Fresh Living Workshop

It's spring and everything is blooming! What better time to learn about natural health and fresh living! Join us as we show you how you can easily incorporate healthy foods and natural healing practices in your life.

Fresh Living is the first series that covers wild edibles, raw food, aromatherapy and homeopathy in one enlightening workshop. Presented by four experienced natural health practitioners, the series give you the basics that you need to start living a naturally vibrant and deliciously healthy life!

Fee: $50, includes a wonderful raw food lunch, handouts and samples. Reservations suggested as space is limited. Please Register by May 14th.

May 22, 2010
10:30am – 2:30pm
Wilkins Community Center
7604 Charleston Ave Swissvale, PA 15218

To register call (412) 381-0116

*Please Register by Friday, May 14!


Schedule:

10:00 am – Registration and Morning Tea

10:30 am – Wild Edible Walk with Melissa
Start the morning with a walk around the park and discover nature's edible bounties that were always right before your eyes!

11:15 am – Raw Food 101 with Leah
What could be fresher than raw? In Raw Food 101, Leah will show you the basics of how to un-cook. As summer approaches, learn how to make refreshingly delicious raw meals (beyond salad!) From raw raviolis, soups, dips and desserts! We will also juice and use some of your finds at the Wild Edible Walk!


12:00 – Lunch (Raw Food and Wild Edibles)

1:00- Homeopathy 101 with Tara
Join Tara for an introduction to self-prescribing for the everyday complaints of a healthy family. These include coughs, colds, ear infections, sore throats, stomach disorders, flu, and first aid. She will cover the basic principles of homeopathic philosophy to provide a structure for understanding simple prescribing. She will also look at symptoms in depth to help guide you in observing illness. She will cover the most commonly used remedies for each of the above disorders as well as the basic principles of dosing and repetition of remedies.

1:45 – Aromatherapy with Cathy
Learn about the safe use of essential oils for household use and for physical and emotional health and well being. We'll discuss the use of pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils as alternatives to: toxic household cleaners, pet care products, insect repellents, pharmaceuticals and more. A wide variety of essential oils will be on hand to view/smell. Oils will be diffused in the room. We'll cover natural options that will build the health of our bodies and our environment instead of breaking them down. Samples will be provided for each participant to take home. Fresh water with therapeutic-grade lemon oil will be on hand for drinking.

About Us

Cathy Daniels
Cathy Daniels is the founder and owner of One Gentle Spirit Holistic Services, LLC, a Certified Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master/Teacher and Natural Health Educator, she has been sharing her passion, experiences and information regarding natural ways of bringing positive changes to the body, mind and spirit for the past 14 years. As well as providing private sessions for clients, Cathy holds classes and workshops on Hypnotherapy, Aromatherapy, Reiki, Natural Health and Nutrition Awareness.† She is the mother of 3 and is a retired La Leche League Leader.†Cathy is excited to be thriving on her path of health and wellness and joyfully sharing her experience with others.†
More information on Cathy can be found at www.onegentlespirit.com

Tara McElfresh
Tara McElfresh has been practicing and studying Homeopathy for the last 3 years. Her interest in naturopathy and alternative medicine began when her child was diagnosed with heavy metal toxicity after an adverse reaction to a vaccination. After consulting with an ND, her daughter showed incredible improvement with homeopathic treatment. Tara;s passion for homeopathy continues and she is currently working with a naturopath to deepen her knowledge and broaden her practice. She uses only natural remedies to treat her family's ailments. Tara actively writes about homeopathy and natural medicine in her blog naturalremedyhealing.blogspot.com

Leah Shannon
Leah Shannon, is a certified Integrative Nutrition Counselor and Food Educator. She received her training in Holistic Health from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and her Masters Degree in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. Leah is an advocate for urban farming, healthy food accessibility, and food safety policy. Leah is the menu planner for Shepherd Wellness Community’s Friday Night Dinners and Holistic Health Counselor for Matrika Wellness Center’s Stress Reduction Programs. She serves on the board of Grow Pittsburgh whose mission is to demonstrate, teach and promote responsible urban food production. Leah lives in Stanton Heights adjacent to Mildreds’ Daughters Urban Farm where she teaches healthy cooking classes during the season.
More information on Leah can be found at www.befullwell.com

