Good grief, how revolting! No I don't think Brits have a special food, for the 12th October If there is anyone out there who knows if there is such delights please let me know
Thanks Susan for the wonderful article on Culpepper I have a copy of his book ( sadly not original) amongst my work books of herbs and Aromatherapy If you read it some of it is a bit scarry . Working in the complimentary medicine field I can still say there is some, shall we say, disregard for natures way. here I use the word Complimentary correctly both science and nature should work together, There is a push here in Canada by the big drug companies to restrict the availability of natural medicines. They want the Government to bring in a bill to this affect. So those of us who use natural medicine for common ailments are busy sending notes to our MPs and making a noise, so far I have heard nothing more, but I don't think it has gone away.
My grandmother would make a poultice of her snuff for our bee stings. She would also make my sibs and cousins “snuff” with sugar and cocoa! We would spit away! Sadly both my parents died of COPD as a result of smoking.
Did your grandmother also smoke, Cyd? My mother had an old Brownie photo of her grandmother, sitting in a rocker on a porch with her apron on, smoking a pipe made out of a corncob. My grandfather raised enough tobacco for their own use. (This was in Missouri, which produced a surprising amount of tobacco in the years after the Civil War. No wonder their life expectancies were shorter . . .
Thank you for a wonderfully informing and enticing magazine to delve into! I bookmarked your Culpepper article and will read it at leisure. I love the prose in Culpepper's Complete Herbal and the references to astrology, and of course his efforts to democratize medicine! I also followed the link to the spiced pecans and found many recipes I wish to try there.
Culpeper is our most available source for the astrological/botanical understandings of the pre-Enlightenment period. Very valuable as a historical reference--and yes, fun to read, too. There's a reason the book has been continuously in print for well over 3 centuries!
I find it a little curious that marigolds are chosen as the flower of the month for October? I suppose it depends on what part of the country you live in. I would think asters, chrysanthemums, dahlias or even winter pansies, would be a better choice for a fall month. They all die back with the first freeze, but around here marigolds are pretty reliable for early borders and containers.
I'm alway learning something new from you. Today it is the Wyche and upon further investigation the found the Wych Elm, Ulmus glabra and it has medicinal uses.
Love it as usual!! National GUMBO Day? Great stuff. And as always your research is AMAZING. The early history of tobacco is VERY interesting. Thank you again, for all your good work!!!
Always interesting, and I share. I want to try some of your recipes that you kindly include, too. And, about tobacco, that deadly herb: the constant smoking in the 40s-60s led to what I consider an early death of my parents and others of their generations. As I watch old Perry Mason episodes from the 50s and 60s, everyone is smoking (except Della) and it constantly reminds me of the tragedy smoking has caused. Since I grew up in a smoke-filled home, I could never smoke, thank goodness. I know many other substances have harmed our populations, but this one hits close to me. I appreciate the history lesson about it, along with all of the other info about fun facts, too!
Nancy I have a grade school memory of the father of a friend, who would sit in the family car and smoke while he waited for his wife to grocery shop or for my friend and I to come out of a movie theatre. The smoke would roll out of the car when we opened the car doors! He seemed oblivious to how thick the smoke would get. As nice a car as it was, I hated getting into that car.
Sandy and Nancy, you've prompted a long-forgotten memory: my cousin Jim Ben and I pilfering Uncle Allen's cigarette butts out of the ashtray of his old pre-war Buick, for tobacco to roll our own. Kids pick up adult habits so easily--and back in that time (mid-late 1940s) there was no counter message.
Smoke memories! On a beautiful hike in the Tyrol in Austria we passed two men who reeked of cigarettes so badly it took a few minutes for our sinuses to clear!
So many smokers seemed unaware of stained fingers, teeth, hair plus how their clothes held the smell.
Susan now you have brought back a memory of being fascinated by the hand rolling contraptions that were available then! You bought a tin of tobacco and cigarette papers and rolled your own cigarettes. (Later they were used for rolling joints.) I also remember the 5 cent packages of little slim white candy cigarettes with red ‘burning’ tips. Would be interesting to see if the cigarette manufacturers put the candy cigarettes on the market!!! Get them into the habit while they are young! UGH! Luckily I usually preferred Life Savers.
