Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) “The Wonder from Down Under.”

Got Tea Tree?

Tea Tree oil should be a part of every homes medicine kit. It is a powerful herb with many therapeutic uses. It has a notable camphorous, medicinal scent and is a member of the eucalyptus, myrtle, and clove family (Myrtaceae). Tea Tree has been used by the aborigines for centuries to treat skin infections.
Because of its’ apparent effectiveness, it is presently the subject of international research.

Tea Tree can be used for so many conditions due to its’ antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. It can be used to treat wounds, acne, athlete’s foot, toenail infections, and yeast infections. You can even use it for toothaches.

The Australians use it to treat scabies and head lice (good for moms to know). Tea Tree is also great for treating insect bites and stings. I like to use it to sanitize my food prep area. It is safe for anyone, including pregnant women and children.
It is to be used only topically unless it causes a rash. Dilute it in a little olive oil before applying to children.

The antiseptic power of Tea Tree is thought to be one hundred times more powerful than carbolic acid but it is non-toxic to humans.
Wow!

A study at the University of Western Australia found that Tea Tree oil kills many infectious microorganisms that cause infection including e. coli, staphylococcus aureus, and pseudomonas .

It also kills the yeast fungus, Candida albicans.

It has also been shown to kill antibiotic resistant bacteria.

This stuff is amazing! Need I say more?

So, I’ll ask again.

Got Tea Tree?

If you don’t have tea tree oil in your medicine cabinet, I hope that you will get some as soon as possible. There is good chance you or one of your family members will need it at some time.

Tea tree is the wonder from down under that I never want to be without!

The Tea tree is native to the New South Wales and Queensland regions of Australia, growing on wet swampy land. This srub looking plant grows to a height of about 20 feet, spreading to about 13 feet at its fullest. It has papery bark made up of several layers. The small leaves are, about 3.5 cm long, narrow, and pointed. The flowers are small, five petalled, usually white in colour and are formed in the spring, on dense spikes up to 5 cm long. They are followed by woody capsules.

Christina Menefee

Living On Liquid Sunshine

Christina is our newest addition to our Blogging Beauties. You can meet them here: Blogging beauties!

Here's to New Friends

You know, I’m not normally one for extravagance. I have my little indulgences, and I do lurrrve luxury items, but I’m usually quite a restrained person (these days, at least). So this has been quite the year for me.

In February, I somehow managed to convince Darren that it would be a good idea to spend about AUS$1000 – on a blender! For crying out loud! But I’m so glad we did. I was as excited to get my Vita-Mix as was Penny to receive her new blending beauty a couple of months ago. It gets a good workout every day, sometimes a few times a day.

Was it money well spent? You betcha! Smoothies have taken on a whole new texture – “velvet” would be a pretty good descriptor. I find it hard to believe that I spent that much money on a blender, when for many years I drooled over KitchenAid mixers (which are a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Vita-Mix), telling myself that one day, one day, I would have one of my own – I still don’t have one, and given my decision to follow a high-raw diet, it’s unlikely I ever will. However, I still think they’re beautiful machines – the pastel pinky-mauve color would have been my pick (I think Vita-Mix blenders definitely need a design overhaul…). I’d like to think that, for all those years, I was trusting my instincts and saving my pennies for kitchen items that would be more beneficial to my health.

Despite its regular workouts, my little ole Vita-Mix was looking a little lonely sitting on its own on the kitchen bench. So, because we were fortunate enough to have some unexpected funds come our way in June, I decided to get her a friend.

I yet again persuaded Darren to buy yet another kitchen appliance. A few years ago we dropped and broke our food processor, and, because we didn’t use it very often, we didn’t bother buying a new one. Last year I needed to use one, so I borrowed my gran’s small processor, and we’ve been using it ever since. I felt that we really needed to grow up and buy our own, mostly because I didn’t want to end up damaging my gran’s with overuse. So I did the research, shopped around, and got Darren to lug home a humungous box (gee, he’s handy to have around) containing the magnificent Magimix 5200 processor. It was on sale, natch.

She’s a little beauty. OK, a big beauty. I’m in processing heaven – who’d have thought you could fit so much in a 3.6-litre bowl (or in the 2.6-litre midi bowl, or the 1.2-litre mini bowl)? Bliss. And no more worries about damaging my gran’s machine. We’ve been going crazy trying processor recipes, and Darren even made bread dough in it this weekend. I made Tera’s scrumptious raw coconut and lime balls yesterday (see the picture – is your mouth watering?). So easy, and I don’t have to pre-chop nuts anymore. In they go, baby! This gorgeous machine is going to be a huge help when I test raw recipes for my next recipe book…

Our other indulgent kitchen purchase has been for an Oscar VitalMax 900 single-gear juicer. The girls have loved helping juice fruits and veggies with it, and we’ve generally been pretty happy with its performance – although it seems to have a little trouble with carrots, and oranges come out a little “pulpy” in the juice (the latter being sorted when we strain the juice – a bit of a hassle). But it was on sale ($150 off! I’m such a bargain shopper), and it’s way ahead of our 15-year-old centrifugal juicer, which was on its last legs.

You and I know that none of these items is essential in a raw-food kitchen. But they sure make life easier, and I feel so lucky to have been able to purchase them. Having them is encouraging us to experiment with more recipes, and that will help keep my girls, and maybe Darren, interested in high-raw foods.

So what do we have? Blender, check. Food processor, check. Juicer, check. Dehydrator – will somebody stop this woman, before she does her bank account an injury?