Melissa Sokulski
Melissa Sokulski is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist trained in the practice of Eastern and Holistic medicine. She received her Masters Degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology in 1996 from the New England School of Acupunture. She and her husband David are the founders and proprietors of the Birch Center for Health in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Melissa is well-recognized in Pittsburgh as an expert on Wild Edibles and Raw Food and regularly leads Wild Edible Walks around town.
More information on Melissa can be found at www.foodunderfoot.com and www.birchcenter.com

Thanks so much!

Melissa and David Sokulski

Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

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Raw Food Potluck and Wild Edible Walk Sunday

If you are interested in raw foods and wild edible plants, please join us in Schenely park this Sunday, October 4 at noon (Steeler game is not until 8:20 pm this Sunday, so you won't miss a thing!)

Black Walnuts - still in their green hulls - which we will likely see on Sunday

This event is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Raw Food Meetup Group, so if you'd like to attend (it's a free event), please join the meetup group (there is no charge to join) and RSVP on the meetup invitation page. This way you will be contacted if there are any last minute changes (weather!), and given the full information about the whereabouts and who to contact with questions. We hope to see you there!!!

If you are new to raw foods: this is a potluck, so please bring a dish containing only raw (uncooked) fruits and veggies...a simple fruit salad is always welcome (no canned fruit, though, only fresh.) If you are feeling adventurous, check out some of the many raw recipes on sites like www.goneraw.com or the wonderful recipe page of the All Raw Directory. If you are really inspired, you may want to check out some of the raw "cook" books we recommend in the raw food section of our bookstore.

Here is a simple recipe I am preparing tonight:

Garden Fresh Tomato Salad

5 Garden Tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed (or finely chopped)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or you can use fresh thyme or oregano)

Mix all ingredients together well and serve...delicious!

See you soon!

~ Melissa and David Sokulski
Licensed Acupuncturists
The Birch Center for Health
(412) 381-0116

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

Fundraiser for Daniel Patch: Screening of God Grew Tired of Us

God Grew Tired of Us, The Movie Film Screening and Fundraiser for Daniel Patch We noticed a lot of interest in a flyer that was posted in our office, about a fundraiser that is coming up Saturday, July 11. It is a screening of the movie God Grew Tired Of Us, and Daniel Patch - one of the film's subjects and someone many people know from Whole Foods, where he works in the produce department - will be in attendance to talk about his experience. The hope for the fundraiser is to help Daniel bring his family safely to American from the Sudan, and if you want to attend the screening or help in any way, the information is below. July 11, 2009 7 PM 2534 Mount Royal Road Squirrel Hill, 15217 RSVP: Cayce Mell at (724) 689-5790 Please join us for a screening of the powerful film: God Grew Tired Of Us. Daniel Patch (one of the film's subjects, some may know him from Whole Foods where he works in the produce department) will be in attendance to talk about his experiences. Our hope is to raise funds to help Daniel reunite with is family members who survived the war in Sudan, and to assist Daniel in bringing his family to safety here in America. RSVP: Cayce Mell, (724) 689-5790 * If you can't make the screening but would like to help Daniel by offering a donation, please call Cayce at the number above. 100% of the proceeds go directly to helping Daniel and his family. Thank you.*

Upcoming Events

We have a couple things coming up within the next week you may want to know about:

Saturday, June 20, 2009, 3 pm:

Wild Edible Walk
Hunker, PA
Maggie's Organics Farm Festival (Festival is from 1 pm - 8 pm)
Admission to the Festival is $10 adults, $5 children
Click Here for more information, or call Maggie's Organic Farm: 724-925-9474



Thursday, June 25, 2009, 7 pm:

Acupuncture and Natural Treatments of Seasonal Allergies

East End Food Coop, 7516 Meade Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208

Join Acupuncturist David Sokulski of the Birch Center for Health as he discusses acupuncture and other natural treatments for seasonal allergies.

