My Garden Cures

   For the past couple of weeks, some sort of illness settled in as a resident of the Little Bayou House.  It started with Mark and spread on to Son.  Each of them had full blown cold symptoms with sore throat, fever, congestion and a general bit of just feeling blah.  That mess hung around in each of them for nigh on a week or better.  Son is still congested.  There has to be something "going around" because my sweet sister-in-law had it the same time that Mark did and now Darling Daughter has it (and she lives several towns over).  When Mark first said he did not feel well, I was determined not to catch the mess.  Exposure to him meant it was likely but then exposure to his sister and Son put my chance of avoiding coming down sick to slim or none.  Three exposures to any contagious illness is not very good.  Still, I was determined so I headed to the garden.  I gathered herbs and went back to the kitchen to "stir up" a brew.  I am a firm believer that boosting the immune system can do wonders so most of the herbs were chosen because of that.  To the sage, rosemary and ginger, I added my standby of crape myrtle blossoms. (Those I had dehydrated last July.)  Steeping this in a base of fruit juice for Vitamin C gave me just what I needed.  My favorite juice to use was home-canned blueberry.  Crazy enough, the blueberry, sage and rosemary blended well!

  While some ridiculed me about drinking so much of the tisane, I never gave up hope.  For three weeks now, I downed this brew!  I went through several pots a day for the first ten days then eased off to just one pot per day.  Several times during those weeks, I thought sure I was coming down ill.  NOPE!  Not happening!  I made more tisane.  Now, both Mark and Son are mostly well.  Son still has a lingering cough but feels back to his old self.  Mark is doing fine.  My sister-in-law sounds much better and Darling Daughter is on her way to being well again.  Me?  Well, I am still as healthy as I was before all this started.  Perhaps, my garden "teas" are the answer.  I don't have time for that mess!  

You call it "tea". I call it "tisane".

  Meandering about the hillside, I have been known to snatch a snack or two from wild berries or fruit trees.  Blackberries, huckleberries and wild persimmons can be found along the pathways and make for the perfect, healthy snack.  It is, also, not uncommon for me to pick a few leaves from these hikes and then add to my "bouquet" from the garden.  The leaves are used to make tisanes which are my preferred drinks.  There is nothing like a fresh brewed tisane to brighten the day!  

  When I tell folks that my gathered leaves are to make a drink, I often get some pretty odd looks.  Then, if I mention the word "tisane", the looks are even funnier.  Folks are perplexed by the term.  "What is a tisane?" often spills out of their mouths.  Well, a tisane is a decoction made with herbs, spices or leaves.  "Oh, you meant to say "tea". they proudly announce.  Nope.  There is no "tea" in my tisane so technically, it is not "tea".  Well, about this time, folks get really flustered at me and ask for coffee.  I am good with that as I like coffee, too!

  The other day, I had to linger under the wild persimmon tree as I waited on the old dog to catch up with me.  As I stood there looking at those fine leaves, I just had to pluck a handful.  Then, as I passed through the garden gate, I added some rosemary and pineapple sage to my bouquet.  Ummm!  Those smelled so fine that I could hardly wait to get inside to brew my concoction!  Fresh herbs and leaves make the finest drink!  

  So, folks, it is ok by me if you prefer to call your drink by the name of "herbal tea".  I shall call mine a "tisane".  Either way, the drinks are healthy and tasty!  The name matters not!

One of those "should have" moments

  For more years than I can count, I have been making a brew called Bayou Fire.  This is my home remedy for most every malady that hits during the winter months.  While a lot of folks will not find the results that I have, it works for me.  Each year when folks start to come down sick with bronchitis, flu, colds or you name it, I pull out the large pot and start my brew.  It is merely a concoction of roots and herbs from the garden.  These are fermented in a bath of apple cider vinegar.  Since the brew has a name like Bayou Fire, it stands to reason that it is a bit hot.  Besides the heat that fresh ginger root gives to the pot, I do throw in a mass of jalapeno and habanero peppers.  Every item that is included promotes healing.  I take it at the first hint of a cold or whatever.  This usually does the trick.  One or two doses and I have avoided illness.  Therein lies the problem with others.  Folks often come to the Bayou seeking an herbal remedy but not at the beginning of their illness.  They wait until they are so sick that even doctor prescribed medications have a hard time breaking the sickness.  Folks...with whatever medication you take, do not wait until you have some full blown illness before seeking help and then expect to be healed instantly. It does not work that way.  Go to your doctor and get help.  DO NOT COME TO THE BAYOU AND EXPECT MIRACLES!  If you do, I will give you a couple of heaping spoonfuls of the Bayou Fire and you may not be too happy.  While the Fire will help with symptoms, it is not for everyone. 