WOW! All news to me that these candy cigarettes are out there. Thanks for being curious and sending the link. On the 'playing adult' bit, I remember sticking the little candy cigarettes into the end of a blue straw and pretending it was a cigarette holder. Being an adult is so much easier when you just pretend!
Sandy, I remember having to ride in the back seat with my cousin as his mom and mine were in the front smoking. They had the AC on, and the smoke was almost unbearable since we couldn't even open the windows. I remember that my eyes stung. Our moms seemed unaware of our discomfort and the intensity of the smoke. I'm sure many in our generation had similar experiences. What a shame for all of us.
Yes, yes I remember similar car rides! In some small way it deterred my interest in smoking at least for my early years. Even when I did smoke later, I was one of the lucky ones who could give it up easily. Usually because it seemed like burning my hard earned money!
The history of tobacco is so grim--I always hate to dwell on it. But it says a lot about our culture, about our unfortunate addictive tendencies, and about capitalism. We need to know more about it. And yes, it hits close to home, doesn't it? Every family has its tobacco stories.
So many good entries in the All About Thyme! I knew nothing of Nicholas Culpeper's remarkable life. Your article brings him to life. And what a life for his remarkably short 38 years! Reads like a movie script with high danger always lurking. Sad how in many ways all of that skullduggery of the the quasi medical/pharmaceutical industry is still with us today.
I can report one safe use of tobacco is to put a bit of chewed tobacco against a bee sting to rather quickly reduce the sting. My father taught me this when he stubbed out his stogy so I could use the damp end on a bee sting. You can imagine my 12 year old surprise at all of this happening, as we were driving down the road to a horse auction. LOL
The list of Native American recipes, almost matches the mental list I was compiling! I learned to make fry bread when a native friend and I went morel mushroom hunting. Afterwards I made a simple green salad while she used the same batter to fry the mushrooms and make fry bread. Wonderful meal! Also like Three Sister Soup this time of year. As always thanks for all of the links!
Sandy S, love your tale about your dad's cigar and your bee sting! And just last night, I was reading (in Roger Deakin's WILDWOOD) that the Aboriginal people of Australia used their native tobacco in the very same way--they chewed it and made a poultice of it. Interesting splinter of synchronicity here.
Do you know what kind of tree he was using? What I saw was willow--not quite as strong a response but very clear, at least to this child (and her skeptical father). 😙
Yet more interesting stuff, Susan. Luckily for me tobacco made me ill so never got the habit (same with marijuana!) Was reminded, too, of the man who came to dig our well and dowsed for it. And thanks again for the recipes, always interested in trying something new. More thanks, to Felicitas, for the first cataract op, which has made a surprising difference in my eyesight already 😍
So glad to hear about success of the cataract surgery, Lynn! My great-grandmother was blinded by her cataracts, before surgery was available.
I was also lucky with tobacco--I could take it or leave it, as I did, several times in the 1960s and 70s. And I too saw a dowser at work once and was impressed. Here in the Hill Country, the aquifers are usually so deep that dowsers are out of luck.
I had to laugh, our wedding anniversary is on the 12thOctober, National Gumbo day, - 57 years of Gumbo!!!!
Happy Gumbo Anniversary, Liz! I looked and found one Canadian version--sausage, bacon, turkey necks, quail (!!) and crab. Do you have a version?
Good grief, how revolting! No I don't think Brits have a special food, for the 12th October If there is anyone out there who knows if there is such delights please let me know
Thanks Susan for the wonderful article on Culpepper I have a copy of his book ( sadly not original) amongst my work books of herbs and Aromatherapy If you read it some of it is a bit scarry . Working in the complimentary medicine field I can still say there is some, shall we say, disregard for natures way. here I use the word Complimentary correctly both science and nature should work together, There is a push here in Canada by the big drug companies to restrict the availability of natural medicines. They want the Government to bring in a bill to this affect. So those of us who use natural medicine for common ailments are busy sending notes to our MPs and making a noise, so far I have heard nothing more, but I don't think it has gone away.
