A Sense of History

Throughout history people from every culture have been using herbs to season and flavor food.

In the 17th century, John Parkinson, the famous English herbalist at the Court of King James I-wrote these words, “dried summer savory leaves ground up with bread crumbs used to breade meate, be it fish or flesh, give it a quicker relish.” Meaning that it gives it a better taste.

Herbs do taste good and smell good, they are healthy and they give us so many options to experiment with. Hard and fast rules when using herbs are very few. You can make your own rules. Fresh versus dried is simply a matter of personal preference.

There are a few things to remember when cooking with herbs in order to get the best benefit of the natural oils. Fresh herbs like basil, should be torn with your fingers instead of chopped with a knife. Tearing releases more of the natural oil. Any fresh or dried herb should be added no more than 5 or 10 minutes to the end of cooking time. The longer they cook, the more taste you lose.

Another little tip: When using dried—–half the amount of fresh will do in most recipes.

Too little is better than too much! Herbs can be overpowering if not used in the proper amounts.
The blending of herbs can serve a two fold purpose, adding wonderful flavor to your dish, and allowing you to cut back or completely stop the use of salt and or fat.
Actually there is a third benefit, once you remove the salt and fat from your food, you discover the real taste . This is always a big surprise to most people.

I’m an herb farmer/user/teacher and strongly believe in the powers of herbs to support, heal, cleanse and maintain the health of our bodies, minds and spirit.

But they are like everything we do that has a real purpose, we must learn about the process
and commit to a practice of when and how to best use them.

**Yes, the spellings are correct for the times.

Daniel Webster was considered one of the greatest orators in American history. He was a famous attorney, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate. He served as Secretary of State for three Presidents.

Webster was also a fervent Christian.

He made this statement regarding the importance of the Christian faith in preserving and prospering America.

~If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation.

If truth be not diffused, error will be; If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will;If the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will will reign without mitigation or end.

I had this conversation at my dining room table with friends in 1999, discussing the threat of removing certain religious books from public places. I read and quoted the message above…how utterly frightening it is to look back and see so clearly how accurate the message is…look around…what do you see ?

Dr. Suzanne Humphries, author of Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History, is a nephrologist who has committed the latter part of her medical career to exposing the “lost history” of vaccinations.

Barbara Loe Fisher of NVIC commented that this is one of the rare books that conducted in-depth research documenting the medical history related to mass vaccination programs and infectious diseases.

If you only read one book for the rest of your life…Make it this book!

I have conducted intensive research into the earliest documented information on Vaccines….The Power of Propaganda has been a tool of political power since the beginning of time…never more powerful in the results desired than today.

Others have written and documented this info so much better than I could, one of those places /people is Dr. Joseph Mercola ….

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/01/18/history-vaccination.aspx#!

There is a dark and horrific history to vaccines, we think it is bad today, it does not compare to some history that has been well downplayed/hidden…until the age of “now.”  We are a short step away from revisiting that ugly and deadly part of history…Wake up, read the book, do your own research…take charge of your life…Or…someone else will!

Sage Hill~
Thursday’s Thought…Think about this…Every time the political power in charge feels they are losing control, we see an sudden outbreak of some deadly virus…what comes after the initial scare?…the magic bullet…a Vaccine…

Today, we have a power struggle where it appears the one side is losing control…and…today we have a headline of a mysterious illness breaking out in children that may cause paralyzes…very similar to Polio !!

Now, stop and think back over the last few months, how many major issues, frightening threats and outbreaks have we seen?  Think again…as soon as some other issue is settled, some under the table deal is completed…it all goes away never to visited again…well, until the need arises.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a symbol of fidelity and remembrance once used in the holiest of Christian ceremonies, the wedding and the funeral. For centuries people thought that the rosemary plant would never grow higher than 6 feet in 33 years so as not to stand taller than Christ. Another story tells that the flowers were originally white, but changed to blue when the Virgin Mary hung her cloak on the bush while fleeing from Herod’s soldiers with the Christ child.
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Rosemary also known as Rosmarinus Officinalis is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family, which includes many other herbs.

The name Rosemary derives from the Latin word “dew” (Ros) and “sea” (marinus) or “dew of the sea”. The plant is also known as Anthos the Ancient Greek word meaning flower or wild flower.

