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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2016)
in other words An Unusual Culinary Column: Are You Still Living With That Pesky Cough? By Karen Kain Over the last six weeks I have been in four states, Nevada, California, Arizona and back to Oregon. Every- where I went I met people that had ‘that’ cough. Before I left Oregon, I knew cold and flu season was in its prime, if you didn’t have it yet you certainly knew someone with it. Now, that it is almost spring that pesky cough is still going round. So this week I will try to help you avoid the bronchial virus or at least bring you some comfort as you live with it. The best thing to keep healthy is to eat well and of course, hand washing. Juicing is also very helpful. For the last four years I have been drinking 2 table- spoons of apple cider vinegar (ACV) with 1 tablespoon of organic honey in hot water every morning. I am extremely sensitive to caffeine and this has become my morning ritual, replacing coffee. ACV is a well-known anti-viral natural master tonic for flu. ACV has been as- sociated with many health benefits, here are just a few: helps an upset stomach, cures hiccups, sooths a sore throat, helps to lower cholesterol, clears a stuffy nose, aids in weight loss, clears acne, gets rid of dandruff, boosts energy, helps with nighttime leg cramps, helps with bad breath, whitens teeth, fades bruises, and helps to control blood sugar. There is no doubt that getting more ACV in your diet is good for you. You can drink it in a tea, add it to your salads, use it in homemade tonics, as a detox bath and use it in your skin care regime. When I heard that making ACV was easy to do, I wanted to try it. For this recipe I used whole apples, but you can use the core and skins only, which is perfect for the discarded bits when bak- ing with apples. You can use a combina- tion of 50% sweet apples, 35% sharp and 15% bitter if you like; I just used large red apples for my first batch. I want to also include some other powerful homemade remedies that may help. The first is Garlic Syrup. Garlic Syrup is said to be 10 times more power- ful than penicillin and it is easy to make and is also cost effective. You should al- ways keep a batch on hand. Taking this syrup will help to boost your immune system and will aid in lowering your blood pressure as well as cholesterol. It will help reduce the number of colds and infections, and is also effective for treating gout, arthritis and joint aches. Honey is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal, and also helps with a bad cough. Garlic has antibacterial and an- tiviral properties that also help to boost your immune system. Here are some natural cough remedies for you to try. Thyme Tea – Mix 2 teaspoons of crushed leaves in 1 cup of boiling water, cover and allow to steep for 10 minutes. This will help to relax your tracheal and ileal muscles, which are involved with coughing and thyme will aid in reducing inflammation. This is a German recipe and used for upper respiratory infec- tions, bronchitis and whooping cough. ey in a cup, add boiling water, and allow to steep for 15 minutes, strain and sip as needed. This will stimulate the circula- tion of mucus. For fast acting cough relief - Suck on a lemon quarter, sprinkled with salt and black pepper. Sipping warm milk with a table- spoon of honey is also helpful as a cough suppressant. Lastly, you can grind up some almonds and add to a cup of orange juice to help relieve bronchial spasms and coughs. I hope that spring blesses us with beautiful weather, beautiful flower blossoms and healthy living. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar Ingredients: • 5 Large apples, or the scraps of 10 ap- ples • Filtered water • 1 Cup raw, local honey You will need a wide mouth gallon glass jar, cheesecloth and a large rubber band. Directions: Wash and chop the apples into pieces no smaller than 1 inch, you can use the cores, stems and seeds. Put the apples Make a cough remedy tincture with into a 1-gallon jar, the apples should at Flax, honey and lemon – Boil 3 table- least fill up to half way. Add room tem- spoons of flaxseed in 1 cup of water, perature filtered water completely cover- strain and add 3 tablespoons each of ing the apples leaving a few inches from honey and lemon juice. Take 1 table- the top. Add the honey and stir to com- spoon as needed for your cough. pletely dissolve. Cover with cheesecloth For a wet cough make a black pepper and secure with a rubber band. Leave on tea – Place 1 teaspoon of freshly ground the counter for 1 week mixing twice a black pepper with 2 tablespoons of hon- day; this will form the hard cider. You 2016 9 will see and smell bubbles starting to form as the sugar ferments into alcohol. When the apples sink to the bottom of the jar the hard cider is ready for the next step. Remove the apple scraps and keep the cider, putting it into a fresh gal- lon glass jar. Cover with the cheesecloth and rubber band. Let the cider sit for 3-4 weeks. This allows the alcohol to trans- form into acetic acid and good bacteria. You may see a small amount of sediment on the bottom. This is your mother cul- ture. After 3 weeks you can start tasting it, if the vinegar has the right taste you can strain it and store it in a clean glass jar with a lid, if it is not strong enough leave it for another week. If the vinegar is too strong add some water to dilute it. Store it out of the sunlight. Raw apple cider vinegar does not go bad, if you get another mother film on the top just strain it again. Garlic Syrup Ingredients: • 8 Peeled garlic cloves • 1 Cup apple cider vinegar • 1 Cup raw, organic honey Directions: Put everything into the blender and blend on high and pour into a glass jar then seal. Store in the refrigerator for 5 days and stir every day. After the five days the tincture is ready. Take 2 tea- spoons in a tall glass of water first thing in the morning. Karen Kain can be contacted at karen- kain8@icloud.com. V ernonia C hristian C hurch We would like to invite you to join us for our Easter Sunday Service. Worship Service March 27th 11:00 am Pastor Sam Hough Owned and Operated by Don & Kim Wallace 410 North St. Vernonia office@VernoniaChristianChurch.org 503-429-6522 Mariolino’s Pizza & Grill Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner Ice cream - cones, shakes & sundaes Daily Specials Family owned and operated for over 40 years. 721 Madison Avenue, Vernonia march17 (503) 429-5018 DON WALLACE, PLS Professional Land Surveying 1224 E. Alder St. Vernonia, OR 97064 Phone: 503-429-6115 FAX: 1-866-297-1402 Email: DWallace_KLS@msn.com CORPORATE MEMBER Absolute MARBLE QUALITY FABRICATION & INSTALLATION MARBLE GRANITE TRAVERTINE FREE ESTIMATES Kitchen Countertops Fireplace & Furniture Tubs & Vanities CCB#204480 Phone 503-429-2617 AbsoluteMarble@frontier.com
