Salt, salt and more salt

Salt.....salt and more salt....

Over the years, my husband and I have travelled  back and forth to Salt Lake City for various events, doctors, concerts, business...we would always pass the great Salt Lake, the salt milling places for Morton's Salt, the evaporating ponds and hills of salt...you could buy postcards with little bags of salt attached...

Now, in towns across the nation, you can visit salt shops, or spice shops selling a variety of salts...from all over the world...a variety of tastes and smells, uses...salt slabs to cook on....lamps, chunks  for room and car fresheners....

Saline solutions for medicinal uses....
TV documentaries about salt mining...

Throughout history, there have been salt trade routes, salt wars, etc.

The Bible speaks of salt in a variety of ways..
As Christians , we are to be salt of the world, in preservation...seasoning...

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Lot's wife turned to a pillar of salt when she turned back to look at her home...

Genesis 19:26
But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Salt speaks of seasoning, desolation, a curse of the land...purification, covenants.  offerings,.....in life, we need it to function....so many uses....

Lord, help me to be that good salt...a seasoning that is useful, not the desolation of no use....

Exodus 30:35
and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred.

Leviticus 2:13
Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

Numbers 18:19
Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”

Deuteronomy 29:23
The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in it...
Judges 9:45
All that day Abimelek pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.

2 Kings 2:21
Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’”

2 Chronicles 13:5
Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?

Ezra 6:9
Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail,

Ezra 7:22
up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.

Job 6:6
Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow?

Job 39:6
I gave it the wasteland as its home, the salt flats as its habitat.

Psalm 107:34
and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

Ezekiel 43:24
You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

Zephaniah 2:9
Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”

Matthew 5:13
[ Salt and Light ] “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Mark 9:50
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Colossians 4:6
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.


ASK on the web-" Salt is essential in the human body as it helps retain water and carry out electrical impulses that control many of our bodies' functions. Salt also stimulates muscle contractions and plays a major role in the processes of digestion as well as absorption."

History of Salt. http://www.saltworks.us/salt_info/si_HistoryOfSalt.asp
Prior to industrialization, it was extremely expensive and labor-intensive to harvest the mass quantities of salt necessary for food preservation and seasoning. This made salt an extremely valuable commodity. Entire economies were based on salt production and trade.
In the Iron Age, the British evaporated salt by boiling seawater or brine from salt spri­ngs in small clay pots over open fires. Roman salt-making entailed boiling the seawater in large lead-lined pans. Salt was used as currency in ancient Rome, and the roots of the words "soldier" and "salary" can be traced to Latin words related to giving or receiving salt. During the Middle Ages, salt was transported along roads built especially for that purpose. One of the most famous of these roads is the Old Salt Route in Northern Germany, which ran from the salt mines to shipping ports.

Salt taxes and monopolies have led to wars and protests everywhere from China to parts of Africa. Anger over the salt tax was one of the causes of the French Revolution. In colonial India, only the British government could produce and profit from the salt production conducted by Indians living on the coast. Gandhi chose to protest this monopoly in March 1930 and marched for 23 days with his followers. When he arrived on the coast, Gandhi violated the law by boiling a chunk of salty mud. This march became known as the Salt March to Dandi, or the Salt Satyagraha. People across India began making their own salt in protest, and the march became an important milestone in the struggle for Indian independence.

Salt production also played a significant role in early America. The Massachusetts Bay Colony held the first patent to produce salt in the colonies and continued to produce it for the next 200 years. The Erie Canal was opened primarily to make salt transportation easier, and during the Civil War, the Union captured significant Confederate saltworks and created a temporary salt shortage in the Confederate states. It continues to be important to the economies of many states, including Ohio, Louisiana and Texas.
Aside from economics, salt also has cultural and religious significance. It has long been used in Shintoism to purify things, and Buddhists use salt to repel evil. In Judeo-Christian traditions, salt was used to purify people and objects, as an offering, and to seal covenants. There are numerous references to salt in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. One of the most famous is Lot's wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt in Genesis after disobeying God's command. A rock-salt pillar that stands today on Mount Sodom is known as "Lot's Wife."
There are lots of sayings related to the use of salt. It was often traded for slaves, which is the origin of the expression "not worth his salt." Someone who is the "salt of the earth" is a dependable, unpretentious person. "Salting the earth," on the other hand, refers to an ancient military practice of plowing fields with salt so that no crops could be grown.


