I went swimming a few weeks ago, and know exactly when water entered my ear. I felt it and knew immediately, from past experiences, that it would mean trouble if I couldn't get it out. Of course, I came home and doused vinegar in my ear, and thought it would be okay. Last week, my ear started hurting, and I recognized the problem as otitis externa, i.e. an external ear infection. I've had them plenty of times before, about half of the time it starts with allergies, not water, but what happens is that bacteria thrive on the extra moisture in the ear, and I think some people, and some ears, just have a susceptibility to becoming infected. My left ear is almost always the one that gets infected. I hate swimmer's ear.
So for the last few days, I've been trying all sorts of home remedies, as usual. Olive oil is usually what brings relief, but since I've made some infused oils and elixirs this week, I thought I would experiment to see what I could concoct that might help. I read that mullein flowers can be used to infuse an oil, and then I read that the leaves would also work to soothe an earache. I had leaves, but no flowers. So in a small glass, I crushed some dried mullein, about a tablespoon full, and sprinkled a bit of garlic powder on it. I added olive oil, heated it, stirred it, and then coated the inside of my ear with it. Within a few minutes, I got relief, more than just relief from the oil alone. I inserted a cotton ball and went to bed. This morning, I have no pain whatsoever from the infection. My jaw is not sore or swollen; I can touch and press on any part of my ear without pain. The key ingredient is either the mullein or the garlic, and my bet is on the mullein, because it has astringent properties and soothing properties. The garlic may have killed the bacteria, but the mullein probably dried up the fluids that caused the swelling and pain.
I just wanted to share another of my WOW moments with you.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Canning, Drying, Putting By
This is what my kitchen table looks like recently, well, presently. It is quite the mess, but that is not even half the story. I've got the not quite ripe toms ripening, a pineapple for grilling, some bottled hot pepper oil, a few pimentos and Anaheims, an Avocado for salad, tomato se
ed saving jars, a chair full of books and jellies for Ava, and a ziplock bag for picking beans and stuff.
My best friend is an morning person. If she were a robin, there would be no more earthworms for the other birds. Ava works the way 75% of the world works, she is on a dawn to dusk schedule. By contrast, I am not a morning person. I've got plenty of reasons/excuses, but suffice it to say that I go to be late and sleep till almost noon. It is hard for me to get
to sleep, but it would take a nuclear weapon to wake me up. I can get up, but it is difficult and doesn't feel natural at all. Thank God I have Ava to call me and put a boot to my butt to get me out of bed in the summer, because otherwise I'd be working solely in the heat of the afternoon.
Two days ago, Ava and I, partners in crime, went foraging for elderberries and harvested quite a few. We got a few other things, too, rocks, ornamental grasses and the like, stuff from old homesteads and roadsides. Today, we made jam, jelly, and a special elixir.
I have about 2 quarts of elderberries drying on a large window screen in my spare bedroom. They will be for tea or muffins or bread or whatever I decide to put them in. I took a pint of fresh berries and the first thing we made this morning was an Elixir to be taken as medicine in the event of the flu or swine flu or whatever virus comes down the pike. It was super simple. I mashed some berries with the back of a spoon, put them in my pint jar, squirted the juice of a lemon in there, and made a mixture of 2 parts brandy to one part honey, of which I poured that over the macerated elderberries. I did not seal it or anything. Alcohol and honey keep almost indefinitely. This Elderberry Elixir should be used by the dropperful. I got the recipe and instructions from this article.
http://www.wellsphere.com/complementary-alternative-medicine-article/into-the-forest-exploring-elderberry/373317
Secondly, we cooked down 2 quarts of elderberries using the vinegar recipe in the BBB. I wasn't satisfied with the thinness of the jam, so I decided to add half a pack of pectin. It tastes great, but the jam did not set well, so I think I will rework this batch, adding another box of pectin, OR maybe I will just strain it and make syrup. I dunno.
After the elderberries were done, we started on making grape jelly. This was my first foray into jelly making, but it won't be my last. About 3 years ago, I planted a Catawba grape in my garden, and this year, I got almost 5 pounds of grapes from the vine. I was psyched. I planted this variety specifically for juice and jelly, Concord likes NE, Catawba likes the South. It is very Concord like in appearance and use. Anyway, this turned out wonderful-it was so good, I was licking all the utensils, even the plate I sat the spoon on. I saved a swig of juice for Skyguy to try, and he loved it, so the Catawbas are definitely a valuable crop now. I'd like to get 10 pounds from that vine next year.
