It's that time of year.  Finally the tourists are gone, the weather is perfect and the traffic is manageable, but we are not in the clear.  We have another crop of visitors who may even more irritating than the group house next door. Relatively recent immigrants to the area, they have been showing up more and more frequently on resident ankles and feet.  Those with history in the South call them chiggers, as the multitude of incredibly itchy bites strongly resembles an exposure to chiggers.  The folks at Cornell University Extension have done research, however, that shows these unwelcome visitors to be Lone Star Tick larvae.

Ok, that's disturbing enough, tick larvae in your feet and ankles.  One last piece of bad news - these larva can be enough to produce the Alpha-Gal allergy, the one that makes people into instant, unwilling vegetarians. ( A quick visit to the ER for anaphylaxis after eating meat will convince anyone to give it up.)  Again, we find that the Hamptons are a special place - one of only two areas in the country with a large number of residents with Alpha-Gal allergy (more on this in a future post).

Now for the good news.  You CAN stop the itch.  Apply  a thin layer of oil (any kind, although I prefer castor oil because it contains its own healing properties) followed by a sprinkle of CAYENNE PEPPER.  Yes, cayenne.  No, it doesn't burn.  What it does is deplete Substance P, a molecule that carries pain signals to the brain.   And makes you STOP ITCHING.  Almost instantly. Covering the area with an old sock will keep the cayenne from brushing off on your clothing or furniture.  Reapply as necessary. 

Yesterday I was bringing in mustard greens and arugula from the garden for our dinner salad, and I accidentally brought in something else, someone who was really not happy about this change in her afternoon plans. I was notified of her displeasure by a sharp jab in my right thumb.

Good thing I was making salad dressing -a quick peel & cut of a garlic clove, a moment of discomfort as I pressed the cut clove to the sting, and a few minutes of inconvenience as i held it to the area, and I was all better.

This is somewhat amazing to me, as my reaction to something as humble as a mosquito bite is a huge welt and days of itching.

Garlic works on bee and wasp stings just as it works in your marinades - it breaks down the proteins. The proteins are what your body reacts to, the inflammation around a bee sting is a result of your body trying to break down those proteins so they can't hurt you. When garlic is applied immediately to an insect sting, it removes the need for your immune system to respond. And so today I have a working thumb instead of a huge sausage.

What are YOUR kitchen cures for bee stings?