Mint continued!

Today I am delighted to talk about more wonderful benefits of Mint, as well as enjoying another recipe for this wonderful Sunday!
I will continue to go over some uses and benefits of the amazing herb Mint.
through my readings in books as well as online I have found mint to a most useful herb as well as being easily grown and dried.  Since I was a little girl I remember my amazing mother heading to the cabin and harvesting the mint that grows wild up there for our families winter supply. To this day the fond memories bring a smile to my face as I now get to do that for my family! Though I like to bring some down from the cabin to grow in my garden here in town!

Some of the lesser known properties of mint include its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, allowing mint to seep in hot water then cool is wonderful when applied as a wash.
"Its Anit-itch properties can be used for treating insect bites like those of mosquitoes, honeybees, hornets, wasps, and gnats. The cooling sensation will relieve you of the irritating sensation to scratch, and the anti-inflammatory nature of mint will bring down swelling!"

For I love to grow the chocolate mint and what I call the cabin mint.  These 2 will be introduced to my new garden this coming spring! Along with some new trees for the yard. I have in my kitchen 3 of the trees already, as they arrived during our week of -37 degrees F for our low temp, I chose not to put them in the ground under the almost foot of snow at the time in my yard where I am planting them. :)
I will be loving this spring in the new home!

As for this holiday season I have been enjoying decorating the home and fixing more that needs fixing, absolutly loving the changes the seasons been bringing.  It is solstice, officially winter, and the shortest day of the year.

The winter solstice occurs at a specific time, not just day. This year, at 12:11 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 21, the sun shone directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, the farthest south the sun reaches, leading to less light and colder temperatures in the north. In the Southern Hemisphere, it was the longest day of the year."

Looking forward to a day of cooking and enjoying what the winter brings for Sunday with my family! Sour dough pizza will be for dinner and peppermint hot chocolate after we come in from building snowmen that my kids have been  begging me to make with them the last 2 nights :) It is going to be an awesome day and I am looking forward to watching the chickens play in the paths we make in the snow! Pictures to follow with the little ladies who have also been enjoying the warmer days.

Resources  http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-mint.html,  http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/21/5-things-to-know-about-the-winter-solstice/#ixzz2oAWoIl3Q

The recipe for the day!

Ingredients 
Original recipe makes 80 cookies Change Servings

• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate
  
• 80 buttery round crackers

• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  

Directions

1. Using a double boiler method, melt the chocolate coatings over hot tap water for 15 - 20 minutes. Stir . Do not cook or get water into the chocolate.
2. After it is melted, stir in a couple drops of peppermint flavor into the chocolate.
3. Dip crackers into the melted chocolate and then place onto a cold cookie sheet and put into the refrigerator to set. (A freezing tray to rest the dipped cookies will keep the bottoms neat looking.)
4. In a few minutes take them out and package in candy cups. The cookies are best kept at room temperature or a cool dry place away from any odors. 

Oil of the day

Peppermint!

This oil will be 10% off between Nov 14 and December 31st! 

Daviau.myameo.com

With clinical grade oils these can be taken internally as well.