Herbal Remedies in Your Kitchen and Backyard.

  By Julia Barrett | September 7, 2014 - 7:21 pm | , , , , , , , , ,
14 Comments

I’ve been watching Outlander religiously and so I have herbal remedies on my brain. I keep wondering- If I were sent back in time, and I had to practice primitive medicine as a healer (I am a registered nurse) — Would I succeed?

Claire in the herb garden at Leoch.

Claire in the herb garden at Leoch.

I’m not a physician, but with my experience I can stitch up cuts, clean and bandage wounds, even set fractures. I can probably diagnose the usual things like asthma, pneumonia, hepatitis, an enlarged prostate, a bladder infection, an ear infection, strep throat, tonsilitis, influenza, even appendicitis. But would I dare remove an inflamed appendix in an attempt to save a life only to lose said life to the resulting peritonitis?

I can help to deliver a baby. I know a little about a breach delivery as well, and I could probably do a C-Section in an emergency, but keeping the mother alive would be next to impossible.

What do I bring to the table? The knowledge of germs, isolation, disinfection, and sterilization. I’d be busy boiling water.

Most important of all? The washing of hands.

I have some limited knowledge of herbs and tonics and their uses. Of course herbs are not like antibiotics. The dosage is not standardized. Many are also toxins - nightshade and foxglove. Did you know foxglove is digitalis, used to treat heart failure? Deadly nightshade is atropine, which can increase a slow heart rate. But the dosages would elude me. I could just as easily kill a man as cure him.

But I would take the following (limited) knowledge with me into the past:

Honey and garlic are germicidal. Both can be used to treat an infected wound and both are helpful for a cough and congestion. Honey can help sooth a sore throat in addition to its germ-killing properties.

Garlic can also be used as a de-worming agent. (Good to know, right?)

Leeks and onions are decongestants.

Raw vinegar is an excellent disinfectant. It can also help with digestive issues, yeast infections, various skin conditions.

Beer increases lactation. Seriously.

Alcohol, is, well, alcohol - I guess I’d use alcohol as an anticoagulant (blood-thinner), an anesthetic, to distill herbs and plants, and to sterilize equipment and wounds.

Yarrow can help stop bleeding and it can reduce a fever.

Yarrow.

Yarrow.

Willow bark can reduce a fever and help with joint inflammation.

The bark of an oak tree makes a good astringent and can help relieve kidney stones if taken as a tonic.

Witch hazel is an astringent - can help heal abrasions and mouth ulcers.

Witch Hazel.

Witch Hazel.

Lavender helps to heal burns and abrasions and soothes insect bites and stings.

Lavender.

Lavender.

Mint and bee balm help with digestive disorders, as does wild ginger.

Bee Balm.

Bee Balm.

Bilberry is good for the eyes.

Billberry.

Billberry.

Salt water makes a good rinse for wounds and mouth sores.

Sugar can be packed into a would to accelerate healing - sugar is germicidal. (I have personally packed decubitus ulcers with sugar with excellent results.)

Elderberry and cherry help with cough and congestion.

Elderberry.

Elderberry.

Black pepper is terrific for chest congestion. (But I’d have to remember it’s also a deadly poison.)

Black peppercorns.

Black peppercorns.

Tea is an astringent. It’s very helpful for minor burns.

Mustard can definitely help a cough but it can also cause a chemical burn if left too long on the skin.

Mustard flower.

Echinacea, or cone flower, helps to improve the immune system.

Echinacea.

Echinacea.

Valerian root acts as a sedative. Not strong enough to remove a bullet from a man’s chest, but…

Valerian.

Valerian.

I know about more herbs, but probably not many of them would be found in Scotland.

So tell me, what herbs are you familiar with?

 

 

Julia’s Bolognese Sauce.

  By Julia Barrett | September 4, 2014 - 8:00 pm | , , , , , ,
12 Comments
Yummy Bolognese!

Yummy Bolognese!

I cannot, for the life of me, recall if I’ve posted this recipe. It’s my very very very favorite recipe for Bolognese Sauce- which basically is nothing more than a meaty Italian pasta sauce. In Bolognese, the meat is the star of the show.

My recipe is an amalgam of my grandmother’s Bolognese, my mother’s Bolognese, both of my daughters’ Bolognese, and my own original vegetarian version of Bolognese, so as you can see, the recipe has transformed over the years. This is the current version. I’m sticking with it.

Julia’s Bolognese Sauce

2 large carrots

3 large stalks celery, with leaves if they are fresh

1 small onion

4 cloves garlic

1 small shallot

Chop the above vegetables coarsely and put in food processor. Process until finely chopped. Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, saute either:

3 thick slices bacon, chopped, or 1/4 lb. Prosciutto or Pancetta, or 1/4 lb. Guanciale

When the meat is cooked through and the fat is rendered out, remove from pot and set aside. Add 2 generous Tbs. olive oil and saute the chopped vegetables.

