One of our clients, Andrew Desjardins, needs lots of healing vibes and the strength of the universe headed his way. He is at Duke Hospital and is having a very rough go. His cancer has spread and the doctors have called in palliative care. He, his caregiver, and I are still trying to fight this cruel battle through a strong nutritional program of eating clean, healthy food, juicing, wheatgrass, and lemon water to help his blood pH. Please keep him in your thoughts. I will be headed to Duke Hospital today to pay him a visit before he goes home tomorrow, where he has chosen to be during his palliative care.
World Cancer Day 2014
by AndrewToday, February 4, 2014, is World Cancer Day. Today, we celebrate all you cancer survivors who fought the battle against this cruel disease and won! Winning is usually a long-term effort, guided by healthy eating, reducing stress and exercise. We know you are doing all you can to stay cancer-free. Hats off to all cancer survivors, a cause well-worth celebrating!
New Client
by AndrewThis week, The Mama Edna Project began working with a new cancer patient. He came home from the hospital on Tuesday, after being told that chemo and radiation were not an option at this time since he has lost so much weight. He has Stage IV lung cancer and is a double lung and liver transplant survivor. He has cystic fibrosis which complicates his cancer. His caregiver approached us to help guide them toward a nutritionally clean and balanced diet of juicing. We provided a juicer, a copy of The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, a copy of The Juicing Bible, some candied ginger, 8 quarts of Magic Mineral Broth and a few other goodies to help him put on some weight while eating clean. We are currently growing a supply of wheatgrass for him to juice, starting slowly next week. We will update our readers on his condition from time to time.
Grow your own organic wheatgrass for juicing
by AndrewGrow your own wheatgrass for much less than buying it at the grocery store. Wheatgrass for juicing is a sprouted grass, usually harvested in 7 to 9 days from the inital soaking days. I now only order in bulk the wheatgrass seed (10 pounds) and the azomite fertilizer (2 pound bag). These can be found in the “REFILL” section of the website. (http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/sprouting/wheat_berries_sprouting_seed.htm) and (http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/azomite.htm). I no longer order trays. They are too big for home use. And I refuse to pay for shipping on the bags of compost. I now use a product from Lowe’s Home Improvement called Burpee Eco-Friendly Organic Seed Starting Mix (but you can use any organic seed starting mix that is light-weight, not potting soil).
Here’s the process.
1. In a small bowl (I use a Chinese delivery soup container), rinse and soak 1/4 cup seed. Soak for 24 hours.
2. After 24 hours, drain and rinse soaked seed several times. Drain completely, but do not dry the seeds. Place a damp paper towel (get yourself a brand that comes from recycled paper like Marcal) folded into 4 layers to cover the seeds completely. Keep damp with a spray bottle mister of water for up to 24 more hours.
3. Now, it’s time to plant. At this point you will most likely see little roots sprouting. Using a clean recycled “greens” container (the Earthbound Organics 5 oz container), place 2 handfuls of the seed starting mix into the container, spreading to about 1 to 1 1/2 inch thickness. This soil is only here to hold moisture and nutrients. Sprinkle a thin layer of the azomite over the starting mix (I use a flour/powdered sugar sprinkle can dedicated to this purpose). Evenly spread sprouted seeds over soil. Lightly, but thoroughly water the seeds and soil mix (not standing water). Cover with the container lid, but do not seal. Place containers in the coolest room in the house, out of direct sun. Wheatgrass does best at under 72 degrees and will have fewer mold issues.
4. After 24-36 hours, lift the lid and thoroughly mist seeds and soil. Replace the lid. as the wheatgrass grows, it will push the lid off naturally.
7. Soon the sprouts will begin to push the lid up and away. Keep sprouts moist. In 7 to 9 days, your wheatgrass should be about 7 to 9 inches tall and is ready for harvest. Harvest when ready to use immediately and snip into 1 inch lengths for best results in your “slow” juicer like the Hurom, Omega or Breville. I use half to the whole container at a time for my large juice drinks. Harvest only once, though it will regrow. Most of the nutrients are depleted once harvested. I then allow the wheatgrass to regrow and let my cats enjoy it or compost the rest.
8. To maintain a supply of wheatgrass, this process should begin anew every day or every other day, depending on how much wheatgrass you are juicing. After 9 days, store UN-harvested wheatgrass in its growing container in the frig. Use before it turns yellow.
Wheatgrass for the Juicing Jamestown fundraiser for The Mama Edna Project
Our Facebook Page! Please like it!
by AndrewI spent most of the day reading up on cystic fibrosis as it relates to organ transplants and cancer and juicing for a new client of The Mama Edna Project. This topic is not a light read. WOW!!! I feel overwhelmed! We are close to the 300 likes hurdle on our Facebook page. Can we get to 500 likes by January 31st? Yes, we can. We ask that all of our friends please like the page and share it so we can build a huge network of juicers for cancer patients! Thanks so much!
Today, we are beginning a new journey with the launch of a website for The Mama Edna Project!
by AndrewThe Mama Edna Project
by AndrewWe are building a website so we can share our journeys about juicing for folks who have cancer, as well as many other nutritional topics gathered from multiple resources.