I remember reading about it back in 2023 but didn't keep track of where it went. I just looked and found this: https://dicentra.com/blog/health-canada/bill-c-47-enacted-in-canada-granting-health-canada-increased-regulatory-enforcement-authority-over-natural-health-products. Haven't studied it in detail but it looks ill-defined--like they weren't sure how far they wanted to push this. Not very helpful to either side. 🙄
My grandmother would make a poultice of her snuff for our bee stings. She would also make my sibs and cousins “snuff” with sugar and cocoa! We would spit away! Sadly both my parents died of COPD as a result of smoking.
No she did not smoke too. But she always had her apron on! She plays the harmonica and my grandfather played the fiddle!
Ah, family entertainment. Yes, before TV.
Did your grandmother also smoke, Cyd? My mother had an old Brownie photo of her grandmother, sitting in a rocker on a porch with her apron on, smoking a pipe made out of a corncob. My grandfather raised enough tobacco for their own use. (This was in Missouri, which produced a surprising amount of tobacco in the years after the Civil War. No wonder their life expectancies were shorter . . .
Thank you for a wonderfully informing and enticing magazine to delve into! I bookmarked your Culpepper article and will read it at leisure. I love the prose in Culpepper's Complete Herbal and the references to astrology, and of course his efforts to democratize medicine! I also followed the link to the spiced pecans and found many recipes I wish to try there.
Culpeper is our most available source for the astrological/botanical understandings of the pre-Enlightenment period. Very valuable as a historical reference--and yes, fun to read, too. There's a reason the book has been continuously in print for well over 3 centuries!
I find it a little curious that marigolds are chosen as the flower of the month for October? I suppose it depends on what part of the country you live in. I would think asters, chrysanthemums, dahlias or even winter pansies, would be a better choice for a fall month. They all die back with the first freeze, but around here marigolds are pretty reliable for early borders and containers.
There's a history behind that choice. You'll read about it in the Scorpio workbook. Here's a preview. https://libguides.ollusa.edu/diadelosmuertos/marigolds
Oh I See! That sheds some light on the choice. Lovely library website that you have there!
I'm alway learning something new from you. Today it is the Wyche and upon further investigation the found the Wych Elm, Ulmus glabra and it has medicinal uses.
I've only seen wych elms in England, Karen, but I understand they've been introduced to the US.
So interesting about the historical interactions with 'tobacco' as an herb! I look forward to trying the pecan recipe.
Hope you like the pecans--easy to make!
Love it as usual!! National GUMBO Day? Great stuff. And as always your research is AMAZING. The early history of tobacco is VERY interesting. Thank you again, for all your good work!!!
You're welcome, Carolyn. There are still more stories to be told about tobacco. Michael Pollan should have included it in his Botany of Desire.
Sandy, thinking about MY dad, not sure he’d have given up his smoke for a sting 🤣🤣
I hear you Lynne!! LOL
Always interesting, and I share. I want to try some of your recipes that you kindly include, too. And, about tobacco, that deadly herb: the constant smoking in the 40s-60s led to what I consider an early death of my parents and others of their generations. As I watch old Perry Mason episodes from the 50s and 60s, everyone is smoking (except Della) and it constantly reminds me of the tragedy smoking has caused. Since I grew up in a smoke-filled home, I could never smoke, thank goodness. I know many other substances have harmed our populations, but this one hits close to me. I appreciate the history lesson about it, along with all of the other info about fun facts, too!
Nancy I have a grade school memory of the father of a friend, who would sit in the family car and smoke while he waited for his wife to grocery shop or for my friend and I to come out of a movie theatre. The smoke would roll out of the car when we opened the car doors! He seemed oblivious to how thick the smoke would get. As nice a car as it was, I hated getting into that car.
Sandy and Nancy, you've prompted a long-forgotten memory: my cousin Jim Ben and I pilfering Uncle Allen's cigarette butts out of the ashtray of his old pre-war Buick, for tobacco to roll our own. Kids pick up adult habits so easily--and back in that time (mid-late 1940s) there was no counter message.
Smoke memories! On a beautiful hike in the Tyrol in Austria we passed two men who reeked of cigarettes so badly it took a few minutes for our sinuses to clear!
So many smokers seemed unaware of stained fingers, teeth, hair plus how their clothes held the smell.
