My stevia is long dried and stored for the winter. Since it is so easy to make my own simple sweetener, I don't buy the prepackaged varieties. I did however, try one brand and then blogged about my experience with it.
I am admittedly, a diehard fan of just growing and making my own, but for those who do like to use the little packages, here is another sweetener that looks promising:
Sun Crystals - What looks attractive to me is that it is made from simply blending stevia with sugar, so that you get the sweetness, without added chemicals. From the website, I pulled these points:
Made of sugar and stevia
Safe for Diabetics(up to 3 packets is still considered a Free Food)
Safe for Pregnant and Nursing moms
Can be used in baking and cooking
I have ordered their granulated blend(to try for cooking) and a box of packets. Let's see how it tastes!
If you have experience with this product, please post in the comments section. I have been unable to find it in any grocery store around here, and have to wait for my online order to arrive, before testing. Thanks!
They are the perfect addition to your home medicine chest; coughdrops. Making cough drops is a nice way to offer support and TLC for someone you love, while they are feeling under the weather. This cough drop recipe is easy to make and works very well. Play around with some of your favorite herbs, to create just the right combination. I prefer using elderberry juice to make mine. The kids love the taste, and they are getting the benefits of elderberry in each piece.
Tinctures can also be used to add more potency, but are not necessary. If you are feeling especially industrious, try wrapping each cough drop in individual pieces of wax paper after dusting with slippery elm powder.
Not all indoor gardens have to be fancy. Here is a shot of my herb gardens that sit on my desk. They are growing under my gooseneck reading lamp, lit up with a simple growlight bulb that I bought on a whim at the hardware store.
Share what you are growing indoors this winter. I would like to create a gallery of gardens for everyone who is looking for ideas.
Just when I thought I had gone to heaven with my new ipod, I found three new apps that relate directly to us herbies!
The first one is called Herb Garden. It is available under Reference apps. This little gem is great for finding growing info, medicinal and historical uses for many herbs. A fun and useful thing that takes up little room on your ipod. It does require wifi to run though.
The next app is called Culinary Herbs and Spices(Reference). Although it may look a bit confusing at first, this app is packed with a LOT of herbs that you may have never even heard of. There are plenty of of the regulars; Sage, Anise, Mint, etc. included. This one is nice, because you can download it and go. No need to be near wifi for it to run.
The third and final app(so far) is called Medicinal Plants(Reference).It contains a lot of really interesting information about dozens of herbs and their medicinal qualities. It requires wifi to delve very deeply, but makes a thorough app for reference, even when not online.
I am still looking for more herb related apps for my new ipod. With so many available, it won't be long before I have a full screen of gardening apps to share with you. Do you have any favorite herb or gardening related apps to share with us? Please do!
