Healing Herbs: Pine

I've been wanting to learn more about healing herbs, and it occurred to me that the best way to learn about something is to write about it.  Way back in 11th grade I had to write a report on basketball and to this day I remember something about peach baskets being involved, so I have proof that the system works.  I will be researching the herbs as I write, so my information is by no means the last word on the subject.  Always contact an experienced herbalist if you have any questions about using herbs.


Did you know you can make tea from the pine trees that are probably in your backyard right now?  Neither did I, until my good friend Jeanne Abbot told me about it.  Jeanne owns Abbotswood, a lovely shop on Brown Street in Wickford, RI, where she sells teas, herbs, antiques, art by local artists, and lots of other pretty and interesting things.  She also knows a heck of a lot about herbs.

I knew that pre-Christian Europeans brought evergreens into their homes in the winter as symbols of eternal life, but what I didn't know is that pine is wonderful for winter health problems such as coughs, colds, sinus congestion, and to improve circulation.  It's also loaded with vitamin C, so it helps to build up the immune system.  On an emotional level, pine can help with the "winter blahs" and keep you feeling grounded when you are working on psychological or spiritual healing.  Jeanne Abbot recommends it for times when you need the courage to move onto the next phase of your life.  One caveat, though: pine is better taken as needed and not all the time as the tannins in it can be tough on the kidneys over the long term in high doses.

I thought pine tea would be rather strong and unpleasant, but I tried it anyway because I am your intrepid blogger.  It is actually a very light, tasty, drinkable herbal tea.

Pine Tea


Ingredients
2 teaspoons pine needles per cup of water
honey (optional)

Rinse pine needles under cold running water.  Bring water to a boil in saucepan.  Add the pine needles and simmer for 20 minutes.  Strain out the needles.  Add honey to taste if desired.

Sources:
The Herb Quarterly, Issue 125 Winter 2010
Hageneder, Fred: The Meaning of Trees, Chronicle Books, 2005
Hopman, Ellen Evert, A Druid's Herbal for the Sacred Earth Year, Destiny Books, 1995

Cat-Foiling Beverage Device

The cat likes to drink out of my water glasses. She has plenty of her own water, it's just a little thing she likes to do.  If the glass is full, she sticks her head in and sips delicately. This bothers me a little.  If the glass is too empty or too narrow for her to reach the water by sticking her head in, she dips a paw into the glass and licks the water off it.  This bothers me a lot.

So, for those times when I can't keep an eye on my water glass and repel any little furry invaders (such as when I am sleeping), I have invented the Cat Foiling Beverage Device.

Genius.  I haz it.

Cucumber Shrub

I'm not much of a soda drinker, but I tried Mr. Q. Cumber soda when I had lunch at Keenwah last week.  It was pricey -- two bucks for seven ounces -- but it was also delicious.

My friend took a sip and said "We could make that."  We discussed things like using a juicer and simple syrup.  When I got home it occurred to me that I could try making a cucumber shrub.  I added one peeled, diced cucumber to 2 cups of distilled white vinegar, then proceeded according to the recipe found here. 

It came out great.  Like summer in a glass.  YUM!

P.S. I just found out that cucumber beverages are trendy.  Of course they are.  I'm hip like that.

Not THAT Kind of Shrub

The Foodie recently introduced me to shrubs, which are drinking vinegars.  He says shrubs were developed as a way to take advantage of the health benefits of apple cider vinegar in a more palatable form.  They are created by infusing the vinegar with flavoring such as fruit or vanilla bean, adding some sugar, and then mixing a little of the resulting syrup with club soda or tonic water.

I recently tried a shrub when The Foodie made a batch of rhubarb-raspberry syrup.  The resulting beverage was delicious and surprisingly refreshing.  Now, of course, I'm going to be mixing up shrubs like some kind of ruffled-apron-wearing mad scientist in a lab.  If you want to try them too, you can find recipes here.

P.S. At the Department of Home Economics, I posted a recipe using apple cider vinegar that can help with tummy troubles, along with other information and links about vinegar. 

Chocolate Fountain

During these hot summer days when maiden aunts are subsisting mostly on smoothies and sandwiches, our thoughts naturally turn to food tales of yore.

Picture it: my mother's kitchen, 1985. My youngest sister Rachel (age 8 at the time) asked me to help her make a milkshake. Since I was fully grown and much taller, she stood in front of me while we loaded the blender with ice cream, milk, and Nestle's Quik. As I reached out to pick up the blender's lid off the counter, Rachel pushed a button and started the blender.

Have you ever noticed how, in moments like this, time seems to slow way down? I saw her push the button. I heard myself say "NOOOOOOOOO." I saw the blender's contents fly high into the air, and then splash down upon us. I was still reaching for the lid while flailing toward the off switch.

I surveyed the wreckage. There were chunks of ice cream and splashes of milk everywhere. I was spattered from the chest up and completely clean from there down since Rachel had made a very effective human shield. She was drenched from head to toe, her hair dripping chocolate milk onto the floor. I ran across the kitchen and unspooled a roll of paper towels to mop us off, and then sent her to take a shower and change. I cleaned the kitchen, although I suspect my mother is finding bits of chocolate in odd places to this day.

When I got back from my turn in the shower, believe it or not, the kid still wanted a milkshake.

Just In Time For The New Year

This handy dieting tip comes from the same friend who invented diet steak and baked potatoes. Simply pour your Budweiser into a Bud Light glass, and voila! Diet Beer. Once again, genius.

Keep It Simple

Honestly. Making tea is not a complex process. So why do restaurants (and even some coffee shops) insist on serving a cup of hot (not boiling) water with a teabag on the side?

Sun Tea - With Recipe!

I think I must have read The Shoemaker's Elves a little too often as a kid, because I love the idea of magic happening while I sleep or I'm away from home. I've already posted about how great it is to wake up to Irish oatmeal that cooked itself while I slept. Now I'm enjoying Sun Tea that brews itself while I go to work.

You know how you get a bee in your bonnet and you have to get a book of Mary Oliver's poetry out of the library today, or you want to single-handedly bring back the bundt cake, or you want to move to the other side of the country and change your name? No? Well it happens to me. I hadn't heard or thought about Sun Tea since the 70s, and all of a sudden I had a hankering to make some. Of course, this being Rhode Island, I had to wait a week and a half for a sunny day. It was an ordeal. But after I made my blueberry tea, the waiting paid off. YUM!

To Make Sun Tea You Need:

A large jar or pitcher with a tight-fitting lid
Water (I don't know how much. How much do you want to make?)
Teabags - any kind (1 for every cup of water and an extra "for the pot" just like Mrs. Beeton recommends)

1. Put water and teabags in the jar or pitcher, cover tightly, and place outside in a spot that stays sunny all day.

2. At the end of the day, remove the teabags and sweeten if desired. I found that sugar dissolved easily in the tea while it was still room temperature. If you prefer honey, I recommend microwaving the honey (in a Pyrex measuring cup) until it liquefies and then stirring it into the tea.

3. Chill and enjoy!

Culinary Quote: Rob

Gentlemen, I believe we have a winner.

Morning Cuppa

Tea: it's a lifesaver. Particularly on a cold, dark, snowy February morning.