David is a PA licensed acupuncturist and owner of the Birch Center, located in Pittsburgh's historic South Side.

The talk is free and open to all, call the coop at (412) 242-3598 for more information.

We hope to see you there!

~ Melissa and Dave

Birch Center for Health

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

www.BirchCenter.com

Wild Edibles Walk for Folks from MAFA

This past weekend I had the pleasure of leading the folks of the Middle Atlantic Folklore Association on a wild edibles walk.

Their annual meeting was close to Pittsburgh this year, and they brought me in to do a walk, talk, and food demo (wild green smoothies, of course!)

We were about 1 1/2 hours south east of Pittsburgh (in the Laurel Highlands) and our walk was around a little pond. We did see the usual suspects: plantain, dandelion, clover, garlic mustard, violet, chickweed, and burdock, but we saw some other things as well:

• skunk cabbage (not edible, though some books say otherwise…it is used to make medicine, though)
  
• cattail
  
• horsetail
  
• daisy
  
• wild raspberries
  
• wild blackberries
  

They were also interested in herbal aspects of the plants, so I got to talk about that, including the differences between Chinese herbal medicine and Western botanical medicine (one of my favorite topics.)

I demonstrated a wild green smoothie using bananas, mangoes, water, ice, plantain leaves and red clover flowers and leaves:



I also did some chair massage for them:



It was such a nice meeting with a wonderful group of people. Thanks so much for having me!

~ Melissa

*** To schedule a walk or chair massage for your next function or event, please view our services page for details, or call The Birch Center at (412) 381-0116. ***

Reshape Your Life/Redesign Your Destiny

by Trish Casey
of Serenity Yoga

August 7-9, 2009

Pittsburgh will host the World Renowned Yogi Amrit Desai at California University Campus.

Don't miss this opportunity to spend in-depth time with a living master of yoga!

Yogi Amrit Desai, lovingly known as Gurudev, is widely recognized throughout the world as one of the leading authorities of yoga. He began teaching in the 1960's and is one of the earliest masters to bring the practice of yoga to the West. Author of several books on personal growth and transformation, Gurudev is the founder of the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, the largest center of its kind in North America . Thousands of teachers are certified in his methodology and teach in more than 33 countries throughout the world.

Yogi Desai's teachings are filled with insight and depth. His special gift as a teacher is to present the most profound essential truths in a joyful light-hearted manner. These teachings are great in impact yet easy to understand. His presence radiates warmth, joy, wisdom and a spiritual energy which is the outward expression of an awakening consciousness. Thousands have experienced the power of shakti embodied by Yogi Desai.

Aimed at deep personal expansion, this program includes satsang, guided Yoga Nidra meditation, intention, yoga, chanting, pure living foods instruction, art, dance, film performances, and transformational discourse with Yogi Desai.

What is Yoga Nidra?

The focus of this workshop is Yoga Nidra. The literal translation of Yoga nidra is yogic sleep. It is an ancient form of meditation that will take you to the deepest levels of relaxation while still remaining fully aware. When practicing the Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra, your brain waves drop into the alpha and theta states. It is from this unified state that visions become reality and you gain acess to the extraordinary powers of your own intuition, creativity, health, and abundance.


This workshop is designed to help you:

• Clarify and act on your purpose in life
  
• Promote healing in the body and boost your immune system
  
• Release blockages that hold you back from living life joyously and fully
  
• Let go of destructive habits and beliefs with ease rather than with struggle
  
• Revitalize your personal and professional relationships
  

Program Cost:

The cost of the program is minimal and has been kept so to allow Gurudev's teachings to be accessable. The program is only $259.00 which includes:

• workshop sessions with Yogi Desai
  
• 2-nights/3-days lodging at California University Campus
  
• six meals
  
• yoga classes
  
• dance instruction
  
• art instruction
  
• evening drumming and chanting sessions
  
• film performances
  
• pure living foods demonstration
  
• access to fitness facilities
  

Continuing Education Credits (CECs) are available for Mental Health Professionals, Yoga Instructors, and Body Workers.

