Help! I have never had this happen before, but after doing bushels of tomatoes and apples my slicing hand is rebelling and cramping up! Everytime I go to slice, it hurts! I've got to get it back in working order! The peaches are almost ready! Help! What can I do? Has any one ever had this happen? Instead of writers cramp, it must be providers cramp! Tren

p.s if you will just take over and do the peaches, I will go to the creek.grintren

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Answers

Tren, I will come do your peaches if I can have some of them!!! Our local peaches here all got frosted out this cold spring and I am without farm raised peaches, boo-hoo!!!

Try arnica tincture applied 4 to 5 times a day to the area, you really need some of my arthritis/muscle strain tincture I mix up, my husband swears it works better than going to a chiropractor, and cheaper too. If you send me your snail mail address, I'll priority mail you some, you'll get it the next day.

Ask Dianne, she has used some of it on her neck in the past, works wonders!

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Dear Tren,

I'm so sorry about your cramped hand. I had the same problem a few years ago when I had a bumper crop of apples. I must have peeled and sliced three bushel baskets of them. All I could do is just let it pass. Sorry. I wish I had a magical cure for aches and pains cuz I'd use it now on my back.

Homesteading is hard on the body isn't it?

Wishing you enough (but not pain).

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Hey, Annie,

I could use some of that muscle strain tincture, too. I'm one hurtin' puppy about now.

Wishing you enough.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Make sure you have a really well-sharpened knife to do your slicing. The duller the knife, the more pressure you have to use to cut and the harder it is on your body.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

I'm sorry Tren, I can't come help. Arnica IS wonderful stuff.

Annie, is that liniment something the less herbally talented could make? Want to share the recipe?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Hey thanks everybody. Yah Annie peaches are a really wonderful thing as we have trouble with the frost getting them every year too. but this year we lucked out and have these wonderful little peaches which seem as if they are from heaven. Maybe that is why God only gives em to us , every so often so's that we can really appreciate them1

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Ahhhh Trennie those hurt, don't they? I get those sometimes when I set my rocks. Good advice above but if all else fails ibuprofin and a hot water bottle does a great job.

Another big thing is having Jim give you a hand massage! If he balks remind him of the neck rubs he gets when he drives! He owes you!! A simple hand rub is a wonderful thing! Barb and I trade off. I do feet and she does hands. Ha! All the sudden I have this foot in my lap that I'm rubbing and i'm not sure when it got there!! Sneaky!

Last thing is by now the cat wants to know where the lap went so just sit there and pet. Cats And Calm go together, don't they? Love ya..Kirk

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Take it from a fella with late life arthritis. An electric knife is a blessing when you have a lot of produce to slice (or your in laws are coming to visit and you want to slice the meat reeeaaallly thin to persuade them vittles are better elsewhere :>)

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2001

Okay, again I'm late on the answers and everyone else has already covered my best remedies.

As far as processing the peaches goes,are you planning at least to dip them in boiling water, then the ice water deal so that the skins just slip off instead of planning on peeling each one by hand? Cutting them up is enough like work, the times I've canned or frozen them, I did the boiling blanch/ice water soak and it was a real boon. You also save more of the meat that way, since it is only the skin that slips off. Every molecule of perfectly ripened peach is precious.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2001