Biblical references-Wikipedia
In the Old Testament, Mosaic law calls for salt to be added to all burnt animal sacrifices (Lev. 2:13) and compares the priestly covenant between God and the kohen patrilineal descendants of Ahron to salt.
The Book of Ezra (550 BC to 450 BC) associated accepting salt from a person with being in that person's service. In Ezra 4:14, the adversaries of Ezra and company, in their letter of complaint to Artaxerxes I of Persia explain their loyalty to the King. When translated, it is either stated literally as "because we have eaten the salt of the palace" or more figuratively as "because we have maintenance from the king".
Salt is used as a metaphor in the Bible. In the New Testament, Matthew 5:13, Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth". He added that if the salt loses its flavor, it is good for nothing but to be trampled. Jesus said this in order to show his disciples how valuable they were and this saying is commonly used today to describe someone who is of particular value to society. In addition, the preservative quality of salt is in view here to show how the disciples were called to preserve the society and the world around them from moral decay. On another occasion, according to the Gospels, Jesus commanded his followers to "have salt within them".
In Luke 14:34-35 Jesus concludes a series of parables on the cost of following him with the parable of spent salt. It seems that those who follow him are to be like the salt. From this we learn that those who follow him should expect to be spent, as chunks of salt after much use. Furthermore, they should prepare to be useful until the end, for the long haul. In this parable, it is good to be used as salt and bad to become useless salt. This illustration ties in with the two preceding ones (Luke 14:28-33) of counting the cost: the disciples must prepare, by counting the cost, to be salty for as long as they are needed.


1salt noun \ˈsȯlt\
: a natural white substance that is used especially to flavor or preserve food

: a chemical compound formed when part of an acid is replaced by a metal or something like a metal

Full Definition of SALT

1
a :  a crystalline compound NaCl that consists of sodium chloride, is abundant in nature, and is used especially to season or preserve food or in industry —called also common salt
b :  a substance (as Glauber's salt) resembling common salt
c plural (1) :  a mineral or saline mixture (as Epsom salts) used as an aperient or cathartic (2) :  smelling salts
d :  any of various compounds that result from replacement of part or all of the acid hydrogen of an acid by a metal or a group acting like a metal :  an ionic crystalline compound
2
:  a container for salt at table —often used in the phrases above the salt and below the salt alluding to the former custom of seating persons of higher rank above and those of lower rank below a saltcellar placed in the middle of a long table
3
a :  an ingredient that gives savor, piquancy, or zest :  flavor <a people…full of life, vigor, and the salt of personality — Clifton Fadiman>
b :  sharpness of wit :  pungency
c :  common sense
d :  reserve, skepticism —usually used in the phrases with a grain of salt and with a pinch of salt
e :  a dependable steadfast person or group of people —usually used in the phrase salt of the earth
4
:  sailor <a tale worthy of an old salt>
5
:  keep 3 —usually used in the phrase worth one's salt


       
SIXTY (Plus) USES OF SALT

Bonnie D. Utahn
               
Tuesday at 10:26 PM
Although you may not realize it, simple table salt has a great number of uses other than simply seasoning your food.

The following list will give you sixty uses of salt, many of which you probably didn't realize:
If you drop a whole egg on the floor, pour salt all over the egg, let it sit for awhile, then use dustpan, the egg will come up, without all that mess. Contributed by Ms. Jerry McGinnis, CRAFTYLADY1@worldnet.att.net

..Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.

..Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.

..Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.

..Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker for easier pouring.

..Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting.

..Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

..Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.

..A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.

Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.

Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.

Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.

Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.

Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.

Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.

Boil clothespins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.

Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour
Add a little salt to the water your cut fs will stand in for a longer life.

Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.

Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.

Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.

Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.

To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make a stiff putty.

Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.

Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.

Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.

Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.
Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.

A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.

Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for awhile.

A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea.

Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.

Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.

Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.

Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.

Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.

Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.

Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.

Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.

Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.

Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash.

Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.

Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.

Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.

Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains.

Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.
Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.

Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.

Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odor.

A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee.

Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.

Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.

Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later.

Remove offensive odors from stove with salt and cinnamon.

A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.

To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts alcohol.

Salt and lemon juice removes mildew.

Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass growing.

Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a ber look.

Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.

If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice. The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.