Please note: free space is available for participants who wish to advertise, sell products, or offer services. If you are interested in table space, please contact Trish Casey at 412-580-3287 or trishcasey@verizon.net to reserve an area.

For registration: Please contact Trish Casey: (412) 580-3287, or trishcasey@verizon.net

Interesting Tidbits Shared at Food Coop Talk

Thank you to everyone who attended our talk at the East End Food Coop last night! What a great and interesting crowd. If you missed it, here are some tidbits that people shared:

• One gentleman, upon his return from Vietnam, found he had developed hay fever. He ate a few comfrey leaves and his symptoms diminished by 50%. Now, if he gets a bout of hay fever, he'll eat some comfrey leaves and always gets at least a 50% diminishment of his symptoms.
  
  
• Another gentleman hangs a large stalk of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) in his room at night, and reports very vivid dreams
  
  
• Quickweed is a delicious green edible, enjoyed not only by people, but ducks love it.
  
  
• To treat poison ivy: (this is a remedy reported from Countryside magazine) Put some water in the bath tub and add 1/2 cup sea salt, and 1/2 cup Epsom Salts. Sit in the water for 30 minutes and sponge (or use wash clothe) to splash the water on.
  
  
• pouring vinegar on poison ivy is a way to kill the plant
  
  
• chewing plantain leaves and applying them to the skin is a great remedy for stings, bites, cuts, itchy rashes. Some people call these "fairy bandaids."
  
  
• Comfrey (Symphytum officialis) is also referred to as "knit-bone" and external poultices on broken bones will help heal the bone
  
  
• Homeopathic Comfrey is called Symphytum, and is also taken to help heal broken bones
  
  
• The crown vetch (Securigera varia) that is increasing common all over Pennsylvania was created by Penn State extension. The variety is called Penngift and was created to prevent soil erosion, with mixed results. Crown Vetch is actually a perennial from Europe and is in the legume/pea family. Some consider it an invasive weed.
  
  
• The verdict on the toxicity of Crown Vetch is still out (the master gardners at Penn State extension are only in Monday through Thursday mornings), but we did find out (online searches) that it contains high amounts of nitroglycerides, especially in the seeds, and is toxic to horses and other non ruminants (animals with one stomach, like people.) Cows and other ruminants can eat the crown vetch because their 4 stomachs convert the nitroglycerine into a nontoxic substance. Symptoms of toxicity include paralysis, high heart rate, and even death.
  
  
• Comfrey leaves (Symphytum officinalis) can be added to compost to speed up composting. It can also be made into strong tea in large garbage pail (steep for two weeks), which is an excellent fertilizer for gardens; just be sure there are no seeds in the tea or you'll find yourself with lots of new comfrey plants!
  

Plus, we shared interesting recipes, enjoyed discussion of many plants, and enjoyed the delicious Red Clover Apple Cookies.

If you missed our talk but are available this weekend, please come to our Wild Edibles Workshop this Saturday morning, from 10am to 1 pm. Check our wild events page for more information.

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa

Coop Talk Tonight; Wild Edibles Workshop Saturday

If you are in Pittsburgh, PA, please join Melissa and David Sokulski tonight - Thursday, May 28 at 7 pm - at the East End Food Coop. We're going to be talking about Wild Edibles in Pittsburgh (and sampling a few treats made with wild edibles!) The talk is free and open to all. For more information or to register, call the coop at (412) 242-3598.

On Saturday, May 30, we hope you'll join us for what promises to be a fantastic Wild Edibles Workshop! We'll start with a Wild Edibles walk around Frick park. We'll all make garlic mustard vinegar to take home. Melissa will demonstrate recipes using wild edibles, and we'll sample those plus other previously made yummy treats.

On the menu are:

• Wild Pesto
  
• Red Clover Apple Cookies (pictured above)
  
• Dandelion Wine
  
• Plantain Crisps
  
• Wild Green Smoothie
  
• Lemony Ginger Burdock Juice
  
• Various Vinegars made with Wild Edibles
  

Each participant will get a full color identification guide of all the wild plants used, along with the recipes.