Susan now you have brought back a memory of being fascinated by the hand rolling contraptions that were available then! You bought a tin of tobacco and cigarette papers and rolled your own cigarettes. (Later they were used for rolling joints.) I also remember the 5 cent packages of little slim white candy cigarettes with red ‘burning’ tips. Would be interesting to see if the cigarette manufacturers put the candy cigarettes on the market!!! Get them into the habit while they are young! UGH! Luckily I usually preferred Life Savers.
Ah, those candy cigarettes! I'd forgotten about them. Necessary when we were playing grown-up. Got curious and looked them up--would you BELIEVE? https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-King-Size-Candy-Cigarettes/dp/B01BD0V2PC (scroll down to product description, reviews)
WOW! All news to me that these candy cigarettes are out there. Thanks for being curious and sending the link. On the 'playing adult' bit, I remember sticking the little candy cigarettes into the end of a blue straw and pretending it was a cigarette holder. Being an adult is so much easier when you just pretend!
Sandy, I remember having to ride in the back seat with my cousin as his mom and mine were in the front smoking. They had the AC on, and the smoke was almost unbearable since we couldn't even open the windows. I remember that my eyes stung. Our moms seemed unaware of our discomfort and the intensity of the smoke. I'm sure many in our generation had similar experiences. What a shame for all of us.
Yes, yes I remember similar car rides! In some small way it deterred my interest in smoking at least for my early years. Even when I did smoke later, I was one of the lucky ones who could give it up easily. Usually because it seemed like burning my hard earned money!
The history of tobacco is so grim--I always hate to dwell on it. But it says a lot about our culture, about our unfortunate addictive tendencies, and about capitalism. We need to know more about it. And yes, it hits close to home, doesn't it? Every family has its tobacco stories.
So many good entries in the All About Thyme! I knew nothing of Nicholas Culpeper's remarkable life. Your article brings him to life. And what a life for his remarkably short 38 years! Reads like a movie script with high danger always lurking. Sad how in many ways all of that skullduggery of the the quasi medical/pharmaceutical industry is still with us today.
I can report one safe use of tobacco is to put a bit of chewed tobacco against a bee sting to rather quickly reduce the sting. My father taught me this when he stubbed out his stogy so I could use the damp end on a bee sting. You can imagine my 12 year old surprise at all of this happening, as we were driving down the road to a horse auction. LOL
The list of Native American recipes, almost matches the mental list I was compiling! I learned to make fry bread when a native friend and I went morel mushroom hunting. Afterwards I made a simple green salad while she used the same batter to fry the mushrooms and make fry bread. Wonderful meal! Also like Three Sister Soup this time of year. As always thanks for all of the links!
Love your story about the bee sting, Sandy! Useful info - provided you’re around a smoker at the time 😁
Sandy S, love your tale about your dad's cigar and your bee sting! And just last night, I was reading (in Roger Deakin's WILDWOOD) that the Aboriginal people of Australia used their native tobacco in the very same way--they chewed it and made a poultice of it. Interesting splinter of synchronicity here.
Quite a bit of synchronicity going on at this end, too! Perhaps it is the luck of October showing itself. :-)
He wouldn’t tell us. Hal tried with willow as we have it growing here, and it did work. I’ve read that Hazel is best.
It was the reverse here - we have so much water the dowser was spoiled for choice. He chose the spot where the rod almost twisted out of his hand!
Do you know what kind of tree he was using? What I saw was willow--not quite as strong a response but very clear, at least to this child (and her skeptical father). 😙
Yet more interesting stuff, Susan. Luckily for me tobacco made me ill so never got the habit (same with marijuana!) Was reminded, too, of the man who came to dig our well and dowsed for it. And thanks again for the recipes, always interested in trying something new. More thanks, to Felicitas, for the first cataract op, which has made a surprising difference in my eyesight already 😍
So glad to hear about success of the cataract surgery, Lynn! My great-grandmother was blinded by her cataracts, before surgery was available.
I was also lucky with tobacco--I could take it or leave it, as I did, several times in the 1960s and 70s. And I too saw a dowser at work once and was impressed. Here in the Hill Country, the aquifers are usually so deep that dowsers are out of luck.