaSilY gRoWN iN tEXaS

Health-packed Herbs Easily Grown in Texas

by Kimberly Kay

Thyme, oregano and rosemary are most widely used herbs for its medicinal three of the most potent herbs to benefits. stock in your spice rack or grow in Thyme tea with honey has been used a Texas backyard. They are packed with to treat sore throat and as a natural powerful compounds that have anti-inflamcough remedy. Thyme tincture matory, antiviral and antifungal properties. has been used to treat acne,

Herbal folklore passed down from and the essential oil is used previous generations extolling the medicias a fungicide and for pest nal properties of herbs is now backed by control. scientific studies supporting their myriad Oregano is well health benefits. Not only are these three known for its distinct, herbs a culinary delight and full of essential warm, slightly bitter flavor in nutrients, but they just may impart an extra Mediterranean and Italian dishes. boost of immunity to get us through the Few know it is also loaded with the vitacold and flu season. mins A, C, K, iron and manganese.

Thyme is an herb The oils present in oregano from the mint family are especially high in the antioxidant with a distinctive taste compounds carvacrol and thymol. that has an impressive Research shows that the carvacrol range of uses with more in oregano oil reduces inflammathan 400 subspecies. Not only tion, increases metabolic rate and is it one of the most memay cause the body to burn more dicinally powerful herbs, it is a calories. culinary delight found in many Use fresh oregano to create a popular dishes found in many healing tea or add to favorite dishes cultures. for a punch or healthy flavor. It can be

Thyme is packed with added fresh or dried to butters, stews, vitamin C and A, making it one of the sauces or roasted vegetables to go-to herbs to relieve respiratory issues and add extra flavor. boost immunity. Compounds in thyme Rosemary, a frasuch as carvacrol and grant, highly antioxithymol make it an dant herb, is used in excellent herb to be many Italian and used as an anti-inMediterranean flammatory, antiand recipes. It fungal and antiviral, contains the antimaking it one of the

oxidant compound rosmarinic acid and is exceptionally rich in B-complex vitamins, has high levels of folates and an impressive amount of vitamins A and C. Rosemary has not only been found to have antibacterial properties, but studies show it has neuro-protective properties that enhance memory and protect against neurodegenerative diseases. It is used in remedies to elevate the mood, aid in digestion, lower blood pressure and even slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration.

As the leaves are aromatic and sweet, they can also be added to flavor meats and soups. Sprigs of rosemary for seasoning poultry are also a great addition to side dishes and oils and butters.

Grow this remarkable herb trio in the garden to add fresh flavor and nutrition to recipes or stock a spice rack with the dried herb; either way, they are handy to enhance favorite meals with their tasty flavor and also their nutritional and medicinal qualities.

Rosemary and Thyme Herbed Butter

1 lb. premium butter, softened for one hour 1-2 Tbsp fresh rosemary—chop fine 1-2 Tbsp fresh thyme—pull leaves from the hard stems and chop fine

Add the butter and mix well. Place on was or parchment paper or in a container overnight to harden and let the flavors combine. Serve on favorite meats or veggies for added flavor.

salt-Free savory Flavor Mix

1 Tbsp rosemary, dried 2 Tbsp thyme, dried 1 Tbsp oregano, dried 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder

Mix in a bowl or blend extra fine in a coffee grinder. Toss on roasted veggies, fries, add to butter.

immunity-Boosting Herbal Teas

Add 2 Tsp of crushed fresh (1 tsp dried) Thyme or Oregano leaves to 8 oz. of boiling water and cover. Steep for 10 minutes and strain. Add 1 Tbs of raw honey for sweetness if desired.

oregano pesto

1 cup fresh oregano, tightly packed ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 cloves garlic, peeled ½ cup raw almonds Salt and pepper to taste ½ cup olive oil

Add all ingredients but the olive oil to the bowl of a food processor and grind until the mixture is slightly combined. With the processor still running, slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture becomes smooth.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze for later use. (see notes for tips) To store: pop the pesto into the fridge for around 5-7 days. Put an extra little layer of olive oil on top of the pesto to preserve it for a little longer and stop it from going brown on top. To freeze, just pop the mixture into the ice cube tray and once frozen, remove and store in a storage baggie until needed. Kimberly Kay is an urban farmer and owner of Galaxy Greens Microgreen Farm LLC, in Keller. She is a healthy living strategist and a certified integrative health coach serving businesses and families around the world. For more information, visit HealthyLivingwith KimberlyKay.com.

