Walking on a cold day

         It is good to be  outside, on the fresh air, even if it is cold like now, in the midle of winter. It is important to experience all kinds of weather conditions, to feel the wind or sun on our skin, to breath fresh air.

         Sometimes it is hard to leave a warm home and go out in the cold, but it is better to freeze a little than to be bored.

         Walking makes me feel good, tired but relaxed. Helps to clear the mind of annoying thoughts and to fill it with positive. Sometimes when walking I feel that I can do anything I want.

         It is nice to smell snow in the air and to feel cold on your cheeks.

I took some nice photos of herbs in my walks this days.

HIP

HAZEL FLOWERS

PRIMROSE

Vitamin C and Hip

Hip tea is a very good source of vitamin C. In some cases heat destroys this vitamin, for example if you put lemon in very hot tea. With hip is different because the high temperature of the water doesn't destroy vitamin C.

To make tea put 1 teaspoon of hip (dry, chopped) in a cup of boiled water, stir it and cover. After 10 minutes strain it. You can sweeten it with honey, when the tea is warm, not too hot.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, it prevents oxidation of LDL cholesterol („bad one“), because of this it is recommended for clogged arteries and cardiovascular diseases (angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, etc). It is good in combination with vitamin E.

Vitamin C is also recommended for asthma, bronchitis, infertility in men, cancer, etc. Some studies show that vitamin C prevents the growth of HIV virus.

Paprikas, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, coliflower, strawberries, spinach and citrus fruits are also recommended as a source of vitamin C.

Picking hip

Leaves are falling, but there is still time to pick hip, and to make yourself a nice stash of hip tea for the winter.

 I went the other day, the sun was shining, sky was blue and hips very red, a nice day to pick hips. It was a nice walk too, in this lovely automn weather, 2 in 1, maybe even more.

Hip is now just right, firm and red, so a picked some for tea, they wouldn't go down easy I poke myself a few times on its thornes, but it's nothing serious just to make it interesting.

If you are not familiar hip is the fruit of wild rose (Dog Rose), it growes wild in nature, mostly where people don't work on theire land, by the road, on the edge of a forest, or where ever it can. For tea they are picked in automn (dependes on the weather) when they are firm, softer ones are used for making marmelade.

When picked hips need to be cut into smaller pieces (chopped), I use the machine for mincing meat. Then put on clear paper (not printed) to dry, usually  in a warm place in the house, takes a few days. I keep it on top of the kitchen cupboards.  When dry keep it in a paper bag ( glass jar, cloth) and you have your one hip tea good especially for the winter.

I like to pick hips for tea couse then I know where it's gathered, away from roads, people who use pesticide. Also I have a lot of tea, sometimes even more then I can use in a year, but even after a year they are still good, change a colour a bit.

Hip tea is full of vitamin C, good for cold and very tasty sweetened with honey or plane.

Hip tea for cold and flu

     Hip is the fruit of wild rose, Dog Rose (Rosa canina). Tea from rose hip is an excellent tea for cold and flu. Hips are rich with vitamin C, who is an antioxidant.

     It is best to drink few cups of this precious and tasteful tea at the first sign of illness. That will remove the symptoms and you will feel better. Of course, it is also good to drink tea if you are already ill. It always works for me.

     Recepie for tea: put one teaspoon of hips in to one cup of boiled water, leave it covered for 10-15 minutes. After you strain it, put 1 teaspoon of honey and lemon juice (from one slice), that will give wonderful taste and better curative properties.

In this tea you can add cinnamon and clove. Clove has antibacterial and antiseptic powers. Clove and cinnamon are excellent disinfectants.

     Recepie for  hip tea with cinnamon and clove:

Put one teaspoon of hips in to water, add 1-2 cloves, and some cinnamon. Put it on fire. When it boiles remove from fire, add half a lemon (sliced). It is good if the lemon is organic. Leave it covered for 15 minutes or more, strain and sweeten with honey.