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    Home » The Plain Columns » The Amish Editor

    Amish Home Remedies and Household Hints

    Published: May 19, 2014 · Updated: May 19, 2014 by Kevin Williams | 4 Comments

    I thought I'd share a few more homemade remedies and household hints from the Wickey sisters, two Amish women that live in southern Indiana.  I can't vouch for any of these, but some sound intriguing (disclaimer:  reader assumes all risk for any harm caused by these home-remedies, which are being shared for cultural insight only)

    There are several here that I find intriguing.   The remedies for nervousness are interesting.  I can be a jittery person sometimes so I'm tempted to try that "celery tea"   I guess it isn't technically tea if it doesn't have tea in it, "hot herbal drinks" might be a more accurate description.

    Oh, and the other tip below to take notice of:  I love broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts, but, phewee, they can stink when cooking.   So a slice of bread added can get rid of that?  Wow, we'll have to try that!  Okay, here are your Wicky sister tips!

    HAND-CONDITIONER:  Twice a week massage hands with a little olive oil to which 1 /2 teaspoon of white sugar has been added.

    HOMEMADE TEAS TO CALM NERVOUSNESS:

    Celery Tea: 1 teaspoon celery seed in a cup of boiling water.  Drink as hot as you can, seeds and all.

    Willow Bark Tea: Make a tea of willow bark.  Peel the outside bark off the outer smaller branches:  1 teaspoon to a pint of boiling water.  Boil slowly for 10 minutes. Drink 1 to 3 cups  a day till relieved.

    Squawvine Tea:  soothing to the nerves.  1 heaping teaspoon crushed; add to a cup of boiling water.  Let stand 20 minutes.  Drink to 2 to 4 cups a day till nerves relax.

    NURSING MOMS:  Equal parts of anise seed, caraway seed and fennel seed combined or can use separate or alternate.  Will increase milk flow.   Crush seeds or powder them.  Use 1 heaping teaspoon to a cup of boiling water.  Cover.  When cool drink 1 to 2 cups daily as long as you like.

    CUTTING BOARD CLEANING:  To rid your cutting board of onions, garlic or fish smell, cut a lime in two and rub the smelly surface with the cut side of the lime, squeezing it as you rub.  Even a vegetable brush or sponge that has been used in the kitchen perks up and loses any odor when dipped in lime juice. It works like a charm, even on your hands and nails and keeps them quite soft.  Rinse with tap afterwards and that is all there is to it.

    SMELLY COOKING:  Place a heel of bread on top of cabbage before putting the lid on the pot and cooking. There will be no odor.  The bread has no effect on the cabbage and should be removed after cooking.  Good for broccoli and brussels sprouts also.

    SKILLET CARE:  A little salt sprinkled int he frying pan will keep fat or lard from splattering.  This also makes cleaning up the range easier.'

    TEA KETTLE CARE:  To clean a tea kettle use ¼ cup vinegar and 3 teaspoons salt.  Boil for 15 minutes, saves a lot of scrubbing!

    « Saturday Special: A Typical Amish Supper
    Monday Blogroll: Amish Boy in Barn; Nutter Butter Banana Pie, Lancaster County Scenes, and Southern Lady Cooks »

    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. brenda

      May 19, 2014 at 12:52 pm

      oh boy where has the smelly cooking remedy been. ???that is one my mother did not pass on to me.

      Reply
    2. Kentuckylady717

      May 19, 2014 at 1:53 pm

      Happy belated birthday to RACHEL 🙂 what kind of cake did your mom make for you ? I'm sure it was delicious..... I bet Aster enjoyed it too eh ?
      Also, you can add some vinegar to the water you cook your cabbage in and it does the same thing .....looks like the bread would just cook all to pieces.....and I don't see how you could remove it.....just sayin................when bread gets wet & soggy, it
      just comes apart......

      Reply
    3. Bonnie

      May 20, 2014 at 11:09 am

      I've got to try the bread in cabbage idea. Thanks for printing this!

      Reply
      • Kevin

        May 20, 2014 at 11:13 am

        Just don't eat the bread!:)

        Reply

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

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