Cook the vegetables over medium heat, allowing them to soften and caramelize- about 15-20 minutes. (Low and slow is the way to make a rich and tasty Bolognese.) Add 1 lb. ground chuck and 1 lb. ground round. Continue to cook, breaking up the meat until it is very fine. Cook 15-20 minutes, allowing the meat to brown nicely. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I usually add 1-2 tsp. Kosher salt at this point.)

Return bacon to the pot along with 1/2 tsp. dried thyme and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. Stir through. Add 1 large can or 1 cup tomato paste along with 1/2 cup water. Stir though and cook 3-4 minutes. Add 1 cup white wine and 1 cup whole milk or half and half. Stir. Add another 1/2 - 1 tsp. Kosher salt and 2 bay leaves. Add just enough water to cover and reduce heat to a very low simmer. Cover pot and simmer for 2-4 hours, adding water only if necessary. The sauce should be thick, not watery.

Before serving remove bay leaves. Taste to check seasonings. Just before serving I stir in 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve with any pasta you like, a crusty bread, a salad and additional Parmesan.

This recipe serves eight.Maybe ten. Sometimes I use fresh thyme - just tie a bunch with twine and toss it into the pot. I remove the bundle before serving. While you may be tempted to use leaner cuts of meat, the recipe will not taste right. A good Bolognese needs fat. If you decide to make the sauce, let me hear! Julia

 

 

I’m jumpin’ on the Lawrence Block bandwagon!

  By Julia Barrett | September 3, 2014 - 8:00 pm | , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Comments

He has the right idea. I just don’t know if I can implement it.

He goes into seclusion to write a new book. Wow. He’s so prolific!

I could write a whole lotta stuff if I could only put the rest of my life on hold.

Well.

Unfortunately isolation, even for a few weeks, is out of the question. At least for the time being.

But yeah, I can see it. I’m going down my mental list of all those books in the queue.

Solitude.

Solitude.

 

We are blessed.

  By Julia Barrett | September 2, 2014 - 8:00 pm | , , , , , , ,
12 Comments

Napa, the town, suffered terrible damage. Napa, the people, did not. We are so blessed.

When my family and I ran out of our house, shoes on our feet, flashlights in hand, I can only describe what I felt as indescribable joy. It was by the grace of God or by the grace of something that almost everyone in Napa escaped serious injury or death. One boy suffered multiple fractures and he remains hospitalized. He’s expected to make a full recovery.

Our saving grace? The earthquake occurred at 3:20 a.m. Had it occurred any earlier or later many people might have been killed and injured. Just hours before there had been a music festival downtown, along the very street that suffered the most damage.

It will take the town of Napa years to recover. Our downtown looks as if it’s been struck by artillery- the historic buildings were hit especially hard, even the brand new luxury hotel is closed for the time being.

This is not a broken sidewalk. This is an opportunity.

This is not a broken sidewalk. This is an opportunity.

My husband and I took Jake out for a walk through one of the hardest hit neighborhoods- adjacent to the elementary school my children attended. The damage is astounding but the residents are happy. Because we survived.

Napa will rebuild. The town will be more vibrant than ever.

In the meantime I could use a good night’s sleep. Jake feels every single aftershock and he’s decided to take on the official role of earthquake monitor. He wakes me up and urges an immediate evacuation. I let him outside so he can check the perimeter and then we return to bed until the next aftershock. We’re having 3-4 every night. This is one active fault. The geologists who claimed years ago it was quiescent have some ‘splainin’ to do.

Love, Julia

 

What is a Space Opera?

  By Julia Barrett | September 1, 2014 - 8:00 pm | , , , , , , , ,
2 Comments

From Wikipedia:

Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that often emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, usually involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, weapons, and other technology. The term has no relation to music but is instead a play on the term “soap opera”.

Firefly, a television series created by Joss Whedon, is a terrific Space Opera. (Jayne Cobb is my favorite character.)

Jayne Cobb

Jayne Cobb

My series, Daughters of Persephone, is my homage to the subgenre. Book Two, Return, is free all week on Amazon. Here’s your link- Daughters of Persephone, Book Two, Return.

The Lady Ennat, has been sent by her mother to Resistance Commander, Karna Aram for protection. She is a Blood decoy. Her role is to protect her sister Aja, the Thousand Year Empress. She must draw the bulk of the Coalition forces away from the Resistance fighters. From the beginning she’s known she may not live to see tomorrow, yet despite her misgivings she finds herself drawn to Commander Aram.

Karna Aram wanted the woman from the moment she set foot on his supply depot, but nobody touches a Princess of the Blood. He resists his bone deep desire until Ennat challenges him to pick up a sword and spar with her. All bets are off. Karna has a different kind of sword play in mind.

When the Ennat and her sister, Aja, are reunited, they know the Coalition is coming after them. They must risk all to save their devoted fighters and the men they love.