After the now purple kitchen was cleaned up, thanks to Ava who gave me a break from washing dishes, we decided to finish another project that I had been working on. Ava was fired up and worked like a dog. She's ten years my junior and worked circles around me today and I actually felt a bit old. In my own defense, I've been dealing with this vertigo like dizziness for a couple of days, along with a low grade fever and an ear ache. Obviously, it is an ear infection, else I have some kind of foreign object or bug inside my ear! During allergy season, I sometimes have ear problems, and if I don't stay on top of it, it just gets worse. Additionally, I've had a lot of stress in my life in recent weeks, and that has caused a psoriasis flare AND and RA flare. Today was the first day my jaw(from TMJ) was back properly aligned....but I digress. The point is, that I feel old and Ava was working circles around me. I had started making hot pepper oil this week and had the oil infusing in a large dutch oven inside of a black gas grill. I usually do the straining with coffee filters, but Ava came up with the idea to use the other jelly bag. What a timesaver! So, that project was finished quickly as I already had the bottles ready to go.
After Ava left-I decided that I needed to toss the elderberry waste and hope that I get a tree or two to come up on my property. Thinking 'full sun-moisture', I walked my property and tossed out seeds and seed heads in certain locations. JohnnyAppleseed reborn as Beverly Elderberry. Behind the house, where our greywater is treated(by canna, jewel weed, privet,elephant ears, and now elderberry), I happened to look back over towards the house to the fig trees and see another tree full of golden and purple figs. Ava and I had just picked them a few da
ys ago and she made fig preserves from them. Since I wasn't up for more canning today, I grabbed a bowl and just started picking figs. I sneered at the nearby cardinal family that were yammering on at me while I picked. I came in, removed the stems, and sliced them in half vertically. They are now on the dehydrator. After a few hours of drying, I lightly sprinkled each fig with confectioner's sugar, like it really needed that, but it sure tastes good! So far so good. I'm hoping that I can substitute these dried figs for dates in my date bread recipe. If anyone knows what kind of fig these might be, I'd like to know. I cut one of these open and made an inset so you can se
e the inside. The quarter, of course, shows scale of the whole figs. The inset, sliced fig, is the one on the left. Anyway, the trees are 40+ years old. I've cut them down to the ground before, and they came back just as strong. I will be hard pruning them again this year. They are on a slope and the trees are taller than the house and it is difficult to harvest. Harvesting will be easier and safer if the trees are smaller.
So then, I realized that I had not been out to the garden today, so I grabbed a few bags and buckets and headed out there. I moved my mother hen and her chicks(only 2) to the chicken tractor, and cleaned up
the mess out there where I had them sequestered. There is always some distraction around here first the figs, then chickens,,,,at any rate, I began picking tomatoes and tomorrow I will be canning tomatoes again. It seems to work out that every third day I can tomatoes. This time, I am drying some, along with the figs, the tomatoes are for pizza and whatnot, and will be making a few more jars of stewed toms. There are quite a few slicers in this batch, so I may end up cooking it into sauce, but we will see.
So while I was out there picking tomatoes, I happened to notice more beans that needed to be picked. I realized it had been a few days, so I started picking beans, too. Another gallon, and they are in a lull of sorts, but the flowers are picking up again, so it won't be long until I have more than I know what to do with.
Speaking of that, I am starting to get more and more okra. Skyguy wants fried okra, but I want to pickle it. I tried it for the first time and OMG, I kept eating it and eating it. Okra is so good for lowering cholesterol, and I know the vinegar is healthy. Thanks to my neighbors, Pat and Crystal for bringing me a jar of this wonderful stuff. I'm now addicted! I traded them a bottle of hot pepper oil...good trade, I think.
So after picking tomatoes and beans, and snacking on pickled okra, I blanched and froze the beans, did some laundry, took a shower, and called it a night. Skyguy cooked THE best dinner tonight. It was a Southwestern style grilled chicken salad with our cherry toms, scallions, avocado, romaine, feta, pine nuts, and the world's best lime and olive oil dressing. This salad was to die for!!
'Tis canning season. Tomorrow, we will be reworking some apple jelly and fig preserves that did not jel well. I should probably take my elderberries down there and rework them, too. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I'll be dreaming of pickled okra and stewed tomatoes!
ed saving jars, a chair full of books and jellies for Ava, and a ziplock bag for picking beans and stuff.My best friend is an morning person. If she were a robin, there would be no more earthworms for the other birds. Ava works the way 75% of the world works, she is on a dawn to dusk schedule. By contrast, I am not a morning person. I've got plenty of reasons/excuses, but suffice it to say that I go to be late and sleep till almost noon. It is hard for me to get
to sleep, but it would take a nuclear weapon to wake me up. I can get up, but it is difficult and doesn't feel natural at all. Thank God I have Ava to call me and put a boot to my butt to get me out of bed in the summer, because otherwise I'd be working solely in the heat of the afternoon.Two days ago, Ava and I, partners in crime, went foraging for elderberries and harvested quite a few. We got a few other things, too, rocks, ornamental grasses and the like, stuff from old homesteads and roadsides. Today, we made jam, jelly, and a special elixir.
