Henny Penny Farmette

I’ve caught it . . . that nasty little bug affecting the throat and gut. Despite my best hygienic efforts at not catching the malady that many of my friends have recently endured, I have come down with it.

It started as a scratchy sore throat. Then a queasy stomach. Hoarseness and discomfort when swallowing followed. And the queasiness intensified to the point where even the sight of food sickened me. Oh, joy! Just what I didn’t want for the upcoming Thanksgiving week!

It’s always a good idea when you’re coming down with a cold or flu to increase your intake of fluids–herbal teas, juice, water, and popsicles. My former Chinese Tai Chi teacher advocated ginger tea to treat this type of malady; it’s my favorite home treatment for colds and flu.

Honey soothes the inflamed throat passages. Ginger settles the stomach. In fact, ginger has been used medicinally for 2,000 years in China to treat stomach upset, nausea, flatulence, and diarrhea.

GINGER TEA WITH HONEY

Ingredients:

1.5 inches of peeled and sliced fresh ginger root (about 1/2 cup)

5 to 6 cups of water

optional: 1/2 lemon, washed and sliced

optional: 2 sticks of cinnamon

honey or brown sugar, to taste

Directions:

Pour the water into a sauce pan.

Drop in the slices of ginger. Optional: add slices of lemon and cinnamon.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour tea into a cup.

Stir in honey or brown sugar to sweeten.

Enjoy.

On this second day of summer, the thermometer is telling me what I already know. It’s dang hot! I’m thinking hot enough for a sunstroke as I watch the apricots fall from the tree, the honeybees cling to the exterior walls of their hives, and the chickens pant so hard their tail feathers are moving in and out.

I can’t do anything about the high pressure ridge causing temps to soar over Northern California, but I do have some tips for keeping cool and avoiding sunstroke and sunburn. Plus, the tips will work anywhere it’s hot.

1. Avoid going outside from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (the hottest part of the day) to do chores. Instead, tackle chores during early morning hours (and even then, put on your sunscreen).

2.  Freeze a bottle of water and as it melts, refresh yourself with frequent sips; in fact, always drink lots of water on hot days.

3. When the sun is at its zenith, tie a wet bandana around your head and another around your neck. Repeat as often as needed.

4. Make a pitcher of sun tea and drink it out of tall glasses with cool slices of lemon and sprigs of mint.

5. Move a comfy chair into a quiet, cool area of your garden and read a favorite book.

6. Sit near a fountain where you can listen to water falling. While you are enjoying the peace, engage your hands in quiet work like breaking beans, embroidering a tea towel, or labeling packets of seed.

7. Turn on the ceiling fan and take a restorative nap. Farming  and gardening involve hard labor. Chores will wait–one of the reasons farmers eat lunch midday and lie down, doing their work in early morning and late afternoon.

8. Take a cool, refreshing spa bath with scented bath oil or soap. Wash your hair. You’ll feel ever so cool and clean.

9. Drench your T-shirt with cool water before putting it on. Then, lie on a mat and do some deep breathing to quiet your heart, lower your blood pressure, and slow your metabolism. Ideally, you might enjoy doing some stretches in deep shade, especially near water.

10. Suck on frozen juice popsicles or ice cubes.

Summer may bring hot days, but don’t let the heat take its toll on your health. With a little imagination, anyone can find creative ways to beat the heat until the sun goes down, thereby avoiding potential risks for sunstroke, sunburn, and heat exhaustion.