  As I was bottling my first batch of the Bayou Fire today, I was figuratively kicking myself for being lax.  While I have been making this concoction for a number of years and freely giving out my recipe or even bottles of the elixir itself, I now find that this stuff is being marketed as a cure all....and it ain't cheap!  The recipe for the marketed "Fire" is almost identical to the recipe that I shared so freely with folks.  I could have been rich!!!  If only I had the foresight to see that there would be this vast interest in herbal remedies, I would have marketed my stuff long ago.  Instead, because I was laughed at, called "Bayou Witch" and otherwise just plain ridiculed for my interest in and use of herbs, I withdrew into my own little kitchen and left well enough alone.  Still, each year, I brew up a batch or two to keep on hand if for no other reason than folks love sharing their illnesses with me.  It fully amazes me how many people will come to visit knowing full well they should be home in bed!  Nope! Ain't happenin'.   Here, open wide and take a dose of Bayou Fire!

Pretty in Purple!

  Today, storms shook the Little Bayou House as they roared through the area.  High winds blasted from the southeast, changed to coming from the southwest, turned to being a north wind and are now back from the south. We caught it from all angles.  With the winds, came torrential rains complete with waterspouts dancing about the Bay.  All in all, it was a rough day weather wise but satisfying in a weird sort of way.  The weather did keep me indoors, though.

  Yesterday, however, was a different story.  Knowing that a storm was brewing to our west, I was busy trying to prepare.  The plants in the greenhouse needed watering, the fishing gear needed storing and the last of the squash seeds needed to be put into the ground.  So much to do...so little time!  After gathering the fishing gear from the pier, I noticed a rather interesting plant in the board path.  How could I not notice it?  It was a gorgeous purple and hairy!  Aha!  Lyreleaf Sage! I love this plant. It is one of those neat little herbs that grows wild yet should be in every garden.  There are just so many uses for it in herbal medicines and even on the supper table. (It can be used just as any other garden green.)  Lyreleaf Sage has milder flavor than other sages but still has all of the good properties of the others.  Sage is in the mint family and there are over 900 different types of sage!

  Sage leaves can be brewed to make a tisane that relieves sore throats and mouth ulcers.  Lyreleaf Sage works as well as the others.  This is one of those herbal home remedies that actually works.  Granted, you have to drink several cups of the tisane or gargle with it numerous times but it does relieve the pain and has no side effects.   This is my "go to" remedy for sore throats and I, personally, never have one longer than a few hours.  Warm sage tisane soothes the body as it treats the throat.   Sage, in general, is being studied as a possibly treatment for Alzheimer's Disease, as an aid in restoring memory, as a treatment for high cholesterol and controlling blood sugar.  Hopefully, these studies will find that the plant does indeed help in these areas.  

  As I was hustling back up the hillside and spotted the Lyreleaf Sage, I made a mental note to transplant this one into the herb garden as soon as the storm passes.  Besides being a helpful plant, the thing is just too pretty to be cut down by my lawnmower!  

Leaf Flowers!

  Early this morning, Mark and I headed to the pier.  A slight mist was still falling after a night of heavy rains.  This was rather cooling and I did not mind getting a bit wet.  Just before we reached the first step of the pier, I noticed what appeared to be a green flower on the ground.  Well, not actually a flower but rather leaves shaped like the stereotypical flower shape.  Ahh, this is a young Lyre-leaf Sage!  Although most folks look at this sage as a weed,  I actually encourage it to grow in the yard.  There are even several that have taken up residence in the vegetable garden and I refuse to pull them.  They are there to stay right next to the Purple Basil.  Needless to say, the plant is a favorite.

  Folks have a tendency to believe Lyre-leaf Sage is a weed due to its habit of growing freely on the sides of roads, in open fields and unkempt yards.  Given a half of chance, the plant could prove these folks wrong. The plant is edible and has a slight minty flavor.  The young leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a pot herb much like collard greens or kale.  These same leaves can be brewed as a tisane to use in soothing sore throats.  I am more interested in using the plant as a medicinal herb rather than a food source.  Adding this sage to the larder could come in handy during the winter months that are often filled with colds and sore throats.  We just laid in a goodly amount of common sage to be used so a bit of Lyre-leaf will only supplement our supply.
  
  Sage tisane is not only useful in curing sore throats but is also a relaxant that helps during those sleepless nights that so often plague folks.  A warm cup of sage tisane will gently lull you into dreamland.  

  With all of these lovely attributes, who can blame me for leaving "weeds" in my yard?  Lyre-leaf Sage is a wildflower!  It is an herb!  It is....well, it is just a good plant to have growing in the yard!