Recipes & Remedies: Cabbage Salad and Vein-Away Tea

A cabbage salad is perfect for Spring!

Dried goji berries are used to make a "vein-away tea" by author Sara Dahmen.

By Sara Dahmen

Last year, we happened to be at Stonehenge on the day of Spring Equinox – that special
day when the sun’s zenith hits the big stone. It was a party atmosphere there, for sure. Being in the United Kingdom makes me think of a full monty breakfast and lots of pub chips, but they also do like their lettuces and cabbages, so I’m offering a Spring salad with a twist this month, since it's finally beginning to feel like Spring in Wisconsin! Plus, we’re nearing the season of shorts, and if you’re worrying at all about veins (even those tender varicose veins), I’ve a tea that can be made daily to help smooth them away (no surgery required). As always – consistency is key for results!

CABBAGE SALAD
This is a fresh salad that can be made on a Sunday and kept in the fridge all week to be a quick and easy lunch or dinner staple. I usually keep it in a big Tupperware with a cover, and the toppings totally make this one!  Makes 10 servings.

3 cups finely sliced green cabbage
3 cups finely sliced red cabbage
3 cups chopped fresh kale
3 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
¼ cup finely sliced green onions

Toppings:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tri-color tortilla chips (you can find these in the salad dressing part of a grocery store)
Chipotle / Southwest Ranch dressing

After slicing and chopping the greens, toss together until mixed well. Keep cold until serving. To serve, put the greens in a bowl, then the dressing and, finally, sprinkle on the cheese and tortilla chips.

VEIN-AWAY TEA
I use this tea to try to smooth out a large painful varicose vein on my right leg, which I received curtesy of my pregnancy with my youngest child, who came out over 10lbs.
Did you know that goji berries actually grow really well in Wisconsin? I took a chance a few years ago planting a squiggly twig of a plant and every year it gets bigger and has oodles of berries to be picked and dried in the oven (or a dehydrator, if you have one). They’re pretty bitter when fresh, but they get sweet after drying. You will want to dry any harvest to use for this, as you need to make a tincture from the goji berries for the tea.
Yarrow also grows super here – I once transplanted a single bit of it from being a “weed” in the wrong place to a medicinal plant in my garden (it spreads fast, so be prepared to sort of keep it contained). Fun fact: fresh green yarrow leaves also work to clean and sanitize wounds and stop nosebleeds.

First: Make the goji berry tincture. Take 1 cup of dried goji berries and place in a canning jar with 1.5 cups of vodka. Let sit for at least 1 month. Strain the berries and keep the liquid.

For the tea:
½ tsp burdock root
½ tsp dandelion root
½ tsp dried yarrow (flowers/leaves)

Boil water and add the burdock, dandelion and yarrow. Steep for 10 minutes before removing the herbs. Add in 1 tsp of the goji berry tincture.  Drink daily for best results over time.

Why these herbs?
Dandelion is great for reducing swelling and fluid retention. It’s also required when using
burdock, as otherwise the body won’t manage the full effects of burdock root.
Burdock root (never use this herb alone – always use it with dandelion root or yellow dock) is the most detoxifying herb out there – it will aid with skin most of all as an anti-inflammatory herb. 
Yarrow is a mild diuretic and tones one's veins – even the varicose kind. It can lower blood pressure and is great in ointments for vein pain, too. Do not use yarrow if you are pregnant!
Goji Berries are great for fragile capillaries and varicose veins – it’s also an anti-aging herb!

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​About the Author
Sara Dahmen is a coppersmith, award-winning author and novelist, and entrepreneur. Her expertise is of vintage and modern cookware; she manufactures pure metal kitchenware in her Port Washington, Wisconsin garage for her company, House Copper & Cookware. All of her current designs are based on American traditions and wares and are sourced in the USA. When unable to recreate traditional elements, she uses only small family owned and operated makers or Armed Forces veterans to help with the production of her cookware pieces. Her work also includes refurbishing and restoring old and damaged copper using vintage tools.  Learn more about Sara at: https://www.saradahmen.com/​  ​Order Sara's book! Full color, hard-cover COPPER IRON AND CLAY (Morrow/HarperCollins)

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