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!  

Flour...yes, I need flour!

  Son often says that I am easily amused but, also, easily distracted.  It is true...on both accounts.  I often am entertained by the most mundane things but it is true that my attention span is short when it comes to drudgery.  Let one moth flit by and I will forget the chore at hand and go chasing after it.  Today was no different.  I was distracted but. also, highly amused by a single lizard.

  Along about noontime, I set out making chicken pot pie for the menfolk.  Everything was chopped and ready to be thrown together when I decided that the mixture needed buttermilk biscuit dough instead of the normal crust.  I headed to the pantry to get flour when I passed the north window.  Just outside that window sits the large rosemary shrub.  I have no idea how I spied the lizard in all of that green but I did and that was where the cooking stopped.  I had to grab the camera and take a photo of the lizard.  

  Once I was outside, I promptly forgot all about chicken, veggies and buttermilk biscuits.  That was the cutest lizard I have seen in a long while!  Truth be told, the thing had just hatched and was still wrinkly from being confined inside its eggshell.  The lizard was a grand total of about three inches in length and had the most adorable face!  I watched as it made its first attempt at capturing lunch which was a tiny fruit fly!  Oh, my goodness!  

  A good fifteen minutes later, I remembered our lunch and had to hurry back inside.  I was not particularly happy about leaving my tiny friend as I knew I would probably never see it again.  As I passed the same window, I took a quick peek only to find no lizard.  Whatever caused me to see that critter in the first place?  Oh, yeah...flour.  I need to get the flour from the pantry.  That sure was a cute lizard!

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!

A Little of This....A Little of That...

   On one of our hikes about the hillside, Mr. PJ and I meandered to the back garden.  The old dog does not wish to take too many vigorous runs so we simply amble along looking at things.  One of the things that caught my attention was the camphor tree.  This small tree is taking its dear sweet time growing it seems.  I planted the seed some years ago and, as of yet, the tree is a mere 6 feet tall.  That is fine by me since I only need a handful of leaves now and again.  I use the leaves in some of the home remedies that I concoct.  (Just a reminder here....camphor is NEVER to be taken orally!!  And always seek the advice of a doctor before using camphor in any form.)  That said, the leaves and stems have a strong odor and an equally strong effect on certain critters.  I have found that a concoction made with camphor, bay and rosemary deters a lot of bugs from getting in the house!  Living on a bayou, I have to deal with a lot of critters so any method that proves helpful is appreciated.  

  To combat things like ants, roaches and even spiders, I tend to soak fresh rosemary, bay leaves and camphor in a vat of water.  The water is first heated to boiling then the fresh branches are added.  This is allowed to sit overnight then is strained.  I apply it with a sprayer to the doorways, windows and steps.  While it does not last for too long, it does help for about ten days before I have to reapply.  Even though the camphor is toxic if taken internally, I feel better about using it than I do the commercial sprays. (Bay leaves and rosemary, of course, are culinary herbs so no worries with them!)  The concoction does not actually kill the critters but sort of makes them change their minds about coming inside.  I do not mind using this indoors even though it smells pretty strong!

  Camphor is used in a lot of conventional medicines.  Most are used to help heal things like itching, fungal infections.  It is also used in chest rubs for coughs and congestion. Hey, if it is that useful, then why not grow my own??  As an added benefit, the oils in the wood are know to inhibit rust on tools!  I have some pretty amazing stuff growing in that back garden!  With spring right around the corner, I know the critters will be out in full force so I better get to gathering my leaves!

Itching for a Remedy!

I was out wandering the hillside after the latest rainstorm when I met up with the largest "swarm" of mosquitoes that I have ever seen!  It seems that the rainy weather has caused every mosquito in a radius of fifty miles to seek out my Bayou!  (Ok..so perhaps I exaggerated a tad but I was being eaten alive!)  My arms itched like crazy!  I headed to the herb garden for a quick fix to this annoying problem.  First, I grabbed a few leaves to relieve the itching and then a sprig to ward off any future bites!  Yep..it does work but some folks just refuse to believe it!