I have about 2 quarts of elderberries drying on a large window screen in my spare bedroom. They will be for tea or muffins or bread or whatever I decide to put them in. I took a pint of fresh berries and the first thing we made this morning was an Elixir to be taken as medicine in the event of the flu or swine flu or whatever virus comes down the pike. It was super simple. I mashed some berries with the back of a spoon, put them in my pint jar, squirted the juice of a lemon in there, and made a mixture of 2 parts brandy to one part honey, of which I poured that over the macerated elderberries. I did not seal it or anything. Alcohol and honey keep almost indefinitely. This Elderberry Elixir should be used by the dropperful. I got the recipe and instructions from this article.
http://www.wellsphere.com/complementary-alternative-medicine-article/into-the-forest-exploring-elderberry/373317
Secondly, we cooked down 2 quarts of elderberries using the vinegar recipe in the BBB. I wasn't satisfied with the thinness of the jam, so I decided to add half a pack of pectin. It tastes great, but the jam did not set well, so I think I will rework this batch, adding another box of pectin, OR maybe I will just strain it and make syrup. I dunno.
After the elderberries were done, we started on making grape jelly. This was my first foray into jelly making, but it won't be my last. About 3 years ago, I planted a Catawba grape in my garden, and this year, I got almost 5 pounds of grapes from the vine. I was psyched. I planted this variety specifically for juice and jelly, Concord likes NE, Catawba likes the South. It is very Concord like in appearance and use. Anyway, this turned out wonderful-it was so good, I was licking all the utensils, even the plate I sat the spoon on. I saved a swig of juice for Skyguy to try, and he loved it, so the Catawbas are definitely a valuable crop now. I'd like to get 10 pounds from that vine next year.
After the now purple kitchen was cleaned up, thanks to Ava who gave me a break from washing dishes, we decided to finish another project that I had been working on. Ava was fired up and worked like a dog. She's ten years my junior and worked circles around me today and I actually felt a bit old. In my own defense, I've been dealing with this vertigo like dizziness for a couple of days, along with a low grade fever and an ear ache. Obviously, it is an ear infection, else I have some kind of foreign object or bug inside my ear! During allergy season, I sometimes have ear problems, and if I don't stay on top of it, it just gets worse. Additionally, I've had a lot of stress in my life in recent weeks, and that has caused a psoriasis flare AND and RA flare. Today was the first day my jaw(from TMJ) was back properly aligned....but I digress. The point is, that I feel old and Ava was working circles around me. I had started making hot pepper oil this week and had the oil infusing in a large dutch oven inside of a black gas grill. I usually do the straining with coffee filters, but Ava came up with the idea to use the other jelly bag. What a timesaver! So, that project was finished quickly as I already had the bottles ready to go.
After Ava left-I decided that I needed to toss the elderberry waste and hope that I get a tree or two to come up on my property. Thinking 'full sun-moisture', I walked my property and tossed out seeds and seed heads in certain locations. JohnnyAppleseed reborn as Beverly Elderberry. Behind the house, where our greywater is treated(by canna, jewel weed, privet,elephant ears, and now elderberry), I happened to look back over towards the house to the fig trees and see another tree full of golden and purple figs. Ava and I had just picked them a few da
ys ago and she made fig preserves from them. Since I wasn't up for more canning today, I grabbed a bowl and just started picking figs. I sneered at the nearby cardinal family that were yammering on at me while I picked. I came in, removed the stems, and sliced them in half vertically. They are now on the dehydrator. After a few hours of drying, I lightly sprinkled each fig with confectioner's sugar, like it really needed that, but it sure tastes good! So far so good. I'm hoping that I can substitute these dried figs for dates in my date bread recipe. If anyone knows what kind of fig these might be, I'd like to know. I cut one of these open and made an inset so you can se
e the inside. The quarter, of course, shows scale of the whole figs. The inset, sliced fig, is the one on the left. Anyway, the trees are 40+ years old. I've cut them down to the ground before, and they came back just as strong. I will be hard pruning them again this year. They are on a slope and the trees are taller than the house and it is difficult to harvest. Harvesting will be easier and safer if the trees are smaller.So then, I realized that I had not been out to the garden today, so I grabbed a few bags and buckets and headed out there. I moved my mother hen and her chicks(only 2) to the chicken tractor, and cleaned up
the mess out there where I had them sequestered. There is always some distraction around here first the figs, then chickens,,,,at any rate, I began picking tomatoes and tomorrow I will be canning tomatoes again. It seems to work out that every third day I can tomatoes. This time, I am drying some, along with the figs, the tomatoes are for pizza and whatnot, and will be making a few more jars of stewed toms. There are quite a few slicers in this batch, so I may end up cooking it into sauce, but we will see.So while I was out there picking tomatoes, I happened to notice more beans that needed to be picked. I realized it had been a few days, so I started picking beans, too. Another gallon, and they are in a lull of sorts, but the flowers are picking up again, so it won't be long until I have more than I know what to do with.
