Shades of Purple

The word “purple” is not a pretty word. Say it out loud. It doesn’t even sound pleasant, right? I looked up the etymology of the word:

Old English (describing the clothing of an emperor), alteration of purpre, from Latin purpura ‘purple’, from Greek porphura, denoting mollusks that yielded a crimson dye, also cloth dyed with this. (From Oxford Languages)

I like these words better:
-lavender
-lilac
-mauve
-periwinkle
-plum
-violet
-amaranthine

As much as I noticed all the sunny garden yellows a couple weeks ago, now THIS color palette caught my eye, and the bees are happy, too!

[Lavender Haiku] #Poetry #Photo #Wordless Wednesday

garden lavender

Photo credit: Enchanted Seashells, Confessions of a Tugboat Captain’s Wife

Late afternoon sun
Perfuming a slight warm breeze
Lavender grows here

 By Princess Rosebud

How To Make Infused Vodkas

Perfect for the Fourth of July…or any day of the week.

infusedvodka1

Our neighbors are hosting a party for the 4th (is it next week already?) and requested my famous array of infused vodkas.

The last time I made them, we all stayed up ’til way past midnight playing ping pong and darts in our garage and running back and forth between our two houses like we were back in college.

It was awesome fun!

It’s so friggin’ easy, but you need to start NOW, because the ingredients need a chance to infuse and marry and develop flavor in the vodka.

Plus, it’s impossible to NOT indulge in a little tasting every so often LOL.

Here’s all you need to be successful:

A HUGE bottle of good vodka. I got Stoli ‘cos it was on sale.
Jalapeños
Garlic
Black peppercorns
Lavender (from our garden)
Basil (bought it, our garden’s a bit late this year)
Ginger
Rosemary (from garden)
I think any herbs would be great to experiment with. All you need is more vodka!
Clean glass jars.

infused vodkaI pour a decent amount of vodka into the jars, and start adding things. My friends love Jalapeño Garlic Pepper Infused Vodka  while I LOVE spicy hot jalapeños…my Jalapeno Infused Vodka. 

On their own, the Jalapeno/Jalapeno Garlic infusions are delicious for sipping; however the addition of low-sodium tomato juice makes a PHENOMENAL Bloody Mary. Just add celery.

Our next favorite is Ginger-Basil Infusion. Mouth waveringly delish.

Lavender Infused Vodka is flowery and herby at the same time, and AMAZING with dessert.

I’ve never tried Rosemary Infused Vodka, but it can’t be bad, ya know?

Now YOU try it!

Be creative — try lemon balm or lemongrass with basil or other herbs. I’ve used fruit too; apples and peaches and cherries are awesome.

If you’re anywhere near Casa de Enchanted Seashells on the 4th, stop by for a tasting!

MORE Old Time Remedies from 1892

Old Medical BookA beat up edition of The Cottage Physician — published in 1892 — has been around my house forever; I’m not sure where it came from but I’ve always been fascinated reading about diseases and cures.

Every so often, I’ll blow the dust off and share some of the remedies here on Enchanted Seashells, Confessions of a Tugboat Captain’s Wife. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Except for the Ginger, Arnica, and Yarrow, I can’t recommend actually using these ingredients. I drink ginger tea, cook with fresh ginger — LOVE anything ginger. My Botox doc suggests using arnica for bruising — it has a really high rate of efficacy.  I grow yarrow in my garden but I’ve never actually made a tea with it, but I know people who have.

_________________________________________________________________________

Trask’s Magnetic Ointment
Lard, raisins, fine cut tobacco, each equal parts. rolling-cigarette-and-tobacco
Mix thoroughly.

_________________________________________________________________________

oregano

Oregano

For Pain Relief

Choice Family Liniment
Origanum oil, 2 ounces; aqua ammonia, 1 ounce, opium, ½ ounce, tincture iodine ,1/4 ounce, spike oil (lavender), 1 ounce, alcohol, 1 pint. This has been in constant family use for over fifty years, and is a most excellent remedy for all general purposes, both for man and beast.

Opium poppy

Opium poppy

_________________________________________________________________________

Podophyllin

Podophyllin

Carter’s Little Liver Pills
Podophyllin 1 ¼ grains (used to be used to treat genital warts, too), aloes (socotrine) 3 ½ grains, mucilage acacia, sufficient quantity. Mix. Divide into 12 pills, and coat with sugar.

 

_________________________________________________________________________

Ginger

Ginger

Ginger, Syrup of
Compound ginger, sliced and bruised, one ounce; angelica root, sliced and bruised, ½ ounce; peppermint, ½ ounce; boiling water, one pint—infuse in a warm place an hour

Angelica

Angelica

Strain it, press off, add sugar, two pounds; simmer and strain. Dose: a tablespoonful when required. It is useful for a pain in the stomach, wind, colic, and the like. (Sounds great, but way too much sugar!)

_________________________________________________________________________

Arnica

Arnica

Arnica (Arnica Montana) Leopard’s Bane
A European plant. The flowers alone are used int this country Useful in cuts, bruises and internal injuries. An infusion or decoction of half ounce of the flower to a pint of water is the best preparation for external use. For internal injuries the tincture may be given in five or ten drop doses every two hours.
_________________________________________________________________________

Yarrow

Yarrow

Yarrow (Archillea Millefolia)
Stimulant, tonic, promotes the appetite and improves the digestion. Highly recommended for piles, delayed menstruation, leucorrhea, and flatulent colic. Administered in infusion.

________________________________________________________________________

pumpkinseeds2xPumpkin Seeds (Curcurbita Pepo)
A remedy of reputation for expelling tapeworm, and if properly used they rarely fail. The patient should subsist entirely upon the seeds and milk for twenty-four hours. Eat freely and drink a limited quantity of milk to allay thirst, at the expiration of twenty-four hours, take a good dose of castor oil.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I’m merely sharing anecdotal content from a book I found interesting to read. This post contains general information about medical conditions and treatments. The information is not advice, and should not be treated as such. You must not rely on anything that you read here as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.  If you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.
Credit: This was created using a Contractology template available at http://www.freenetlaw.com.