The class is from 10 am to 1 pm, and is $35.

Please call us at (412) 381-0116 to reserve your space! (Please call soon by Friday, space is limited!)

More information can be found on our wild events page.

We hope to see you soon!

~ Melissa and Dave

Join Us for a Wild Edibles Workshop on Saturday

Join us this Saturday, May 30, at 10 am to 1 pm for a Wild Edible Workshop.

We found the perfect location in Squirrel Hill...it's easy to find and abuts Frick Park, where we will take a Wild Edible Walk and identify and gather wild edible plants together.

Then we'll all make our own Garlic Mustard vinegar to take home. Melissa will demonstrate recipes using wild edible plants, and we'll all get to sample those recipes and ones that she will have made in advance.

On the menu are:

* Lemony Ginger Burdock Juice
* Dandelion Wine
* Wild Green Smoothie
* Red Clover Apple Cookies
* Plantain Green Crisps
* Wild Pesto
* Various Vinegars mad with Local Wild Edibles
* Red Clover Mint Iced Tea

All participants will also receive a full color handout with identification information of all the plants used, and recipes of all the dishes demonstrated and sampled.

Space is limited, so please call today (412) 381-0116 to reserve your space with credit card.

Give us a call to register or if you need more information visit the Events Page on our website.

Hope to see you soon!

Location: 2534 Mt Royal Rd, Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Time: 10 AM - 1 PM
Cost: $35
Register: (412) 381-0116 - call to register or for more information
* Please register by Thursday, May 28, 2009*

Mmm...Monday: Garlic Mustard Pesto

A Tutorial on Garlic Mustard
written by me: Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac and herbalist of The Birch Center for Health

Garlic mustard (Alliaria officinalis or Alliaria petiolata) is one of the first wild edibles...and it's already up in Western Pa! It grows along shaded roadsides, woody paths, and other shady areas. It is actually an invasive weed and is easy to find in most places (more on that later.) Garlic Mustard is a biennial plant in the mustard family (Brassicareae.)

Garlic Mustard leaves first appear as heart-shaped coarsely-toothed and veined leaves close to the ground. They taste and smell (when crushed) strongly of garlic. Soon the second year plants will send up their flower stalk; the leaves will alternate along the flower stalk and become thinner, and white four-petaled flowers will appear at the top.

According to field guides, there are no poisonous look alikes and all parts of this plant are edible.

The leaves become bitter as the weather gets hot, so they are best collected in early spring and summer. They can be collected either from the ground rosettes or from the stalk.

Flowers and chopped leaves can be added to salads for a nice pungeant garlic flavor.

The roots can be collected in early spring and again in late fall, when no flower stalks are present. These are very spicy and taste like horseradish. The root can be chopped and steeped in apple cider vinegar for a spicy condiment.

In the fall the seeds, which have a mustard flavor, can be collected and eaten.

Garlic Mustard was brought to North America in the 1860's as a culinary herb and has become quite invasive, threatening both native plants and animals. Certain butterflies mistake the flowers of garlic mustard for Toothwort flowers, and lay their eggs on the garlic mustard, which is toxic to their larvae. The National Park Service recommends various management techniques such as hand removal to toxic herbicides to fire control. So when you see garlic mustard, now you have another excuse to sample and use this delicious wild edible plant.

Raw Garlic Mustard Pesto

1 1/2 cups garlic mustard leaves
1 1/2 cups spinach leaves
juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon (to taste)
1 clove garlic (or more to taste)
1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
salt or tamari to taste

Blend above ingredients in food processor or blender and enjoy over pasta, zucchini noodles, on a cracker or on zucchini or sweet potato rounds.

Caution: If you are unsure of a wild plant, please do not eat! Many wild plants are poisonous!

Please join us for our first Wild Edible Walk of the Year!

Place: Frick Nature Center - Earth Day Celebration
Day: Saturday, April 18, 2009
Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Price: Free! (The city's picking up the tab for this one!)