Speaking of that, I am starting to get more and more okra. Skyguy wants fried okra, but I want to pickle it. I tried it for the first time and OMG, I kept eating it and eating it. Okra is so good for lowering cholesterol, and I know the vinegar is healthy. Thanks to my neighbors, Pat and Crystal for bringing me a jar of this wonderful stuff. I'm now addicted! I traded them a bottle of hot pepper oil...good trade, I think.
So after picking tomatoes and beans, and snacking on pickled okra, I blanched and froze the beans, did some laundry, took a shower, and called it a night. Skyguy cooked THE best dinner tonight. It was a Southwestern style grilled chicken salad with our cherry toms, scallions, avocado, romaine, feta, pine nuts, and the world's best lime and olive oil dressing. This salad was to die for!!
'Tis canning season. Tomorrow, we will be reworking some apple jelly and fig preserves that did not jel well. I should probably take my elderberries down there and rework them, too. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I'll be dreaming of pickled okra and stewed tomatoes!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Confucius and Lao Tse
A while back, my son asked me about religions, and I looked around the web and sent him a few links on various things. We in the West consider Buddhism as a religion, but it is more of a lifestyle than a religion, and in fact, someone can be a Christian AND a Buddhist, or a Muslim and a Buddhist, or an atheist and a Buddhist, etc.
Here in the South, there are a lot of misconceptions about religions other than Christianity. For that matter, there are a lot of misconceptions about Christianity. Most folks can't even list the types of Christians, and no, I don't mean denominations, I mean the three types of Christianity: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant. So over the next month or so, I intend to write micro-primers on some of the world's religions. It will be in no particular order.
Confucianism
Confucianism began about 500 BC. K'ung Fu Tzu, better known in the West as Confuci
us, was born in 551 BC in China. Siddhartha the Buddha had just died, Darius was King of Persia, and all those famous Greeks like Pythagorus and Herodotus were doing an awful lot of thinking back in Greece. Confucius traveled China advising rulers and teaching. He dealt with individual morality and ethics, as well as the proper exercise of political power. He was the original supporter of what we call 'family values'. He emphasized: LI: ritual, propriety, and etiquette HSIAO: love among family members YI: righteousness XIN: honesty and trustworthiness JEN: benevolence towards others, which is the highest virtue and CHUNG: loyalty to the state, etc.
Confucianism is primarily an ethical system with rituals at important times during life, such as birth, reaching maturity, marriage, and death.
For more information, you can read Analects of Confucius
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Q65fgetAJM&isbn=0486284840&itm=1
Or read the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius
Taoism
Taoism was founded by Lao-Tse, who lived at the same time as Confucius. Taoism began as a combination of psychology and philosophy. Lao-Tse tried to end feudal warfare and other conflicts of his day. His writings, the Tao-te-Ching (which means Classic of the Way and Virtue), describe the nature of life, the way to peace and how a ruler should lead his life. Nine hundred years later, in 440 CE, Taoism was adopted as a state religion.
Tao, roughly translated as path or the way, is a force which flows through all life and is the first cause of everything. The goal of everyone is to become one with the Tao. Tai Chi, a t
echnique of exercise using slow deliberate movements, is used to balance the flow of energy or "chi" within the body. People should develop virtue and seek compassion, moderation and humility. One should plan all action in advance and achieve goals through minimal action. Yin (dark side) and Yang (light side) symbolize pairs of opposites which are seen through the universe, such as good and evil, light and dark, male and female. The impact of human civilization upsets the balance of Yin and Yang in nature. Taoists believe that people are by nature, good, and that one should be kind to others simply because such treatment will probably be reciprocated. In my opinion, I'd bet that George Lucas borrowed heavily from Taoist ideas when he wrote about the Force.
Over the years, other philosophies and ideologies have merged or become part of Taoism, things such as ancestor worship, qigong, feng shui, various martial arts styles, and even what the west calls Chinese medicine has all melded to some degree with Taoist thought.