Anthos is mentioned 4 times in the Bible. James 1:10-11 and 1 Peter 1:24
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. James 1:10-11

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of men as the flower of grass. the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 1 Peter 1:24
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Rosemary is a staple in my kitchen.

There are so many ways to use this herb, from making delicious sauces to grilling on an open pit, it works magic on vegetables, meats, breads and even in drinks and desserts.

Makes a tea that will keep your system flushed and regular.

And, if you just want to enjoy the aroma, cut a few sprigs and either place in a vase of water or simply lay on the counter.

Each time you touch it the aroma will be fresh and heady.

Rosemary has many medicinal benefits, used heavily in all areas of Alternative medicine.

Much research has been completed and still ongoing that documents the major beneficial results with memory and Alzheimer’s….
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I enjoy it in the kitchen especially during the holidays.
Tie a pretty red ribbon on a bunch and use it like cedar.
Toss a few sprigs into a small pot of simmering water with lemon and orange peel to fill your home with a lovely aroma and expand your mind!
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Rose (Rosa spp.) The name for a rose is almost the same in every European language. Dried roses have been found in Egyptian tombs.

(Isaiah 35:1) The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the rose.
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The rose garden at Sage Hill Farms has 10 different varieties.

But a rose is a rose is a rose.

Unless of course-it’s a Yellow Rose from Texas…..
One is always as beautiful as the next-in the eye of the beholder…
Rose essential oil is delicious in culinary fare.

And Rose-Hip tea is smashing~

Rose Essential oil is highly sought after, used, and the most expensive of all the oils in medicinal use.

Old World roses produce the finest hips for the oil.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and Dill (Anethum graveolens) were carried to prayer meetings in Colonial times in small pouches. The seeds were used to curb the appetite. They were called “meeting seeds.”
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Fennel has an anise flavor and is good in oily fish dishes.Adds a good garnish to soups. The best being carrot, squash and potato.

I like it on baked Sweet potatos.

Fennel is a diuretic, reducing fluid retention.

It increases breast milk in nursing mothers and can ease colic in babies.
A strong infusion of the seed is a good antiseptic gargle for sore throats.
The tallest plant in the right hand corner of this photo is fennel.

Butterflies love it !

Costmary (Chrysanthemem balsamita) is also known as Bible leaf because in Colonial times a leaf served as a bookmark in Bibles and prayer books. When drowsiness set in, the sleeper treated himself to the minty leaf to stay awake~
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The word “cost” derives from costum, the Latin for a spicy oriental herb, so alecost means a spicy herb for ale, and costmary is Mary’s ( or women’s) spicy herb, as it was used to ease childbirth.

Finely chopped leaves is delicious in carrot soup, salads. game meat, poultry stuffing and fruit cakes.

Try it with melted butter on sweet green peas or new potatoes.

Medicinal: If you lay a leaf on a bee sting it will instantly stop hurting.

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium….) is frequently mentioned in Scripture, always for its bitterness. According to legend, wormwood grew up in the trail left by the serpent’s tail as it slithered out of the Garden of Eden.
(Jeremiah 23:15) Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: “Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and give them poisoned water to drink; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land.”
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This herb I can get excited about, simply for the history.

It’s from the Aster family…grows all over the world, from the United States to Siberia. It flowers from June to September. It has a strong aromatic odor and is bitter to the taste.

Alcohol or water takes up its active principles.

This yields what is known to druggist as “Absinthine”.
It is anthelmintic, tonic, and narcotic.

While it can be and is used medicinally it will irritate the stomach and dangerously increase the action of the heart and arteries. For this reason it should be diluted; 1 teaspoon to a pint of water.

Now…the real interesting part of its history that I am familiar with.
I know and love the city of New Orleans.

There is a very old house there called “The Absinth House.” Dates back to the early days of the settling of the French Quarter…1500/1600 hundreds.

This was a place that served only shots of Absinth. (Today it is a restaurant, and a very good one.)

Lots of history about people during that era having visions, and being mad…as in out of their mind.

Later as civilized thinking became the standard, the drink was outlawed and is against the law to possess it today….(well, there is the vaccine issue?)

We’ve come a long way my friends…or have we…