For more information visit Frick's website, or visit our events page.

Much love,
Melissa Sokulski

Please sign up for our monthly newsletter! We have raw recipes, information about Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and overall wellness information. Thank you!

www.BirchCenter.com

Steel City Sunday - Pittsburgh is 250!

This year is Pittsburgh's 250th birthday...and this was quite a birthday weekend!

We began the weekend on Friday downtown with the Gallery Crawl, taking a free swing lesson at Aurthur Murray dance studio. We saw live dance by the Pillow Project, which was an extra special surprise treat as Ella's gymnastics teacher is in the dance troup. What a thrill for Ella to see her!

Saturday we picked our pumpkins out at Schramm's Farms and Orchards, and then watched the spectacular fireworks celebration for Pgh's 250th. What a display! We watched from an excellent vantage point on the south side slopes, and were able to see fireworks launching off buildings, barges, point state park, pnc field and bridges. Wow!! (The youtube video at the end is the finale, but you'll see it was hard for the person to take in the entire scene from such a close view as they were. I really enjoyed the set-back view we had...too bad our camera battery fizzled yesterday.)

Today we did the 8th annual Step Trek on the south side slopes...Ella walked the entire "church loop." When we arrived at the raw food potluck she was fast asleep.

But what a great potluck...delicious food, delightful company, and as always, so much to learn. There is a movie being made about a wonderful young woman named Bethany who healed herself from so many incredibly complicated conditions...including paralysis (she was in a wheelchair for three years) and nerve degeneration (condition from birth) with raw foods. You'll find information at www.bethanysstory.com.

And here is that fireworks finale video:

Wellness Wednesday: Rawkathon

There's a free online health event coming up that some of you may be interested in...



It's called Rawkathon, put together by Kevin Gianni (who did Raw Summit a year ago.) Rawkathon consists of one-on-one VIDEO interviews with 15 of the best known raw and living food pioneers, and they'll be broadcast for us all to watch or listen to in a few short weeks, starting on October the 19th.

If you are interested in signing up or getting more information, you can sign up for free here.

Here is a list of who will be interviewed:

• Matt Monarch ~ A Candid Look into the Life of a Raw Foodist
  
  
• Dr. Gabriel Cousens ~ How to Heal your Body and Transform your consciousness with raw and living foods
  
  
• Victoria Boutenko ~ Simple Ways to Transform your Diet and Stay Raw
  
  
• Dr. Doug Graham ~ Key Elements to Optimal Health
  
  
• David Wolfe ~ Superfoods to Regenerate, Rebuild and Reenergize your body
  
  
• Mike Adams ~ Cut through the media hype to get and stay healthy
  
  
• Viktoras Kulvinskas ~ Overcoming Obstacles to Reach Your Health and Wellness Goals
  
  
• Nomi Shannon ~ Cleansing Lessons
  
  
• Raw Food Chef Cherie Soria ~ how to Raw-food-ize your kitchen
  
  
• David Rainoshek ~ Why People fail on raw and vegan and how to ultimately succeed
  
  
• Frederic Patenaude ~ Real Life Experiences and how to deal with falling off the plan
  
  
• Rick Dina ~ The Science behind Why raw food works
  
  
• Karen Knowler ~ How to transition from cooked to raw
  
  
• Jameth Sheriden ~ Quality Raw food health products
  
  
• Happy Oasis ~ Tribal Experiences from around the world.
  

Be part of this amazing event...all at no cost! Sign up today, it starts October 19!

Wild Edible Walk

We had our wild edible walk today! The weather held beautifully and we had a great turnout of interested, interesting people. Thanks so much to everyone who came.

