killerplants.com | What's in a Name? | Archive Most Recent | Free Newsletter Signup

What was the Vinegar of Four Thieves?

Suggested Reading—>Click here.

Assorted Killer Savings Garden Links—>Click here.

Killer Picks: Lavender, English Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Mint, Sweet Basil—>Click here.

French Tarragon Herbs, California White Garlic—>Click here.

Epidemics, sudden outbreaks of diseases, have hit populations since humans began living in close proximity. The most infamous of the epidemics were the cyclic plagues or "Black Death" that hit during the Middle Ages starting around 1346. Looking back, we attribute the causes to Yersinia pestis, a plague which has three forms--pneumonic, septicemic, and bubonic--smallpox, influenza, gonorrhea, and tuberculosis. Estimates guess that anywhere from twenty-five to forty percent of the populations were killed with any one plague.

Larger Picture
The Middle Ages - The Black Death Poster
Buy Poster at AllPosters.com

The term plague came from the Latin plaga meaning blow or strike, considered a reference to the belief that God was striking the people dead. Jews were accused of poisoning wells. Others thought the diseases were caused by Pest Jungfrau, a beautiful maiden who flew over the countryside with a blue flame. Still others blamed any elderly couple--the man with a shovel and the woman with a broom--as the bringers of death.

Fear and chaos reigned during these plagues. People performed odd and cruel rituals to spare their town. Paris preferred the danse macabre, frenetic dancing or choreomania. Some places buried all the young children alive as a sacrifice or pubescent virgins were stripped nude and forced to drag a plow counter-clockwise around the village. Flagellants beat themselves so God would have mercy. ("Black Death", Timothy R. Tangherlini, Medieval Folklore, Lindahl, McNamara, and Lindow ed., Oxford University Press, 2002)

Legends also abounded over those who survived, in particular, four thieves who robbed the bodies and houses of the dead. The confused legend places the thieves in Marseilles, or Toulouse, or maybe London, on or around the late 1500s, 1628, 1632, or 1722, caught and brought before the mayor, or councilmen, or judges, and sentenced to death. They would be spared if they told the secret for their survival:
advertisement

Black Death at Tournai, 1349 Giclee Print by Gilles Le Muisit
Buy Giclee Print at AllPosters.com

the Vinegar of Four Thieves.

Some recipes call for red wine vinegar, others say cider vinegar. Mixed with herbs--lavender blossoms, rue, rosemary, sage--some added wormwood, thyme, mint, and garlic, the vinegar was either steeped in the sun or buried in a crock. One could then get immunity by drinking it, sniffing it, or splashing it on the body. Or setting it on fire?

Oddly, although long proven not to confer any immunity, the Vinegar of Four Thieves was in use as late as 1793 when yellow fever hit Philadelphia. ("The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia," Matthew Carey, 1830)

The Institute of Advanced Technology in the Humanities, University of Virginia is developing a compilation of works about the plagues of Europe, "Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe". The works currently posted date from the beginnings of the plague in 1348. To view the site, click on the link:

http://www.iath.virginia.edu/osheim/intro.html

killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Unique Professionally Designed Gardens

Springhill Nursery®

Spring Hill Nursery has unique gardens professionally designed by experts to take the guesswork out of gardening. Whether you are looking for a three season garden, foundation garden, or a garden to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, Spring Hill Nursery has created a step-by-step design just for you. Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery!

Garden Solutions® Vegetable Food

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Dramatically Boosts Yields! – All-natural blend of nutrients and trace minerals promotes vigor and stress resistance for garden vegetables, including broccoli, lettuce, beans, melons, squash and cucumbers. Gives higher yields. Click here to get $20 off your first order at Gurneys!

Lavender Herbs

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Fresh, Clean Fragrance!

A light, sweet favorite for sachets, perfume, potpourri. Aromatic leaves, sprinkled with tiny lavender flowers.

Lavender is a perennial. 60 DAYS.
Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com! Herb Seed

So much better than dried and flash frozen herbs in the supermarket!

English Thyme Herbs

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

For Vegetables and Meats

Use fresh leaves for vegetables; use dry for meats. English Thyme is a perennial. 85 DAYS.

Perennial. Strong fragrance. Tiny oval leaves, lilac, or pink flowers. Good edging and container plant. Delicate flavoring with a hint of cloves.

Very high in vitamin C. Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com! Herb Seed

Sage Herbs

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

For Seasoning Stuffing

A smoky, woodsy taste and aroma traditionally popular for poultry stuffing. Sage is a perennial. 75 DAYS.

Perennial. Lavender-blue flowers flowers through the summer. Gray-green leaves. Sage is lemony, camphor-like and pleasantly bitter. Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

Herb Seed

Rosemary Herbs

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Ever-Popular Poultry Seasoning

Narrow, spiky leaves have a piney, bittersweet flavoring that's a must for roast chicken. Favored scent for spicy potpourris, too. Grows as an annual in the North. 85 DAYS.

So much better than the dried and flash-frozen herbs in the supermarket!

This Item Ships In The Spring Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

Comments: Annual. Semi-evergreen, shrub-type plant. Light blue flowers in April-May. Valued for culinary and ornamental uses. Repels insects. Piney-mint flavor and aroma.

Herb Plants - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

Mint Mix Herbs

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Easy to Grow, Great for Tea

Refreshing blend for flavoring candies, tea, ice cream and punch! You get 1 each:

fruity applemint
icy spearmint
cool peppermint

All grow 1-2 feet tall.

So much better than the dried and flash-frozen herbs in the supermarket!

This Item Ships In The Spring Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

Comments: Includes: Applemint (Mentha suaveciens), Spearmint (Mentha spicata), and Peppermint (Mentha x peperita). Spearmint (Mentha spicata) and Peppermint (Mentha x peperita) are easy to grow varieties. Harvest as needed. Perennial plants.

Herb Plants - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

Sweet Basil Herbs

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Hearty Aroma and Flavor

A truly intriguing mix of flavors--offers subtle hints of mint, cloves and anise. Extremely popular in salads and vegetable dishes.

Sweet Basil is an annual. 85 DAYS. No. 1 plants.

So much better than the dried and flash-frozen herbs in the supermarket!

This Item Ships In The Spring Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

Comments: Annual. One of the most popular cooking herbs. Large, 2 inch, dark green leaves. Spicy fragrance and flavor. Prefers warm areas.

Herb Plants - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

French Tarragon Herbs

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Prized by Good Cooks

Tender shoots and leaves with peppery, anise-like flavor and a hint of vanilla. A gourmet favorite for seasoning meats, sauces and piquant wine vinegars.

Easy-care perennial grows 2-3 feet tall, spreads slowly. No. 1 plant.

So much better than the dried and flash-frozen herbs in the supermarket!

This Item Ships In The Spring Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

Comments: Prefers full sun. Peppery/anise flavor. Dig and split root every 2 years. Fragrant, easy-care perennial. Perfect for windowsill gardens.

Herb Plants - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

California White Garlic

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Rich, Full-bodied Flavor

Gurney's Choice Store-bought garlic just can't compare to this full-flavored favorite! Large, plump bulbs have papery skins and plenty of creamy white cloves bursting with flavor.

California White Garlic is easy to grow, very productive. Cultivate and store as you would onions.

Approximately 10-20 cloves per bulb. Zones: 3 - 9
(-30° F.)

This Item Ships In Both Spring And Fall Click here - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!

Comments: Does well in moderate climates; cool season crop.

Garlic Bulbs - $20 off any order for $50 or more at Gurneys.com!