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10 Things You Might Not Know About Asparagus
May is National Asparagus Month! A crown jewel of the spring crop, asparagus is enjoyed in cuisine around the world. It’s more than just a mouth-watering veggie with a ton of nutrients, though.
·1. 1. The name for asparagus comes from a Greek word, asparagos, which means “sprout” or “shoot”. This word was likely borrowed from the Persians, with their similar word of the same meaning, “asparag”.
· 2. After planting, asparagus is not usually harvested in the first 3 seasons, which helps the plant develop strong, sturdy roots. Generally, a plant that is tended well will produce for 15-20 years.
10 Things You Might Not Know About... HONEY!
Honey is one of nature’s purest ingredients--the gooey result of dedicated honeybees. Apart from the scent, flavor and golden-hued goodness we associate with honey, it creates a buzz for all kinds of different reasons:
1. Spanish poet Antonio Machado once wrote, "I dreamt - marvelous error! - that I had a beehive here insife my heart. And the golden bees were making white combs and sweet honey from my old failures."
2. Honey changes appearance and texture over time, and is sensitive to its environment, but some batches appear to be thousands of years old and not rancid. Honey was one of the gifts entombed inside Egyptian crypts. When explorers found ancient burial sites, the honey they found in some cases was quite well-preserved.
3. Honey has noted antiseptic powers, and aids in creating a protective barrier on wounds. It lends a hand in the skin’s natural processes of healin...
Ojoba Women's Shea Butter Collective: Empowering Women with Ethical Trade
Who knew that a nut so small could create such change?
Twice a year, we buy ten tons of Shea butter directly from the Ojoba Women's Cooperative in Ghana, West Africa, and we use it in everything from massage bars to lip balms for its rich, moisturizing effect on the skin. This past February, we embarked on the adventure of a lifetime and traveled to the Upper East Region of Ghana to meet the women of Ojoba and witness the impact making Shea butter has had on their lives...
"It's always been about the people", said Johan, "We fell in love with them. You will too."
It was 2003; Johan and Tracy Wulfers were traveling through Ghana when they visited a group of forty women processing Shea butter by hand beneath a baobab tree. Curious, they struck up conversation to inquire about the mysterious substance they were furiously kneading in rhythmic, swooping motions. The women quickly derailed their curiosity, however, as they began to talk about their lives. They spoke of their children, their families and the daily struggle they faced to provide even the most basic necessities. The more they shared; the more Johan and Tracy wanted to work with them.
Having previously spent time in Western Africa as volunteer teachers, Johan and Tracy had seen firsthand the challenges faced by communities lacking financial resources.
They brought the Shea butter home to Portland with them and began selling it at local markets- the response was overwhelmingly positive. An o...
10 Things You Might Not Know About EGGS!
Eggs add life to damaged hair, and promote healthy skin functions too. Binding together other ingredients in Fresh Face Masks and hair care, eggs are an important ingredient in many LUSH favorites, including Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask and H’Suan Wen Hua Hair Moisturizer.
1. In Maya culture, the color yellow is associated with life. One of the primary examples supporting this is the color of an egg yolk.
2. Eggs contain protein and a host of vitamins and minerals that encourage hair’s conditioning in products like H’Suan Wen Hua Hair Moisturizer, Curly Wurly Shampoo and Shine So Bright Split End Treatment. These are products targeted for the most thirsty, lack-luster hair!
3. All that protein makes them effective in a restorative function on the hair, building tensile strength, which increases the hair’s ability to withstand tension. Imagine the difference a pair of gloves would make if you were about to climb a rope. The rough rope might otherwise shred up your hands, but the gloves give you more traction, increasing your tensile strength.
4. A Hen may lay around 365 eggs per year, but this can (free-)range quite a bi...
Ingredients of Note
Perfumes are compositions, using fragrant material as the instruments. Perfumers are just like composers, choosing specific ingredients to hit particular notes at different times. The way the ingredients unfold adds drama to the experience.
A perfume’s ingredients can be grouped into “notes” categorized as Top, Middle and Base. These groups of ingredients are enhanced at different times in the perfume experience, bound to one another, but with solo performances throughout. Quality perfumes are crafted with this unfolding experience in mind, and how the ingredients interact in the air, on the skin and with one another.
When perfume is applied, lively Top Notes hit first, and finish first. Top Notes burst right out of the bottle due to how tiny their molecules are. These small, light molecules add an instant pleasure, but are really just the opening act. Classic examples of Top Notes are found in the Citrus Family, from both rind and blossom. The rinds of the fruit on Limes, Lemons, and Bergamots, for example, produce their essential oils, which are highly valued for their initial burst of happiness they provide. When you peel an orange, and a bit of spray is released from the unfolding rind—you are seeing a burst of its Essential Oil. Top Notes can also be known as head notes, and are carefully selected due to the first impression they give. They play an important role in nabbing attention. Take for example another popular Top Note, Neroli. Scientists have observed increased serotonin production in the brains of people introduced to the scent of Neroli. It’s extracted from the blossom of a Bitter Orange tree common to the Mediterranean, and highly prized for the pleasing rays of sunshine it lends a perfume.
As time passes...