BEING A SPIRITUAL WEEKEND I want to discuss a poisonous plant we have heard of in great literature. The purple spotted stem of this large plant with white flowers can be confused with carrots, parsnips and wild anise. It is the Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum). You would think it has no medicinal properties, but it does. It was used in ancient times by the Greeks and Romans for arthritis. I find this hard to believe, however there is a fine line between its therapeutic use and toxic levels. Poison hemlock has been used as a sedative and for its antispasmodic properties. Overdoses can produce paralysis and loss of speech, followed by depression of the respiratory function, and then death. All former Latin students know that the famed philosopher, Socrates died by hemlock. After being condemned to death for impiety in 399 BC, Socrates was given a potent infusion of the hemlock plant. Plato described Socrates' death in the Phaedo
"The man … laid his hands on him and after a while examined his feet and legs, then pinched his foot hard and asked if he felt it. He said ‘No’; then after that, his thighs; and passing upwards in this way he showed us that he was growing cold and rigid..."
The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable related to the carrot. Parsnips resemble carrots, but are paler than most carrots and have a sweeter flavor.The parsnip is richer in vitamins and minerals than its close relative, the carrot. It is particularly rich in potassium with 600 mg per 100 g. Those patients on certain cardiac medications must be careful in eating too many parsnips. If on a 'water pill' or diuretic, the parsnip can be a good source of the potassium you are losing when taking the diuretic. The parsnip is also a good source of dietary fiber.
RECIPE
The taste of warm roasted vegetables makes a great Fall Salad per Martha. She uses roasted shallots, parsnips, carrots and beets, but you can use butternut squash and turnips. Since Wiccans carved turnips for Halloween-use them
For roasted vegetables:
1. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2. 8 baby red or golden beets, peeled and cut in half
3. 8 shallots
4. 4 medium parsnips ( about 1 pound) - peeled cut into 3-inch lengths
5. 6 long carrots ( scrub them good, peel and cut lengthwise)
6. 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary leaves
7. Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Drizzle beets with olive oil. Then bake them at 450 degrees. Let them stand and cool. Cut them in halves. Put the roasted shallots, parsnips and carrots
in a large bowl with remaining oil. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle with rosemary. You need arugula. Clean well. Dry well. Place in refrigerator for that crispy feeling.
Until tomorrow…