Read The Solitary Man’s Refuge for Free Online Page A
Authors: Ron Foster
a merry time of getting
introduced to one another over a bottle of whiskey and had
shared many confidences and gossip about the neighbors
on this road. Don asked him if he wanted to make a few
extra bucks helping to put up his fence, but both could see
scheduling it might be a problem because Michael
attended many different veterans’ functions nationwide.
Don left the invitation loose and took stock of what fruit
and nut trees he had on hand and what was still coming in
the mail.
He had planted several bushes about a week ago, 5
beaked hazelnuts around the perimeter of an old Deer
stand back in his woods. Often found in the forest under
story and along the edges of forests, hazelnut tolerates
fairly heavy shade, especially from tall, old trees. It grows
best and produces more fruit in full sun. Hazelnut prefers
well-drained soil, but can grow on the edges of wet sites.
Beaked hazelnut is commercially grown for the edible nuts
and used in wildlife habitat plantings to provide cover and
nuts, which are eaten by squirrels, deer, grouse and
pheasant. American Indians used the nuts picked in early
autumn and then stored them until fully ripe; the nuts were
then roasted or eaten raw, also the nuts were used in
various recipes. They were pounded into cakes with
berries, meat, or animal fat and also boiled to extract the
oil, which was used as flavoring. The nut's milk was used
to cure coughs and colds, to heal cuts, and as an
astringent. The wood was fashioned into arrows, fishing
traps, hooks, and spoons and the long, flexible shoots
were twisted into rope.
This recipe for Witch Hazel Tonic is from The Herb
Quarterly (Winter 1994).
First, here are a few paragraphs from the
accompanying article on Witch Hazel:
Witch Hazel has a long history of medicinal use,
primarily as an antiseptic and an astringent. The herb was
listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia of 1882, and it
was still listed in the National Formulary as late as 1955.
Native Americans applied the leaves and bark as a
poultice on painful swellings and tumors and to reduce
inflammation. According to James Duke (Handbook of
Medicinal Herbs, 1989), the fresh leaves are highly
astringent, and were used in tea form by the Cherokee "for
colds, fevers, periodic pain, sore throat, and tuberculosis,
and to wash sores and wounds." Other tribes used the
herb to treat bruises, scratches, bad backs, and sprains,
and in a steam bath to relieve rheumatism.
Many of these treatments passed on to the
American colonists. In the 19th century, witch hazel
extracts of various kinds were used internally and
externally to treat myriad conditions, among them burns,
diarrhea, dysentery, inflammation, phlebitis, wounds, and
ulcers. Witch hazel is still used externally to treat
hemorrhoids and varicose veins, and very dilute distilled
witch hazel can be used in eye lotions.
Pure witch hazel extract, available in many
drugstores and supermarkets, is the most frequently used
form of the herb--more than a million gallons are sold each
year. Useful as an antiseptic, astringent, or make-up
remover, and even providing relief from hemorrhoid pain
and bleeding, it is an all-purpose first-aid lotion and
cosmetic aid.
Here's the recipe:
Although the Pilgrims' tonic is not as potent as the
commercial extract, you can follow this easy recipe and
have fun brewing up your own witch hazel remedy:
•
Prune one pound of fresh twigs from shrubs
as soon as they have flowered. This practice produces the
strongest tonic.
•
Strip off the leaves and flowers (save these
for sachets) and chop the twigs into coarse mulch using
either a mechanical mulcher or pruning clippers.
Place the chopped twigs into a two-gallon stainless
steel pot.
Cover the twigs with distilled water (available at the
supermarket) and bring the contents to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer, then cover and cook for at
least eight hours; add water as needed to cover the mulch.
Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
Pour
introduced to one another over a bottle of whiskey and had
shared many confidences and gossip about the neighbors
on this road. Don asked him if he wanted to make a few
extra bucks helping to put up his fence, but both could see
scheduling it might be a problem because Michael
attended many different veterans’ functions nationwide.
Don left the invitation loose and took stock of what fruit
and nut trees he had on hand and what was still coming in
the mail.
He had planted several bushes about a week ago, 5
beaked hazelnuts around the perimeter of an old Deer
stand back in his woods. Often found in the forest under
story and along the edges of forests, hazelnut tolerates
fairly heavy shade, especially from tall, old trees. It grows
best and produces more fruit in full sun. Hazelnut prefers
well-drained soil, but can grow on the edges of wet sites.
Beaked hazelnut is commercially grown for the edible nuts
and used in wildlife habitat plantings to provide cover and
nuts, which are eaten by squirrels, deer, grouse and
pheasant. American Indians used the nuts picked in early
autumn and then stored them until fully ripe; the nuts were
then roasted or eaten raw, also the nuts were used in
various recipes. They were pounded into cakes with
berries, meat, or animal fat and also boiled to extract the
oil, which was used as flavoring. The nut's milk was used
to cure coughs and colds, to heal cuts, and as an
astringent. The wood was fashioned into arrows, fishing
traps, hooks, and spoons and the long, flexible shoots
were twisted into rope.
This recipe for Witch Hazel Tonic is from The Herb
Quarterly (Winter 1994).
First, here are a few paragraphs from the
accompanying article on Witch Hazel:
Witch Hazel has a long history of medicinal use,
primarily as an antiseptic and an astringent. The herb was
listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia of 1882, and it
was still listed in the National Formulary as late as 1955.
Native Americans applied the leaves and bark as a
poultice on painful swellings and tumors and to reduce
inflammation. According to James Duke (Handbook of
Medicinal Herbs, 1989), the fresh leaves are highly
astringent, and were used in tea form by the Cherokee "for
colds, fevers, periodic pain, sore throat, and tuberculosis,
and to wash sores and wounds." Other tribes used the
herb to treat bruises, scratches, bad backs, and sprains,
and in a steam bath to relieve rheumatism.
Many of these treatments passed on to the
American colonists. In the 19th century, witch hazel
extracts of various kinds were used internally and
externally to treat myriad conditions, among them burns,
diarrhea, dysentery, inflammation, phlebitis, wounds, and
ulcers. Witch hazel is still used externally to treat
hemorrhoids and varicose veins, and very dilute distilled
witch hazel can be used in eye lotions.
Pure witch hazel extract, available in many
drugstores and supermarkets, is the most frequently used
form of the herb--more than a million gallons are sold each
year. Useful as an antiseptic, astringent, or make-up
remover, and even providing relief from hemorrhoid pain
and bleeding, it is an all-purpose first-aid lotion and
cosmetic aid.
Here's the recipe:
Although the Pilgrims' tonic is not as potent as the
commercial extract, you can follow this easy recipe and
have fun brewing up your own witch hazel remedy:
•
Prune one pound of fresh twigs from shrubs
as soon as they have flowered. This practice produces the
strongest tonic.
•
Strip off the leaves and flowers (save these
for sachets) and chop the twigs into coarse mulch using
either a mechanical mulcher or pruning clippers.
Place the chopped twigs into a two-gallon stainless
steel pot.
Cover the twigs with distilled water (available at the
supermarket) and bring the contents to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer, then cover and cook for at
least eight hours; add water as needed to cover the mulch.
Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
Pour