Day 4: Making my first Medicine!

On Sunday I got to make my first medicine.  We made turnip cough syrup.  Though not something you would usually find in the Apothecary, it is a good example of a home remedy that colonial Williamsburgians could have used.  It's a really simple recipe.  You can do it tooooooo!

Ingredients:
1 turnip
2 tablespoons of sugar

Peel and slice the turnip.

Sprinkle the slices with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Flip and sprinkle the other tablespoon on the slice.  Wait until the liquid seeps out. The syrup that is left in the bottom of the bowl will sooth your throat and calm your cough!  

In addition to making medicine, Sharon decided that I was ready to take over as the main interpreter.  So instead of sitting and answering the occasional question, but mostly listening to the other interpreter, the other interpreter did most of the sitting and listening.  She only stepped in when I got a question I couldn't answer.  Honestly, I surprised even myself.  I was able to answer a lot more questions than I gave myself credit for.  I talked for 2 hours straight as we kept getting more and more visitors.  Finally Sharon sent me upstairs to rest, which is when I really I was totally exhausted.  

The day ended with a typical quiz by Sharon, except with a different audience.  My friends Sara and Ryan came to visit me and fully enjoyed watching Sharon grill me.  Luckily I passed.  I was at this time photographed in my nature habitat.  This is me in my Apothecary sweet Apothecary: 

While I left the shop at 4:30 I wasn't out of my colonial gear until past 5.  I needed to run to the grocery store, so I bit the bullet and just went for it.  In the trip we have dubbed "Felicity goes to Harris Teeter" I wandered around the store, on my cell phone, picking up all my weekly necessaries.  Eggs, milk, frozen stir fry, etc.  Besides the obvious stares (Harris Teeter is in the tourist area) and the whispers, most of the other patrons were fine.  One Harris Teeter employee came up to me while I was holding my cell phone, car keys, and Diet Dr. Pepper and whispered "Are you Amish?" .....No. 

You never know what is going to happen when you take the colonial out of colonial Williamsburg!

Your humble servant,

E