Cajun Corner – Vol.
4, No. 20 – May 27, 2012
Bon
Jour! Welcome to Cajun
Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.
ΘΘΘΘΘ
Visit
our on-line catalogs at:
Sorry this issue is so late but I have been real
busy lately – and loving it.
Last Monday we took our yellow and white cat,
Tigger, for his check up at the veterinarians and were told that he has
cancer. The tumor is in the back of his
throat and growing into his eye and down his neck. Tigger now coos like a dove instead of
purring. So, the tumor is somehow
affecting his purr box. Since Tigger is
still eating, drinking, eliminating, and getting around, although he has an
excessive amount of saliva that tends to just hang out of his mouth. We are frequently wiping the saliva from his
mouth and now he has a bit of a rash where we’ve wiped. The vet said to treat him like we are his
hospice and just make the rest of his life as comfortable as possible. When he deteriorates to a point that we feel
he is in pain, then we need to take him back to be put to sleep. This is very hard on us. We lost one of our dogs earlier this year to
old age. Tigger is not that old for a
cat. He is only about 8 or 9 years old. At least he is no longer on the Prednisone.
Since I cannot deal with losing another animal
right now, I will just let The Great Physician heal him and I have prayed. I am a believer in doing all you can do, then
stand. An internet search revealed that
thyme is used in human cancer treatment.
Tigger now drinks water fused with thyme. The thyme information was very
interesting. One article said that thyme
is the single best antiseptic known to man.
There is a warning that the essential oil of thyme can be poisonous to
humans at 1 teaspoon. I haven’t learned
to make essential oils, yet. The fusion
or tea made with thyme leaves and stems has no known down side or
contraindications. It is even said to be
good for hangovers.
In the Cajun culture a traiture (pronounced tray
tour) is kind of like a shaman, only without the religious aspects. The traiture knew the recipes and uses for
all of the plants in the swamp. They
were also mid-wives. Mama told me once
that her grandmother (Landry) was a traiture.
That must account for my love of growing and using herbs.
A lady who knows me via our WBL Facebook group
contacted me this week to monogram some children’s robes. These robes are adorable. We used a teal colored thread and the Curlz
font. She is supposed to bring more
robes in on Tuesday. She owns Confetti
Coutures. Confetti Coutures is a full
service event hosting and party planning facility in Pensacola.
Visit her website at www.confetticoutureevents.com. What a great idea for a business.
We have been working on our Etsy Store this week. Drop by for a visit. There are some new items. They are new handkerchiefs.
The new apple mint plant has already rooted an
additional plant. I am trying to
propagate clippings in pots, but goodness, if it’s going to do the work for me,
that is great.
The chocolate mint is a beautiful plant. We have it as a hanging plant and it is lush,
green or gorgeous. I want to propagate
clipping from this plant, too.
Now I have to figure out how to use these two new
mint plants in cooking.
This weekend is busy in the embroidery room. There is a baby shower next weekend and I’m
making a blanket. Sure hope it turns out
nice. I’ve been planning this blanket
since I heard about the expectations of this bundle of joy. It was going to be personalized and
beautiful. Right now we do not know how
the parents want the baby’s name spelled.
Out went the personalization. The
baby is a girl but the Mama says no pink.
So, I started planning all over again.
I think they will like this baby blanket. This is the weekend before the shower and
there is a lot of work to do on this blanket.
There will be another baby blanket after this
one. The next one is for my Great
Granddaughter, Makayla Re’Nae.
There should be some very interesting embroidery
coming up later this year. I’ve decided
to learn how to use the boring needle on the new Amaya machine. This should be interesting.
If you are not a subscriber and
would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me
know to put you on our email list.
Thyme has been used for various purposes throughout the
centuries. In medieval times, thyme was regarded as a plant that imparted
courage and vigor. The ancient Romans considered it a remedy for melancholy.
Thyme, along with roses, was often added to homes in the ancient past to
provide a sweet-smelling aroma. The ancient Greeks used thyme for incense while
the Romans were known to add thyme to cheese and alcoholic beverages.
Exotic Names
There are about 350 species of
thyme including the many cultivars. Since they readily hybridize in
cultivation, their classification is quite complex. Many species are good
garden plants, having a neat habit, fragrant foliage and small pink or lilac
flowers. Although the flowers are small they are very numerous, and they
produce copious nectar, making thyme flowers a favorite of the honey bee. Some
of the finest-flavored honey comes from thyme nectar.
The thyme plants are perennials, belonging to the mint family, and exist in
various shapes and colors. The plants can be erect and bushy, reaching 18
inches in height or creeping and spreading, growing to about 3 inches high. The
flowers vary with many colors from white to mauve, lilac, magenta, blue-violet,
and pale pink while leaf colors vary from light green to olive grey-green,
golden green, dark green, silver, or bronze-tinted.