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by Rebeca gracia

Garlic, cinnamon, peppers and slowly roasting the garlic cloves until it is ginger are some of the most comfully caramelized. The flavor of black garlic mon spices used to add flavor in is more mellow, sweeter and earthier. It cooking, but spices also can also be meis not necessarily more potent for health dicinal. Turmeric (taken with black peppurposes, but is a fun alternative to try. per to enhance absorption) is one of the Peppers of different types can be most potent natural anti-inflammatories. added to dishes to provide a kick of heat. It if often sold in capsule form, but even Anti-inflammatory capsaicin contributes one teaspoon added in hot tea or coffee in to the hotness of the pepper and is used the mornings can help arthritis, improve to decrease pain. Peppers are known to brain function and strengthen the imbe heart healthy and good for digestion in mune system. Turmeric has a strong, moderation. earthy, bitter, flavor and is best blended with other spices. Golden Milk

The Zesty, sweet and warm ginger is 1 cup coconut milk heated with: commonly used to calm nausea or motion 1 tsp turmeric sickness and other digestive issues. Ginger 1 dash fresh ground black pepper can also help support heart health, boost 1 dash cayenne pepper immunity and balance blood sugar. 1 tsp cinnamon

Cardamom is a sweet, peppery¼ tsp cardamom citrusy aromatic spice known to aid ¼ tsp ginger digestion, improve bad breath, maintain healthy weight, augment detoxification Check labels on spice bottles to make sure and help balance blood sugar. It can also of getting the purest and freshest products. help boost the immune system. Spices are often sold as blends and can

Warm, floral cinnamon is most often hide unwanted additives such as MSG used in sweet desserts. This pairing most labeled as “natural flavoring”. likely originated from the observation that cinnamon is helpful to balance blood Rebeca Gracia, sugar. It has also been shown to improve Pharm.D., is a blood circulation and help brain function. pharmacist and

The strong, spicy taste of allspice natural health resembles a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, consultant working cloves and black pepper. Allspice can be with Rockwall Comused to help muscle aches, digestive health, plete Health and boost immunity and improve joint health. Wellness. For more

Garlic is a strong antioxidant that has information, call 972-658-6174 or visit been used for heart health and to DrRebecaGracia.com. boost immunity. Black garlic is a specialty spice made by

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Mask Eco-Disposal

How to dispose of antiviral Wear discarded face masks and gloves littering streets, beaches, parks and parking lots are a sad sight of the times, creating eyesores and more importantly, major contamination risks to pick up and discard. With 88 percent of the world’s population living in countries that have required or advised use of face coverings, disposable face masks number in the billions, especially the commonplace, single-use polypropylene variety. along with disposable gloves and sanitary wipes, they are clogging sewers and waterways worldwide and showing up in fish bellies and on ocean floors.

what not to Recycle

Recycling, the go-to strategy for environmentally conscious citizens, is unfortunately not a good option. Even in ordinary times, local recyclers won’t accept surgical masks and latex gloves because they jam machinery. Some dedicated providers box up used face masks and gloves and send them to TerraCycle.com, where they are sorted manually and sustainably recycled. the cost for a small box is a hefty $148; MindBodyGreen. com suggests asking grocery stores or retailers to stock some for the community to use. instead of recycling, the World Health organization recommends throwing single-use masks, gloves and wipes into a covered trash can or bin immediately after use so they are handled as regular trash. ideally, they should be put in a resealable plastic bag first in consideration of frontline sanitation workers that can become ill from handling virus-infected materials. No mask, glove or wipe should be flushed down a toilet.

Homemade solutions

For masks, the eco-solution that harbors the lowest carbon dioxide footprint is one made of cloth that is machine-washed and dried after each use at a high temperature or washed by hand in a bleach solution (five tablespoons per gallon of water). University of chicago researchers found certain fabrics filter out viral aerosol particles almost as effectively as the medical N-95 mask: a layer of a tightly woven cotton sheet combined with two layers of polyester-spandex chiffon, natural silk or flannel, or simply a cotton quilt with cotton-polyester batting . See cdc.gov for instructions for using sew and no-sew masks, and many diY videos can be found on Youtube using t-shirts, socks and napkins. another good eco-strategy is to buy sustainable face masks made from recycled or organic materials (GoodOnYou.eco). in lieu of recycling to help the planet, a donation can be made to an eco-organization that deals with plastic waste, such as PlasticPollutionCoalition.org or OceanConservancy.org.

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