We saw edible and medicinal:

• plantain (plantago major and minor)
  
• red clover
  
• dandelion
  
• mugwort
  
• burdock
  
• lambsquarters
  
• garlic mustard
  
• sumac
  
• evening primrose
  
• mulberry tree
  

and we saw poison:

• white snake root
  
• crown vetch
  

we brought along to show:

• quickweed
  
• amaranth
  
• black walnuts
  
• paw paw
  

we talked about making:

• pesto
  
• vinegar
  
• oils
  
• tinctures
  
• dream pillows with mugwort
  
• green smoothies
  
• salads
  

I hope everyone takes advantage the list of resources that we gave out! Here are some highlights:

Wildman Steve Brill: pictures, illustrations, stories, recipes
Prodigal Gardens - lots of great pics, info and recipes
Harmony Hikes Wild Edible Page - videos and information

The book we use (that we had with us today) is: Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide

And don't forget this blog! You can sign up for email updates (upper right margin).

Also, please sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter, which has information about local wild edibles as well as information on our upcoming events. We'll definitely do more wild edible walks next year, starting early in the spring.

Thanks again!

~ Melissa

Foraging Friday: Staghorn Sumac

Today we went out and gathered staghorn sumac, to make a lemonade-type of drink for people to sample at the Wild Edibles Walk tomorrow. (We forgot the camera when harvesting, but the above link takes you to Wikipedia...great pics and info.)



Above are the sumac clusters on the table, and below I've put them in a jar.



I'm filling the jar with cold water (cold water preserves the vitamin C). I'll fill the jar to the top and let it sit overnight. Tomorrow morning I'll strain and add sweetener like honey, agave nectar or maple syrup to taste.



The Wild Edible Walk is tomorrow (Saturday, September 27)! We will have the walk rain or shine, unless it is a total downpour or there is thunder and lightning. We're meeting at 10 am on the south side riverfront park...the upper trail. If you have a question about the weather and the walk, call our office after 9 am Saturday, and we'll have a message on the machine letting you know whether the walk is on or not.

We hope to see you soon!

~ Melissa

Raw Dinner and other news

Last night we had our raw demo and dinner at the Birch Center! I had so much fun -- what an amazing group of lovely people! Thank you so much for everyone who came, it was so much fun to get to spend time together like that.

I really enjoyed the Squash Soup. Here is the recipe for that:

3 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash
2 apples (peeled, chopped)
2 cups apple juice
2 cups water
6-ish dates
1+Tbsp cinnamon
nutmeg
some ice to keep cool while blending

Blend all ingredients in high speed blender until smooth. It was really good!

And someone earlier asked for the final recipe to the chocolate sauce. Here it is:

Equal parts:

hemp oil
honey or agave nectar (maybe slightly more sweetener if you want to hide the nutty taste of the hemp oil)
raw cacao powder

also: 1 tsp vanilla extract and sprinkle of salt

Mix.

We had it on top of an apple crumble: sliced apples topped with chopped pecans and dates.

******

In other news:

There is an upcoming potluck (and lecture about the food/cancer conncection) with the Pittsburgh Raw Food Meet-Up Group. This will be October 5 in Allison Park. It's free...just join the meetup and you can keep up to date with raw food potlucks and events.

******

Also: our Wild Edible Walk is scheduled for this Saturday, Sept 27 at 10 am. The weather forecast is showing possible rain. We plan to walk if it is overcast, drizzling or light rain. If it is a downpour or has thunder or lightening we won't walk. We'll have a message on our answering machine by 9 am Saturday morning, so if you're in doubt, just call (412) 381-0116. If you haven't joined our mailing list, please click here and join...then we can keep you up-to-date with all the latest.

Thanks so much!

~ Melissa

Treatment Tuesday: The Earth Element and Digestion

To the right is a picture of Raw Squash Soup, which is beneficial to the Earth element, and which we will be enjoying in our upcoming Raw Foods Demo and Dinner, September 24, at the Birch Center.

Late summer is officially here! In Chinese Medicine, late summer (and all changes in season) relates to the Earth element, which is about digestion, and is the center of our health. The colors of the Earth element are orange and yellow, which are also the color of many foods coming into season right now: squash, corn, peaches, pumpkins. These foods have a sweet flavor and in moderation are beneficial to the earth element.

In Chinese Medicine, having strong digestion is very important to overall health. No matter what people come in to see us for, we always get around to asking about digestion, because it tells us a lot of information about the state of overall health.

