Foodie Friday: Chive Pockets

Chive pockets: dough pastries filled with Chinese leeks The key ingredient in chive pockets are the leeks. These pastries are bursting to the seams with this aromatic herb, also known as garlic chives. Yes, the plant has a very powerful aroma. It's got a very biting taste, so I would caution using less rather than more when cooking with it. Here's a lovely recipe for chive pockets. If you want to go organic, you can even grow your own leeks. They can tolerate a wide variety of soil … [Read more...]

30 Days of Herbs

"A new relationship is about to blossom. You will be blessed." This Thanksgiving I got to visit my new nephew. The besotted parents were standing nearby, exhausted but beaming. It's a wonder to hold a newborn. There's the sweet peach fuzz of hair and the chubby cheeks. The marvel of tiny fingers and toes. His mother was doing pretty well, considering. She subsisted on a few hours of sleep every day. Luckily, relatives were around to assist. Also, she was placed on a special dietary plan--30 … [Read more...]

Where the Ginseng Grows

"You have great physical powers and an iron constitution."--fortune cookie I recently received a gift of ginseng tea from my family. Ginseng's genus is panax, coming from the Greek word for "all cure." It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 5,000 years. A finicky plant, it doesn't like being exposed to direct sunlight. That's why growers will provide a shading structure for the sprouts, shrouding them in 75% shade. Ginseng also needs "virgin soil" because it utilizes all … [Read more...]