10 PHOTOGRAPHY Robert Lethco’s Robert has combined his passion of photography with his love of nature. Always on the move, he keeps his camera on hand to get those pictures that most of us miss. Many of his pictures are taken in Eastern North <strong>Carolina</strong> but on occasion he travels out of state. If you would like to purchase a picture or just look you can reach Robert on his Facebook page, or just scan the QR Code with your mobile phone. facebook.com/robert.lethco <strong>July</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
Sassafrass By: Coy Domecq <strong>July</strong> <strong>2018</strong> NATURE 11 If you’d like to start going green, it helps to have some guidance as to where to begin. After all, people have various degrees of “green-ness” in their lives, and everyone has to begin somewhere. Here are some tips on getting started. Recycle This basic move is a good place to start. If you’re not currently recycling - perhaps it sounds too overwhelming - you can start by contacting your local waste management/garbage collection system. There may be a program in place already, and you only have to put your recycling in a special container at the curb. Alternatively, find out if there is a recycling center nearby where you can drop off your recycling. Save Energy Give your home an energy audit. Make sure your windows and doors are insulated - use weather stripping to seal up the space between the window or door and the wall. Check your attic and make sure it’s thoroughly insulated as well. If you haven’t done it already, change your conventional bulbs to CFLs (compact fl uorescent lights), and install inexpensive timers on your lamps. Heating and Cooling One of the biggest energy users in the home is the heating and cooling system. If you can, install a timer on your home’s thermostat. This simple step can really save on heating and cooling bills. Another way to help preserve energy use is to keep the fi lter on your system clean. Change it at least every 60 days. In the summer, try not to flip the AC on when the fi rst warm day comes along. Use fans in open windows to draw in cool, night-time air, and then take the fans out of the windows as the day heats up. Fans, even running continually, do not use as much electricity as central air conditioning. In the winter, take some simple steps to boost your home’s warmth. Open curtains and blinds to let warm winter sunlight into the house. Turn the thermostat down at night, use safe space heaters around the house, and close the vents in unused rooms. Water Use Another simple step toward greening your life is to conserve water. Shorten your showers a little at a time, and if you prerinse your dishes before running the dishwasher, rinse the whole sink full of dishes, turn off the water, and then load the dishwasher. There are other simple water-saving tips you can implement as well, such as the installation of a rain barrel and only running the dishwasher and washing machine when they are full. In my opinion, there are few words in the realm of foraged foods that are as entertaining and satisfying to say as the word sassafras. The word itself has an appeal and mystique that absolutely invites you to investigate, “What the heck is that?” The sassafras tree is native to predominant areas of eastern North America and was known as winaulk by Virginia Native Americans. Among this plant’s many benefi ts to humans, the leaves and twigs of the tree’s parts have a characteristic root beer smell and taste. The sassafras twig was used as one of the fi rst toothbrushes and breath fresheners in the region. Early European colonists and Native Americans used sassafras components to speed wound healing and to treat such ailments as acne, urinary maladies and to lessen fevers. Interestingly, once the Europeans were introduced to the tree’s healing qualities, they adopted the extractions of the sassafras to treat sexually transmitted diseases. At one time, the export of sassafras from the early US colonies to Europe was second only to tobacco. The modern-day food uses include an important historic ingredient in root beer but it was banned by the FDA about 1960. The same fate holds true for 19th century popularity of the refreshing carbonated tonic Sarsaparilla, which was thought to be a blood invigorator. The powdered dried sassafras leaf is the only ingredient in fi le, a staple thickener for Creole dishes such as gumbo. Sassafras tea remains a popular contemporary beverage today. This could be your Ad! Advertising with <strong>Carolina</strong> <strong>Footsteps</strong> Magazine is Local, Targets an audience and is Frequent. Call us at (252) 377-5296 We display your business to different demographics, in Print, Internet, and Social Media. All at a cost that is less than regular print ads. Homemade Root Beer Syrup You will need some unusual ingredients to make this, notably sassafras roots. If you happen to live in the United States or Canada east of the Great Plains, you are in luck: Sassafras grows everywhere in that region. If you don’t live there, or don’t feel like foraging for your own sassafras, you can buy sassafras root bark online. The burdock in the recipe grows all around you as a weed. Otherwise, many good supermarkets have burdock in the produce section: They are long pale, skinny roots often sold under their Japanese name “gobo.” If you absolutely cannot get your hands on burdock, use dandelion roots. The root beer will be different, but still fi ne. Course Drinks Cuisine American Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Author Hank Shaw Ingredients • 6 cups water • 3 ounces sassafras roots • 1 ounce burdock or dandelion root • 1/4 cup molasses • 1 clove • 1 star anise • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds • 2 drops wintergreen or peppermint extract • 6 cups sugar Instructions 1. Chop the sassafras and burdock roots into small pieces, about 1/2 inch or smaller. 2. Put the roots in a medium-sized heavy pot with the clove, star anise and coriander seeds and cover with the water. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Simmer this for 15 minutes. 3. Add the molasses and simmer another 5 minutes. 4. Turn off the heat and add the wintergreen or peppermint extract. Put the cover back on the tea. 5. When the mixture cools, strain it though cheesecloth to remove any debris. 6. Return it to the pot with an equal amount of sugar. Stir to combine. Bring it to a simmer and cook it for 5 minutes, uncovered. Pour into quart mason jars and seal. Keeps a year in the fridge. If you can find it, get wintergreen extract. If not, use peppermint extract.
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