If this element is weak, we may see digestive systems such as gas, belching, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and IBS, but we will also see symptoms such as fatigue, bruising, muscles aches and heaviness. Mentally a person may just not have their "get up and go", and will rather nap or sit around the house. They may worry or obsess about things, and may even have insomnia, even though they are so tired during the day.

Acupuncture treatments can help support the Earth element and alleviate these symptoms. There are also wonderful Chinese herbal remedies such as Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang and Gui Pi Tang which help balance this element, and are chosen very specifically to match what is going on for each individual. For more information or to schedule an acupuncture appointment, calls The Birch Center at (412) 381-0116, or email BirchCenter@yahoo.com.

Here are some other ideas which you can do at home to help balance your Earth element:

• Eat green foods, especially leafy greens, which are thought to have a bitter property and relate to the fire element, which is the "mother" of the earth element and thus helps strengthen it.
  
  
• Though sweet is the flavor of Earth, avoid overly sweet and processed foods, which tend to weaken this element. Avoid foods with sugar, corn syrup and white flour.
  
  
• Eat your heaviest foods in the morning, from 7 am to 11 am, when the energy in the Earth element (digestion) is strongest. Stop eating by 7 pm in the evening, when the energy in this element is the weakest. This is an incredibly important and powerful thing you can do to balance this element.
  
  
• In Chinese Medicine, it is recommended to lightly steam your food for easier digestion. In following a raw foods diet - which is usually not recommended when the earth element is weak - I find that including a lot of green leafy vegetables and blending the food (green smoothies or energy soups), is actually an excellent way to boost this element.
  
  
• Processed fruit juice (bottled from the store) is too sweet and not recommended. However, if you freshly juice fruits yourself, always cut with plenty of water and add some green juice: some spinach or Romaine leaves in to help balance the sweetness.
  
  
• Get outside! This way your body can absorb the last of the warm sunshine and can really mesh with the season.
  
  
• Moderate exercise (outdoors is best) will also help this element, as exercise keeps the energy of the whole body flowing. When energy becomes stagnant, this often causes the wood element in our body (responsible for the smooth flow of energy) to attack and weaken the earth element.
  

Our September newsletter is about to go out, and there is an article all about late summer, the Earth element and your health. Sign up here for our newsletter now, so you don't miss it! Also, there are still spaces available in our Raw Foods Demo and Dinner. To sign up please call us at (412) 381-0116.

Thanks, and enjoy this beautiful time of year!

In Health,
~ Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.
The Birch Center for Health

Acupuncture and the Olympics

Have you been watching the Olympics? Having competed in gymnastics myself (oh so long ago!) I especially enjoy watching the gymnastics.

It turns out that American gymnast Nastia Liukin - the winner of the women's all around - receives weekly acupuncture treatments! (And also regular massage, both available at the Birch Center, check out our services page.) Very cool! I've seen it written quite a few places, but one article I found to share with you can be found here.

I also read that basketball player Yao Ming has been using Traditional Chinese Medicine (which usually consists of acupuncture, tui na massage and/or herbal medicine) to treat an injured foot.

~~~~~

Upcoming Events

In other news: we have two upcoming events that we're very excited about! If you didn't receive the message in your email yesterday, then you may not be on our mailing list. You can sign up using the box on the right hand bar of this blog (below "About Birch Center"), or simply click here.

In conjunction with PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture), we're hosting two events during their Local Food Week in September.

On September 24 we'll have a Raw Food Demo and Dinner right at the Birch Center. On the menu are: green smoothies, butternut squash soup, nutmeat burritos with salsa and guacamole, nutmilk chai and fruit with chocolate sauce for dessert. More details and registration information can be found on our events page.

Also, on September 27 (Saturday morning) we'll be doing a Wild Edible Walk! So many people have asked about doing one this year. I hope you will join us. We'll be sampling sumac lemonade, and you'll receive handouts and recipes. For information can also be found on our events page.

We hope to see you at one or both events, and please sign up for our mailing list if you haven't already!

Love,
Melissa