Home remedies for the common cold, ca. 1870.

Image from ClipartETC.

Aaargh!  With the changing weather -- the usual autumn winds, and unusual amounts of rain -- it's cold season again at The Cup That Cheers!  That means another seasonal foray into the antique domestic manuals and cookbooks for advice.  The following tips come from the Excelsior cook book and housekeeper’s aid, from 1870.  Beware the liberal use of paregoric (opium) and other dangerous ingredients!

TREATMENT OF COLDS.
If feverish, bathe the feet in warm water, take some hot herb tea, or hot lemonade, but use no spirits, as this will only increase the fever.  Get up a perspiration, and be careful about exposure the next day.

Experimenting with domestic receipts: historic hair washes.

Image from ClipArtETC.

Over the years of reading historic household manuals, etiquette books, and cookbooks, I have seen many recipes and instructions for making cosmetics, personal cleansers and any number of toiletries, and while my allergy to almonds prevents me from trying many of them (since almond oil seems to have been a popular ingredient), I have recently been experimenting with some of the recipes for hair washes.  It began in the spring – I don’t remember exactly how – with me reading the recommendations posted to a discussion forum for people with long hair.  People were doing so many different things to encourage their hair to grow, to improve its texture, and it never really occurred to me that using anything other than my modern shampoo and conditioner would make a difference with my hair.  My hair is waist-length, very fine, and I don’t have much of it, but it has good color and a smooth texture, and I’ve been pretty satisfied with my regular hair-care routine, which is as minimal as I can make it!  I’m not one for serums and other products in my hair; I basically shampoo and condition 3 times a week, brush it every morning and evening, and wear it in a ponytail every day.  I own a can of hair spray, a canister of mousse and a tube of hair gel, as well as an assortment of bobby pins and hair pins, which I use when I put my hair up into a historic hair style, but that’s pretty much it.  However, the women on the hair forum were discussing the use of regular bar soap, bar shampoos, and various hair rinses instead of commercial shampoos and conditioners for cleaning their hair.  It was intriguing to think that I might be able to get out of buying huge bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and still keep my hair in good condition.

Tea Bloggers' Choice Awards: And the 2012 winners are ...

Association of Tea Bloggers

The results are finally in!  I am ashamed to say I haven't tried most of these teas, but that means I now have a great excuse to buy more tea: I have to get to know the winning teas!  These are the winners of the Tea Bloggers' Choice Awards for 2012.  

• Unblended/Unflavored Black :  Teavivre Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip 
• Blended/Flavored Black:  Harney and Sons Earl Grey Supreme 
• Unblended/Unflavored Green:  Den's Tea Gyokuro Kin 
• Blended/Flavored Green:  Aiya Tea Matcha Infused Sencha 
• Unblended/Unflavored Oolong: Teavivre Jin Xuan Milk Oolong
• Blended/Flavored Oolong: Naivetea Lychee Oolong
• Unblended/Unflavored White: Rishi-Silver Needle Premium
• Blended/Flavored White: Art of Tea Coconut Creme White Tea
• Unblended/Unflavored Puerh: Rishi Ancient Puerh Classic
• Blended/Flavored Puerh: Stash Black Forest Cake Puerh
• Herb Blend: David's Tea Chocolate Rocket
• Single Herb: David's Tea Spearmint

Have you tried these teas?  What do you think of them? 

What's your favorite tea?

What's in your teapot?
Image: FreeFoto.com

I just heard about a new "competition" called the Tea Bloggers' Choice Awards, and thought it would be fun to participate.  At first I thought I would need to choose my favorite tea blogs (but there are so many!) and nominate them for an award, but the "competition" is actually between tea blends, not companies or blogs.  Here is the explanation from the Association of Tea Bloggers website: 

"What are the TBC Awards?

The TBC Awards are independent awards of the Association of Tea Bloggers (ATB) determined by members of the Association of Tea Bloggers and their readers to celebrate favorite teas of the online tea marketplace.

- The awards showcase favorite teas of the online tea community

- The awards reveal useful info on tea consumer preferences

- It is NOT a list of “best” teas. Awards do not necessarily reflect a tea’s quality

- The awards encourage interaction between bloggers and their readers, strengthening their voice in the tea community

- The awards point new tea drinkers to teas they may also enjoy

Winners are announced once per year. Winning companies receive a formal statement of their tea having won a particular category and an official winner’s seal/logo that can be used in association with that product."