Hey Yuska... I thought I was the only one who gigged frogs as a youngster! We also got some Japanese spider lobster those nights.
I only remember butchering chickens, and milking a cow. I guess the various and sundry families I stayed with didn't raise livestock.
Drawing Salve
When I was a kid our family butchered hogs each year. We hunted for rabbits, squirrels, deer and birds. We sent a calf to the slaughter house each year. We also hunted and butchered gators and turtles. We fished for crabs, fish and crawfish. We raised a garden and had a milk cow. We had chickens for meat and eggs. We weren't well off but we never went hungry.
As an adult I've learned to kill and butcher my own meat, it's just not something I grew up with, so I butcher with a knife in one hand and a book in the other. I had to put a horse down once and skinned it out for a robe... never did get around to tanning it, but it was an experience.
It does give one a great respect for the lives that support our lives... but being a vegetarian doesn't remove you from killing, you're just not eating what you kill. How many earthworm get cut in half when you stick a shovel in nice rich earth? If you live in the country, then it's a battle with all the critters that also want to eat your garden. On an industrial scale, the control of pests, rodents, and birds in crop fields is every bit as devastating as industrial meat raising (which I'm not a big fan of). No, from my side, vegetarianism is just make believe not killing. Our lives depend on others in many, many different ways.
Best to just be thankful and grateful and make one's life an offering in return...
This message was edited Mar 17, 2009 7:46 AM
I think killing and preparing the carcass for eating gives me a greater respect and appreciation for animals. I believe that God put the world and all it's resources at our disposal. With that priviledge comes responsibility and sadly we have dropped the ball in many ways. I try each day to be a better steward of the earth. I like to think I make a difference, though small my contributions may be.
I agree with those sentiments. At least the creatures grown for food on homesteads don't also have to suffer their entire lives cooped in tiny quarters and filled with serums.
Yes, I can think of nothing that speaks to the insult of all creation than treating living, thinking, feeling beings as "commodities", the same as a ton of iron ore or a barrel of oil.
I, too, try to live my life as a better steward of the earth and all her creatures. Past, present and future. I don't kid myself thinking it's possible to do this purely, but I do believe that it is possible to care and care deeply, and let my heart break over and over in the loving of life and its gifts.
Each living being's life is precious to it, and it shudders in the face of death. From the most powerful human on the planet to the cockroach in their kitchen. I respect that. So I try to be mindful when I am killing and do it as wisely as I know how.
I say if God didn't want us to eat animals he wouldn't have made them out of meat.
Just kidding :) I think it's important for people to know WHERE their food comes from, be it animal, vegetable or mineral. My kids are aware of it, but many of their friends are not.
Drawing salve For the lady in Leighton, I just found this receipe in my Mothers cook book . 1 pound rossum
2 oz sheeps tallow
2 oz bees wax
1 teaspoon dry camphor
1 teaspoon laudlum
boil rossum sheeps tallow and bees was first. Very slowly add camphor and laudlum. Then put pan in cold water and stir until ckold enough to work into sticks ( like a cigar). To use, heat end of stick and apply where needed. .
What do you suppose laudlum is? Laudanum?
It'll not only draw splinters and infection, it'll draw the Law! LOL
Depending on the age of the original recipe, laudanum was probably included as an analgesic in the salve. It almost sounds like the laundanum and camphor was used as a substitute for paregoric (camphorated tincture of opium) as the analgesic.
"drawing salve is cheap... why try to make it?"
LOL.. One time many years ago I was into making soap. I was talking to my Great-Grandma telling her I was going to make some soap. She said "Why in the world would someone do that for FUN?"
She told us some stories of soap making time when she was a kid.
"I say if God didn't want us to eat animals he wouldn't have made them out of meat. "
Now that's just too funny. I am a sort of vegetarian but only for the weight loss aspect. Not because of any belief issues except I believe it is bad for a 5' 2" woman to creep up to 300 lbs.......So far I've lost 65 lbs. I'll probably lose more now that my consumption of adult beverages has been curtailed....
"vegetarianism is just make believe not killing"
That is also funny and true.....
Call it like you see it......I love this place.