Serrata Basil grows well in the rainy weather we have been having lately!

My "instant" remedy for the itching of the insect bites was merely a handful of basil leaves.  If the tender plant parts are vigorously rubbed over the bite, within a few seconds the itching starts to abate.  Then after a minute or so, the itching stops completely.  My sweet grandniece, Aero, told me once that she loved my "Magic Plant".  She was here and covered with bites.  I showed her how to pick the topmost leaves and rub them on each welt.  Sure enough, in minutes she was itch-free!  Magic Plants, indeed!

The Thai Basil has flowered and will soon make seeds for next years crop!

The other plant is Rosemary.  I should have had the foresight to rub a bit of this on my arms and face before setting out on my hike.  Usually, a stop to the herb garden can prevent a number of bites from ever happening in the first place.  Rosemary is extremely good at preventing bug bites if it is applied liberally.  Recently, I was told that this did not work at all against fly bites!  It seems that deer flies do not mind the smell as much as mosquitoes!  This evening, I decided to test the Rosemary.  My left arm was covered with the herb while the right was left scent-free.  After strolling about the garden, nary a bite on the left.  The right received five more bites almost instantly.  Ok..enough of that test!  I grabbed another sprig of Rosemary and rubbed down the right arm as well!  I was bug-free and happy! Legend has it that a Rosemary Bush planted by the garden gate will protect the home against evil.  This proves that mosquitoes are evil!  Rosemary does a good job protecting me against them!

Plant a Rosemary Bush by your front gate..legend says that it will protect the home from evil!

Just as a note, the herbs have to be garden fresh.  I have tried the same thing with "store-bought" dried herbs and they fail miserably!  Ahh, the pleasures of having an herb garden!

Add a little spice to your life!

Have you ever thought much about Rosemary?  Sure, some will recognize this as one of the spices that goes into a marinade for chicken, turkey or fish but few will use it as a remedy for illness.  Rosemary is one of those remarkable herbs that has numerous uses both in the culinary and medical world.  It has qualities that help it stand out as one of the most beneficial herbs we can easily grow in our home gardens.  It is also used as a fragrance in many soaps, lotions and cosmetics.

Rosemary has been used through the years to improve the memory.  Just smelling a sachet made from Rosemary and Lavender will relieve stress, improve learning abilities and increase concentration. Another use is to relieve muscle and joint pain.  Rosemary oil used topically on sore muscles and joints usually relieves the pain within a short while.   The oil can even support hair regrowth!  It is said that folks who daily massage the oil into their scalp will see regrowth in about six months.  I cannot attest to that but hey, may be worth a try for some people! Rosemary has antimicrobial properties and can kill bacteria and fungi. This would be beneficial for a number of reasons!  Last year, I made a concoction to spritz on Ms. Ez.  She suffers from allergies and being a dog, romps through the tall grasses around the marsh.  Summertime usually sees her have an outbreak of the most horrendous rash.  Rosemary did relieve the itch for the poor dog without any side effects!  Although the leaves are widely used in culinary dishes the oil made from the leaves is volatile and can be lethal.  NEVER take Rosemary Oil orally! 

Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean and can tolerate plenty of heat.  It is an upright shrub that can grow up to six feet in height and has small needle-like leaves and pale bluish-purple flowers.  The fresh leaves are highly aromatic and this aroma remains even when the leaves are dried.   Rosemary can be easily grown when given three things..plenty of sun..plenty of air circulation and good drainage.  It has been said that more Rosemary plants die of too much attention than a lack of care.

As wonderful as Rosemary is, some folks need to steer clear of it as a medicinal herb.  Those with high blood pressure, Crohn's Disease or ulcers should never take it on a regular basis.  Pregnant women should also avoid mass doses.  That said, it is quite safe for everyone to use a spice, however.