Pat, I love this--and love the idea of you, pulling narrative threads while you boil your toes. Wondering: Do you know Ken Burns' Civil War saga? He uses Strong as a narrator throughout, with George Plimpton reading diary passages. Also, to add to your recipes: in the absence of coffee, many in the South resorted to yaupon holly--the only caffeinated plant native to North America. I've brewed it. Acquired taste, but if you need the caffeine . . . ☺️
I watched Burns when it was first shown and for this I referred to the book by Geffrey Ward and the Burns that I gave my dad afterwards. I didn't know about yaupon holly. Is it bitter? I once did some digging into what people came up with for substitutions when supplies ran out or became unaffordable. I thought it'd make a good book. I should look for that aroiund here.
Thank you for this. I'm inspired by the topiaries and the history. Now you have set me off on another tangent. It's research like this that makes the day!
It's a wonder that anyone survived a serious wound during the Civil War. Some of those recipes are pretty wild, but sound nutritious. My mother's grandfather fought for the north during the CW. You've inspired me to dig out his military records.
You certainly had to have a strong constitution going into it! I could have put in more medical procedures from the book but I didn't want to scare people off!
Pat, I love this--and love the idea of you, pulling narrative threads while you boil your toes. Wondering: Do you know Ken Burns' Civil War saga? He uses Strong as a narrator throughout, with George Plimpton reading diary passages. Also, to add to your recipes: in the absence of coffee, many in the South resorted to yaupon holly--the only caffeinated plant native to North America. I've brewed it. Acquired taste, but if you need the caffeine . . . ☺️
I watched Burns when it was first shown and for this I referred to the book by Geffrey Ward and the Burns that I gave my dad afterwards. I didn't know about yaupon holly. Is it bitter? I once did some digging into what people came up with for substitutions when supplies ran out or became unaffordable. I thought it'd make a good book. I should look for that aroiund here.
It can be bitter--depends somewhat on the plant and also how it's dried. But if you want caffeine, it's a choice. This is a good history: https://jccwmg.org/wordpress/yaupon-a-native-american-tea/ and this is good on the genetics: https://athensscienceobserver.com/2022/10/28/the-dark-past-of-yaupon-tea-and-what-genetics-can-do-to-brighten-its-future/ There's also a 1930s chapter: the Ag Dept supported a couple of yaupon plantations, but they just couldn't market it. (That name: Ilex vomitoria.🙄
Thank you for this. I'm inspired by the topiaries and the history. Now you have set me off on another tangent. It's research like this that makes the day!
Another tantalizing hole in the rabbit warren. 🤔 Here's a piece I wrote about it (and forgot that I'd written it!): https://susanwittigalbert.substack.com/p/herbal-notebook-myth-magic-and-green-7da
It's a wonder that anyone survived a serious wound during the Civil War. Some of those recipes are pretty wild, but sound nutritious. My mother's grandfather fought for the north during the CW. You've inspired me to dig out his military records.
You certainly had to have a strong constitution going into it! I could have put in more medical procedures from the book but I didn't want to scare people off!