There are Ten Precepts of Taoism which are of note:
1. Do not kill but always be mindful of the host of living beings.
2. Do not be lascivious or think depraved thoughts.
3. Do not steal or receive unrighteous wealth.
4. Do not cheat or misrepresent good and evil.
5. Do not get intoxicated but always think of pure conduct.
6. Maintain harmony with ancestors, family and never disregard kin.
7. If I witness a good deed, I will support that with joy and delight.
8. If I see someone unfortunate, I will help him recover with dignity .
9. When someone harms me, I will not harbor thoughts of revenge.
10. As long as all beings have not attained the Tao, I will not expect to do so myself.
You can learn more here:
http://english.siutao.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism
Taoism and Confucianism are often seen as being closely related. Lao-Tse may have been Confucius' teacher, and Tse's book may have evolved from idea's expressed by Confucius. These two men who lived 2500 years ago have been greatly influential in Chinese history and culture, and increasingly in Western culture and thinking.
Here in the South, there are a lot of misconceptions about religions other than Christianity. For that matter, there are a lot of misconceptions about Christianity. Most folks can't even list the types of Christians, and no, I don't mean denominations, I mean the three types of Christianity: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant. So over the next month or so, I intend to write micro-primers on some of the world's religions. It will be in no particular order.
Confucianism
Confucianism began about 500 BC. K'ung Fu Tzu, better known in the West as Confuci
us, was born in 551 BC in China. Siddhartha the Buddha had just died, Darius was King of Persia, and all those famous Greeks like Pythagorus and Herodotus were doing an awful lot of thinking back in Greece. Confucius traveled China advising rulers and teaching. He dealt with individual morality and ethics, as well as the proper exercise of political power. He was the original supporter of what we call 'family values'. He emphasized: LI: ritual, propriety, and etiquette HSIAO: love among family members YI: righteousness XIN: honesty and trustworthiness JEN: benevolence towards others, which is the highest virtue and CHUNG: loyalty to the state, etc.Confucianism is primarily an ethical system with rituals at important times during life, such as birth, reaching maturity, marriage, and death.
For more information, you can read Analects of Confucius
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Q65fgetAJM&isbn=0486284840&itm=1
Or read the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius
Taoism
Taoism was founded by Lao-Tse, who lived at the same time as Confucius. Taoism began as a combination of psychology and philosophy. Lao-Tse tried to end feudal warfare and other conflicts of his day. His writings, the Tao-te-Ching (which means Classic of the Way and Virtue), describe the nature of life, the way to peace and how a ruler should lead his life. Nine hundred years later, in 440 CE, Taoism was adopted as a state religion.
Tao, roughly translated as path or the way, is a force which flows through all life and is the first cause of everything. The goal of everyone is to become one with the Tao. Tai Chi, a t
echnique of exercise using slow deliberate movements, is used to balance the flow of energy or "chi" within the body. People should develop virtue and seek compassion, moderation and humility. One should plan all action in advance and achieve goals through minimal action. Yin (dark side) and Yang (light side) symbolize pairs of opposites which are seen through the universe, such as good and evil, light and dark, male and female. The impact of human civilization upsets the balance of Yin and Yang in nature. Taoists believe that people are by nature, good, and that one should be kind to others simply because such treatment will probably be reciprocated. In my opinion, I'd bet that George Lucas borrowed heavily from Taoist ideas when he wrote about the Force.Over the years, other philosophies and ideologies have merged or become part of Taoism, things such as ancestor worship, qigong, feng shui, various martial arts styles, and even what the west calls Chinese medicine has all melded to some degree with Taoist thought.
There are Ten Precepts of Taoism which are of note:
1. Do not kill but always be mindful of the host of living beings.
2. Do not be lascivious or think depraved thoughts.
3. Do not steal or receive unrighteous wealth.
4. Do not cheat or misrepresent good and evil.
5. Do not get intoxicated but always think of pure conduct.
6. Maintain harmony with ancestors, family and never disregard kin.
7. If I witness a good deed, I will support that with joy and delight.
8. If I see someone unfortunate, I will help him recover with dignity .
9. When someone harms me, I will not harbor thoughts of revenge.
10. As long as all beings have not attained the Tao, I will not expect to do so myself.
You can learn more here:
http://english.siutao.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism
Taoism and Confucianism are often seen as being closely related. Lao-Tse may have been Confucius' teacher, and Tse's book may have evolved from idea's expressed by Confucius. These two men who lived 2500 years ago have been greatly influential in Chinese history and culture, and increasingly in Western culture and thinking.