Ginger
Hi - I'm new to DG, but I've read through this thread and found it very interesting. I make my own drawing salve or pine gum salve using olive oil instead of tallow. It's extremely easy and you don't have to render anything. I use only pine pitch/gum that I have collected myself (yes, go pull it off the tree). I have melted it down and strained it before I use it, but I usually just use it "as is" (brushing off as much bark and/or dirt as possible) and then strained it with the olive oil into a clean container. There really isn't a set amount of pine to use with olive oil, but a good guideline would be to use just enough oil to cover the pine gum. A good consistency for a salve is to use 1 oz beeswax with each 1 1/2 cups olive oil. The last time I made it, I used these amounts:
32 oz olive oil
2.6 oz weight bees wax
10.8 oz weight pine gum (w/debris)
It made about 44 oz, which is a large amount. Melt the ingredients in the top of a double boiler over simmering water for about two hours (do not let the bottom boil dry). Strain through several layers of cheesecloth. Pour into containers. Allow to cool completely before closing the containers. Don't forget to label!
Thanks for another salve recipe!
I think I'm dense. Is pine gum just the sap that drips on the outside of the tree? I have HUMONGOUS pine trees in my yard and I would LOVE to make this salve.
Yes, the pine gum is the yellow/brown sap on the outside of the tree.
I forgot to mention that there will most likely be gum/sap residue in the bottom of whatever you use for the top of your double boiler (I just use a stainless steel bowl). I have found that rubbing alcohol will dissolve the residue within a day or two.
I have heard that the pine gum is a good remedy for mouth sores. I tried it once, just to see what it was like. I would NOT suggest it to anyone. It is NASTY! :)
Remember Euell Gibbons for Grapenuts..."Ever eat a pine tree? They are edible you know." Well, I gave it a try too and I completely agree with you M_Garden... YUCK!
Why do folks need so much drawing salve? Maybe I don't know all it's uses...
Drawing salve is a first aid remedy. There are many types, but basically you are relying on the drawing salve to draw out the impurity (including venom) that is causing (or will cause) an infection or inflammation.
There was another post about drawing salves in which a DGer used a charcoal based drawing salve on a friend who was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider. They both saw the spider that did the deed, so identification was 100% positive. The bite victim did not experience the extensive flesh damage normally associated with Brown Recluse bites, so the MD insisted the bite was from another type of spider. The point of all this is that the quick use of an effective drawing salve can eliminate or greatly reduce more serious problems. This is especilly true if you live out in a rural area and the nearest care is a long drive away.
So like the day I cut my leg with the hoof knife I coulda slapped some drawing salve on it?
Possibly. I'd use a drawing salve more for splinters, abrasions, boils, and bites. Others can chime in on how they use it.
How deep was the wound? Was it bleeding? If you needed to stop the bleeding (assuming not an acute gash here and that you made a resonable attempt to to clean the wound), I would apply tumeric powder and pressure to stop the bleeding. Tumeric is antimicrobial and a hemostat (stops bleeding). If tumeric powder were not available, I'd stop the bleeding with just pressure and apply drawing salve over the area after the bleeding has stopped and "crusted up" a bit.
I just used antibiotic ointment and a large bandaid. I was more annoyed that I was wearing my best jeans, almost new and they got cut. =0(
Don't ask why I was wearing my best jeans to trim feet... I can only say operator oversight.
Fashion tragedy down on the farm...
I seen a few abcessed fingers etc that resulted from folks just smearing Neosporin on the abrasion or cut and adding a bandage. Guess it depends on where the wound occured. I always have tumeric around the house as we cook with it.
And I've seen a number of animals die due to alternative treatments...
so I guess we're even.
I didn't realize there was a competition to be even about???
Some folks smear Neosporin on a wound without cleaning it and expect miracles to occur because it is "anti-biotic". They don't recognize the warning signs of infection until things are pretty bad. Most of the folks I know who have drawing salve around the house and use it for scratches and bites etc will keep a close eye on the wound and seek further treatment if things aren't showing rapid improvement.
Thanks, g_m, for the info about tumeric being a hemostat. As someone prone to nicks and scratches I can use the help. Yuska
How many stitches did the jeans require?????
Ginger