by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP
Lilacs
Lilac Wine Vinegar
Lilac Jelly
Observing the finished lilac jelly this weekend I knew I had to share this picture after mentioning lilacs in our last newsletter! The colour and taste is surprising and beautiful. This is a product I will continue to fill my pantry with in years to come! Due to the benefits of lilacs which assist our bodies to cleanse itself of intestinal parasites, this is a plant product I would continue to encourage others to begin integrating into their diets. (I also created lilac wine vinegar and lilac infused honey!)
Researching edible plants and integrating them into my diet brings recognition of how the cycle of plants in nature grow is designed for our greatest benefit. A fine example are plants that first emerge in spring that are used for cleansing with natural laxative qualities, bursts of minerals and vitamins, and that have anti-inflammatory qualities to shed our winter diets! One such plant now considered a super food is one we have grown to dislike – the tenacious dandelion! There is a reason these came with our ancestors to North America.
What’s laughable is the amount of money spent on costly man-made products that have negative side effects. Natures array of healthy edibles encompasses a broader spectrum of whole wellness with only an investment of time and learning. In comparison pharma care products are a large investment for individuals while corporations are realizing huge financial gains. Corporations are founded on trying to copyright and duplicate the effects of nature while viewing us (man, woman and child) as a commodity.
How do I know the benefits? I have been a consumer and major spender myself seeking diet, makeup, health and food supplement products to feel better and look great for years. So imagine my surprise to experience changes I had been unsuccessfully seeking when spending a year exploring the plants outside my door without focusing on any changes in me specifically. My attention had/is on integrating the edible plants in my area as a food source, creating medicinal remedies and body and hair products.
I can tell you the outcome of this past year has had many benefits:
- naturally loosing up to 10 inches around my waist
- stop cooking and eating meat at home including chicken however still enjoy when going out
- loss of cravings
- eating less (smaller portions and longer breaks between eating)
- baby fog as I have called it since having babies cleared up and higher functioning brain
- more energy
- sleep more soundly
- savings on my grocery bill
- slowing down spread of & diminishing existing age spots
- stronger immune system & no illness this past year
- calmer, happier and growing sense of well-being that continues to expand
- more engaged & connected with the environment
- daily compliments on my skin
- hair is regaining body, luster and thickness while some of the plants slow down graying and turn some grey back into my natural hair colour
I urge everyone to pick one plant close by to focus their attention on and invest some time getting to know it more intimately. Learn if it is edible and if it is, start trying to eat it raw or in recipes being curious about changes in flavour and in self. I am thankful I have been trained to never stop learning and to remain open and curious by exploring. These are the characteristics that will change habits and provide a better life.
Look for new images on Instagram or visit pages currently being developed to share plant edibles and recipe ideas from the Greater Victoria and area Communities. With the recent rains I have just discovered some sources of Horsetail! Will be getting some pictures soon!
Edible & Not Edible (Can you see the plastic forks) 
Edible & Not Edible (Can you see the plastic forks) 
On a cold night in the early winter months I received a phone call. It was on my house phone that normally I don’t answer when I don’t recognize the number. After saying hello the caller asks, “Do you know who I am?” My first thought was, “really?” I said, “no!” He went on to say, ” your number has come to me in meditation a few times so I am calling you.”
At the end of an Awareness through Movement® lesson, designed for participants to begin to notice their movement patterns and experience a stronger sense of their body movements, one student shared a story. She had been told by a new, young orthopedic doctor that their was nothing more she could do her frozen shoulder except surgery. She went on to say he told her, “Don’t waste your money on any more physical therapy or anything, surgery is the only cure.”
Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning 