January Show

Very excited about the January '10 episode of The Plough! Here are some of the stories you will see.

- Thomas Shelby Watson, author of "Confederate Guerrilla Sue Mundy," discussing the role Mundy played in Kentucky during the Civil War.

- John Allen Boyd, former Kentucky school teacher and editor of "Sunbonnets and Sweet Gum" by Pearl Boyd of Bowling Green, discussing rural lifestyle in Kentucky from the late 1800s to the mid 1950s.

- Colonel Michael Masters, "The Host of Kentucky," gives historic and cultural insight on various bourbon made in Kentucky.

...and much more!

Happy 2010!

It's been a while since we've had a chance to post, so much busyness with The Plough being a brand new series! If you haven't checked out our new website, take a look at www.thecoulterplough.com.

In the meantime, Happy 2010 to everyone! We hope you had a great Christmas and New Year's and that all your dreams will come true in 2010.

But what a cold start to the New Year! The temperatures have been crazy all over the country and it's been over a decade since we've had such a long stretch of bitter cold temps here in Kentucky.

We're currently working on Episode IV, the January edition and have some really great segments in the works. We're very excited for the coming year with The Plough series! Stay tuned!

Store Locations for The Plough

Monthly episodes of The Plough DVD Series are now available for purchase in select stores in Nelson County.

*Look for the Buffalo Rings & Rings Coupon in the October episode!

BLOOMFIELD

Snider Drugs

ShopRite Supermarket

Blazers Food Mart

Bart's Mart

BARDSTOWN

Wooden Duck Entertainment

Wickland Spirit Tours (January & February)

Bardstown Booksellers

(NEW) STANFORD, KENTUCKY

The Kentucky Depot Restaurant

OUR NEW WEBSITE!

We now have a new website. www.thecoulterplough.com

The site is still new and under construction, but we will be posting much more there soon.

How to Subscribe to THE COULTER PLOUGH

For those of you new to the site, just click on the image to the top right side of the page (with the credit cards) and there you will be able to select a variety of payment options.

Front Page News - The Kentucky Standard!

We are tremendously appreciative to The Kentucky Standard for their wonderful photo and story on The Coulter Plough in yesterday's Kentucky Standard newspaper!

Godey's Lady's Book - Civil War Recipes - Rabbit Soup

Rabbit Soup [1861]

Begin this soup six hours before dinner. Cut up three large but young and tender rabbits, or four small ones (scoring the backs) and dredge them with flour. Slice six mild onions, and season them with half a grated nutmeg, or more, if you like it. Put some fresh butter into a hot frying-pan (you may substitute for the butter some cold roast-veal gravy that has been carefully cleared from the fat), place it over the fire, and when it boils put in the rabbits and onions, and fry them of a light brown. Then transfer the whole to a soup-pot; season it with a very small teaspoonful of sweet marjoram leaves stripped from the stalks, and four or five blades of mace, adding three large carrots in slices. Pour on, slowly, four quarts of hot water from a kettle already boiling hard. Cover the soup-pot, and let it simmer slowly, skimming it well, till the meat of the rabbits is reduced to shreds and drops from the bones, which will not be in less than five hours, if boiled gently as it ought. When quite done, strain the soup into a tureen. Have ready the grated yolks of six hard boiled eggs, and stir them into the soup immediately after it is strained and while it is very hot. Add, also, some bread cut into dice or small squares, and fried brown or fresh buttered toast, with all the crust removed, and cut into very small bits or mouthfuls.

- Courtesy University Press of Kentucky

Kentucky Home Kitchens: Apple Pie

Kentucky Apple Pie (As seen in The Coulter Plough)

by Darlene Crume

Bloomfield, KY

Ingredients

Refrigerated roll pie crust (for bottom and top layer)

6 small fresh apples (Darlene used Washington Red Delicious)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 stick of butter (regular margarine)

2 tspn. ground cinnamon

1 tspn. allspice

1 tspn. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350˚. Peel and slice apples. Make and add bottom layer

crust to medium sized baking pan. In a bowl, mix apples with sugar, flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspice, and ground nutmeg.

Pour mixture onto bottom layer of pie crust. Top with 1/2 stick butter

cut into pieces. Cover with top layer of pie crust. Cut a little extra butter

and place on top of crust along with some additional sprinkles of sugar

and cinnamon.

Bake for 1 hour.

Olive Leaf Extract: Nature's Secret for Vibrant Health and Long Life

Medical experts are just now discovering the wonders of Olive Leaf Extract. It's a natural, safe and effective herbal with unequalled health-giving properties. Called nature's "smart" germ-killer, Olive Leaf Extract seems to only attack harmful micro-organisms - viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites - without harming the helpful ones. What an important discovery in a time when the third leading cause of death in America comes at the hands of parasitic micro-organisms. In addition, users report increased energy, improved circulation, elimination of heart problems, normalized blood pressure, relief from fatigue and muscle problems, freedom from colds and flu and other health-promoting benefits.

The Fourth Generation

I noticed over the years that it was a rare occasion to see a Monarch butterfly until the fall months. Now I know why. Ever since elementary school we have all known the life cycle of a butterfly. But there's something different about the cycle of Monarch butterflies. In March and April the first generations of Monarchs are born. Thriving off milkweed the larvae grow and in two weeks are fully grown caterpillars. They then form a cocoon and after six days emerge as an adult butterfly. From two to six weeks the butterflies pollinate, reproduce, and die.

In May and June the second generation is born, and in July and August the third. These groups follow the same life cycle as the first generation. The fourth generation, however, has a lifestyle of its own.

Born in the months of September and October, the fourth generation of monarchs hatch and go through metamorphosis but instead of dying after two to six weeks, these fascinating creatures migrate (sometimes in massive amounts) to the warmer climates of southern America and Mexico. Here they will thrive for six to eight months until it is time to migrate back, reproduce, and begin the entire cycle again.

Kentucky is right in the middle of the Monarch's migration path, a mere pit stop for the long journey across North America into Mexico.

October Episode Teaser 1

What People Are Saying

What People Are Saying About "The Coulter Plough" DVD Show!

"Watched it when I got in from work yesterday, could NOT stop watching...so dinner was late!! It was fascinating, funny, entertaining, educational and very well done indeed!" - Debra, Newport, KY

"I'm gonna mix me up a batch of honey remedy tonight!!! Wish I had his honey to start with!!" - Donna, Lexington, KY

"Great journalism and wonderful cinema!" - Pat, Bardstown, KY

"I just watched "The Coulter Plough." You did an amazing job...can't wait to see the next one. If you haven't seen this DVD...please do!" - Peggy, Bloomfield, KY

"We really enjoyed the DVD. As always your background music choices were spot-on. I especially like the how-to piece and the how-its-made bits. My six-year-old really enjoyed the bit about the bees and honey and also the guitar making." - Amy, Bardstown, KY

"LOVED IT! We got it on Monday and watched it Monday night! I've already told 2-3 other people they need to buy one! Very well put together." - Jennifer, Bloomfield, KY

"This is a must see for small town Kentucky folk!" - Missy, Chaplin, KY

"LOVE The Plough!" - Charlene, Bardstown, KY

"It brought back some very fond memories! Great work!" - Kathy, Lexington, KY

"I am very impressed with the scope of The Coulter Plough. It came off as a very professional piece of production especially considering as much ground covered." - Jody, Louisville, KY

Baked O'Possum Recipe (for amusement)

A friend gave me a copy of the 1981 Edmonson County Homemaker's Cookbook called "Kitchen Art." On page 76 I found a recipe for "Baked O'Possum," something you just don't see these days in cookbooks. I'll admit, I was rather amused by this unique recipe. (By the way, the photograph seen here is plastic, not real...even the peas and bread!)

Baked O'Possum

by Edna R. Sanders

1 fat O'possum 1 small pod red pepper

1 c. vinegar 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. water 1 clove garlic

Solution for coating O'possum

1 tsp. mustard 1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. horseradish 1 tsp. salt

1 minced onion 1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. paprika

Remove head from "possum", slit down belly side. Remove insides and skin very carefully. Hold under running water 1 minute. Combine vinegar, water, red pepper, and brown sugar and garlic. Soak "possum" overnight in solution. Next day, remove "possum" ; dry well. Wash a brick well and stretch "possum" over brick in baking pan large enough to place sweet potatoes around the "possum". Cover loosely with foil. Bake 1 hour at 350˚. Remove foil and bake 1 more hour. Remove from oven, let stand 15 minutes. Now, throw the O'possum away and eat the brick and sweet potatoes. P.S. O'possum can really be eaten, if desired.

Episode 1 Mailing

Hey all! We are excited to announce that Episode 1 of The Coulter Plough will be shipping to subscribers this Saturday - most will receive them on Monday! Stay tuned to your mailboxes!

Antibacterial soaps: More Harm than Good?

More Harm Than Good
For starters, there is little proof that the antibacterial soap you buy at the drug store actually kills the most-dreaded microbes: S. aureus (staph) and E. coli. Plus, living in a disinfected bubble can actually be bad for your health and the environment. Many experts believe that too much sanitization weakens the immune system and may create lethal superbugs that are antibiotic resistant. If that's not enough, the bacteria-killing chemicals go down the drain and into our waterways, harming wildlife and potentially ending up back in our bodies where they can present health risks.

Although you have likely heard at least some of this before, you probably still reach for the antibacterial soap to clean your bathroom and wash your hands. The psychological draw is undeniable. In fact, scientists' warnings have not dampened the burgeoning market. Antibacterial products are a one billion dollar industry and make up nearly 80 percent of all liquid soaps. In 2003, there were fewer than 200 antibacterial products on the market; currently there are over 3,000.

The biggest--and most publicized--concern is whether antibacterial products, like the overuse of antibiotics, will eventually create more of the untreatable bacteria we fear. By creating a hostile environment, antibacterial agents promote strains of bacteria with certain mutations that allow them to survive. These superbugs are also more likely to be immune to antibiotics. The most commonly used antimicrobial in soaps--triclosa--has already shown resistance to S. aureous.

No Better Than Regular Soap
Still, the most important piece of information when you are staring at an aisle full of cleansers is whether or not the antibacterial soaps fulfill their promise.

According to the Food and Drug Administration and the American Medical Association, they are no more effective at preventing infections than regular soap. The bacteria-killing chemicals in common over-the-counter soaps are too diluted to kill the heartier microbes that pose the most threat to humans; they do not present any advantage over using regular soap. Plus, the average person is a lazy hand washer. Most of us wash our hands for less than ten seconds--five seconds is the norm--which gives the toxins little chance to bind to the bacteria and do their job. In one study, a standard strain of E. coli had to be bathed in store-bought antibacterial soap for a minimum of two hours before being killed. Mutated strains survived for twice as long.

So, these antibacterial agents, having failed at their mission, are then washed down the drain where they go on to cause serious environmental problems. Even after water purification, a large percentage of the toxins remain, entering our waterways and our bodies. A 2007 study detected triclosan in seventeen of twenty-one people. The chemicals were found in blood samples, urine, and breast milk. While it's not yet clear that these chemicals negatively impact humans, animal studies show that triclocarban interferes with rat reproduction and triclosan triggers tadpoles to mature into frogs at a much more rapid rate. Because of their unknown effects in humans, many scientists advise against taking the risk. There is also evidence that when triclosan is mixed with chlorine--even the low levels common in drinking water--it creates a toxin that has been identified as a probable carcinogen.

While the research on the negative effects of antibacterial soaps is far from definitive, the evidence that they are no better at preventing illness than regular soap is. So why use them? It doesn't mean giving up on hygiene. Don't stop washing your hands--or start eating off the floor, for that matter. Buy a regular bar or hand soap that doesn't contain unnecessary chemicals or look for brands with natural ingredients. And when you are washing your hands with your non-antibacterial soap, do it right. Lather up for ten seconds and rub hard. Exfoliation is the best way to rid your skin of bacteria. Most importantly, until more is known about antimicrobial chemicals, avoid them if you are pregnant or have an infant. If triclosan and triclocarban are dangerous to humans, the smaller the body, the greater the harm they can cause.