All these differences give rise to a variety of exotic names for the various
cultivars such as Golden King, Silver Queen, Archer's Gold, Rainbow Falls,
Pink Ripple, Goldstream, Lemon Curd, Silver Posie, and Highland Cream. The
leaves have unique aromas providing a variety of odors such as pine scent, a
camphor-like scent, caraway scent, lemon, orange, tangerine, celery, or a
eucalyptus-like scent. The unique aromas and flavors of the various thyme
plants are the result of subtle differences in the terpenoid composition of the
essential oil they contain.
Thyme is one of the most fragrant and pleasant greenery's to have growing in
your garden. Their small size makes them ideally suited to crevices in paving,
rock gardens, and containers. They thrive in stony or rocky situations and
loves plenty of sunshine. They can be used in the garden to deter beetles and
other cabbage pests. For healthier growth it is important to trim them after
flowering and also remove the dead flowers. Sprigs can be picked during the
growing season and used fresh or dried.
Culinary Use
The most commonly used thymes for
culinary purposes are the common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and lemon thyme
(T. x citriodorus), while the most commonly used medicinal thymes are
common thyme, Spanish thyme (T. zygis), and creeping thyme (T.
serpyllum). They are all native to southern Europe and Western
Asia, but they are now cultivated commercially in many parts of
the world. Much of the commercial thyme comes from Spain, which has 37 varieties of
thyme.
The fresh or dried leaves of thyme as well as the flowering tops are widely
used to flavor soups, stews, baked or sauteed vegetables, casseroles, and
custards. Thyme provides a warm tangy flavor, somewhat like camphor, and can
retain its flavor in slowly cooked dishes. Thyme is also used in marinades
(especially for olives), and in stuffings. The leaves can also be used in
potpourris and moth-repellent sachets.
The essential oil of thyme can be used not only to flavor foods, but is also
added to soaps, toothpastes, cosmetics, perfumes, and antiseptic ointments. The
oil is used in aromatherapy to relieve pain and elevate mood. In addition, it
may have a calming effect in stress-related conditions. Thyme baths have been
used to help relieve aches and joint pains.
Therapeutic Use
Thyme contains an essential oil
that is rich in thymol, a powerful antiseptic, antibacterial, and a strong
antioxidant. The oil of thyme is used in mouthwashes to treat inflammations of
the mouth, and throat infections. It is a common component of cough drops.
Because of its essential oil, thyme possesses expectorant and bronchial
antispasmodic properties, making it useful in the treatment of acute and
chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, and inflammation of the upper respiratory
tract. Thyme enhances the action of the cilia in the bronchi and directly acts
on the bronchial mucosa. The terpenoids are responsible for the expectorant
activity of thyme while a variety of flavonoids are responsible for the
spasmolytic effect of thyme on the bronchioles.
All the members of the mint family, including thyme, possess terpenoids which
are recognized for their cancer preventive properties. Rosmarinic and ursolic
acids are major terpenoids in thyme that possess anti-cancer properties.
A tea can be made by adding one teaspoon of crushed thyme in half cup of
boiling water, letting it steep for 10 mins and then straining. The tea can be
drunk 3 to 4 times a day for the treatment of coughs. The tea may be sweetened
with honey, which also acts as a demulcent, thereby increasing the tea's
effectiveness.
Safety
Thyme is entirely
safe to use and has no side effects. However, the essential oil of thyme may be
irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, and may cause an allergic
reaction. Some varieties produce a stronger reaction than others. Medicinal
doses of thyme and especially thyme oil are not recommended during pregnancy as
thyme can act as a uterine stimulant.
Author: Winston Craig, MPH, PhD, RD.
Page printed from:
http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/herbs/thyme.php =================================================================
Thank
you to Sandy Goodman for submitting the following joke:
An elderly couple, who were both widowed, had
been going out with each other for a long time. Urged on by their friends, they
decided it was finally time to talk about getting married. They went out to
dinner and had a long conversation regarding how their marriage might work.
They discussed finances, living arrangements and so on. Finally, the old
gentleman decided it was time to broach the subject of their physical
relationship.
'How do you feel about sex?' he asked, rather
tentatively.
'I would like it infrequently.' she replied.
The old gentleman sat quietly for a moment,
adjusted his glasses, leaned over towards her and whispered, 'Is that one word
or two?'
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C’est tout, mes amis
Peggy Henshall
Cajun Stitchery
(850) 261-2462
P.S. You are always
welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me,
cher.
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