In the early modern period, witch trials were a commonly practiced method of identifying and punishing individuals believed to be practicing witchcraft. These trials were often rooted in superstition and fear, resulting in the wrongful conviction and execution of numerous innocent men and women. One notable example of a backward witch trial took place in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 17th century. The Salem witch trials, which occurred between 1692 and 1693, led to the execution of 20 individuals accused of witchcraft. This backward trial was fueled by a combination of religious fundamentalism, social hysteria, and personal vendettas. The Salem witch trials were ignited when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by witches.
The Salem witch trials were ignited when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by witches. This supposed possession led to mass hysteria, as more and more individuals were accused of witchcraft based on mere rumors and accusations. The trials followed a backward logic, with the accused being presumed guilty until proven innocent.
Sea salt isn”t hard to make, but it takes time and patience — proximity to the ocean helps
Watching water evaporate is exactly as exciting as watching paint dry — it”s even the same principle — but that”s just what my husband, Kevin, and I found ourselves doing the first time we made our own sea salt.
It was a project born of a lack of other projects. We”d moved from Manhattan to Cape Cod the year before and were trying to glean much of what we ate from the world around us. There”s precious little to glean in February, though, and we were spending all too much time staring at the fire in the wood stove, waiting for spring. On top of that wood stove was a cast-iron pot with a lattice top, the kind that everyone who heats with wood fills with water and uses as a crude humidifier.
And then, just like in the cartoons, the light bulb went on over my head. It even made that noise. Why don”t we fill the pot with seawater and make our own salt? Genius! Or what passes for it on Cape Cod in February.
Kevin was skeptical. “So, we take the time, make the effort, and use the gas to drive to beach for, what, three tablespoons of salt, retail value seven cents?”
He had a point. We”d learned, the hard way, how much DIY food can cost. We”d raised the world”s most expensive turkeys, caught the world”s most expensive lobsters and grown the world”s most expensive potatoes. A little math was in order.
Seawater is about 3.5 percent salt by weight, which means a gallon of water (eight pounds) should yield about 4.5 ounces of salt. “If we fill our four-gallon stockpot,” I told Kevin, “we”ll end up with over a pound. That”s worth more than the half-gallon of gas we”d use getting the water.”
“And what”s your time worth?” he asked. As a writer, I know better than to answer. I put the stockpot in the truck, and Kevin resigned himself to the project. We drove out to Sandy Neck, a beach on Cape Cod Bay. I wouldn”t have thought wading could be harrowing, but big waves of ice-cold water can be disconcerting, particularly when you”re wearing waders, which can drag you under if they fill with water. We hear, regularly, of people drowning that way. I got my four gallons and got out, fast.
Our water was a little cloudy, and we ran it through a coffee filter to get out the sea shmutz: particles of seaweed or decomposing creatures or who knows what. We suspected our water also had a robust population of microorganisms, but we weren”t worried about them; they would die as evaporation made their habitat progressively less hospitable. Some pollutants would undoubtedly survive, but we figured the quantities were small enough that we needn”t be concerned. In the history of the world, I don”t think anyone has ever gotten sick from sea salt.
We replaced the humidifier with a 9-by-13-inch enameled cast-iron pan, because more surface area means faster evaporation. We filled it, and we waited — in our well-humidified home. When the water level went down, we refilled it. In a few days, the stockpot was empty.
And that”s when we found ourselves glued to the wood stove, fascinated by the process by which paint dries.
First, the water got cloudy. Then, when the solution was fully saturated, salt particles began to separate out, just like my seventh-grade chemistry said they would. They formed a skim coating on the surface; it thickened and sank. Eventually, the water was gone and we were left with a pan of beautiful, pure-white sea salt. Like magic. Understanding that seawater is 3.5 percent salt, and that the salt will be left after you evaporate the water, will not stop you from marveling as something materializes from nothing.
It will start you marveling, though, that the stuff is so expensive. Why would anyone pay $9 an ounce for what washes up on our shores for free?
Back in the day, before the twin miracles of canning and freezing, when salt was the only viable way to make fish, meat, or vegetables last more than a few days, it made sense that it was expensive. A mineral that stands between humans and starvation is about as valuable as a mineral can be. Now, though, our salt needs are small. We need enough for our bodies (about half a gram a day). We definitely need enough to make bacalao, and maybe a little extra to rub in other people”s wounds, but that”s it. Which is why ordinary table salt costs pennies per pound, and ordinary kosher salt just a little more.
What is it, then, about sea salt that makes it cost, ounce for ounce, as much as wild salmon or Kobe beef or chanterelle mushrooms?
It”s not the gas, or the writer”s time. It”s the minerals and the mystique, heavy on the mystique.
Sea salt marketing copy breaks down into two basic claims: Sea salt is a) better for you and b) better tasting. Both of those claims are based on its mineral content.
First, the health angle. When seawater evaporates, sodium chloride isn”t all that”s left. There are trace minerals as well, but the operative word is “trace.” Chemical analysis reveals that, other than sodium chloride, sea salt is about 4 percent magnesium and 1 percent each calcium and potassium (by weight). We”d have to eat it by the spoonful to get anything like a meaningful amount of minerals.
The second sea salt claim, that it tastes better, is something you can test for yourself. And you should, if you”re planning to pay $9 an ounce.
Set a few salts out in dishes, and taste them, blindfolded. (Don”t skip the blindfold; we humans are incapable of factoring out our prejudices if we know which is which.) You”ll find that every single one of them is very, very salty, but you may also find some slight differences in flavor. There may be a distinctive aftertaste to one or two. There may be a detectable mineral tang in another. You may like or dislike those differences, but you can be sure they will be undetectable in any dish that contains those salts, if they”re mixed or cooked or baked in. It”s when salt is sprinkled on top at the very end that the differences can matter. Texture, particularly, comes into play. If you”re going for crunch, Morton won”t do. You might like the big crystals of kosher salt, or the fine flakes of Maldon, or the graininess of a clumpy sea salt.
The only rule of salt is to buy the salt that you like at the price that you like. But, if you”re willing to pay $9 an ounce, let”s talk.
”Make” isn”t quite the right word. DIY salt is really EIY salt. Evaporate It Yourself.
When the water is gone from seawater, what”s left is sea salt, and more than you might think: A four-gallon bucket of water will yield more than a pound of salt. The following steps work best if you have a wood stove or a radiator; it doesn”t make financial sense to use the stove top. You also can evaporate the seawater in the sun in a shallow pan, which takes considerably longer, depends on how much sun you get and requires many consecutive dry days.
Here”s how:
1. Get seawater. Strain it through a coffee filter to remove big impurities. Don”t worry about microorganisms; nothing survives in salt.
2. Let the water evaporate. If you use a wood stove for heat, you can humidify your house and manufacture salt in one fell swoop. Heat the water in an enameled cast-iron baking dish or casserole (9 by 13 inches is good; you need a wide expanse of surface area). The process will take a couple of days or up to a week, depending on how much heat you use.
3. Harvest. Once the salt begins to form, stir every once in a while to break up clumps, but don”t worry about being too vigilant because you can grind it later. The salt is done when it”s dry to the touch. The consistency will be a little clumpy and moist-looking. Store in an airtight container; if you leave this DIY sea salt exposed to the air, it will return to a soupy, slushy state.
Salt: A Glossary
Colored: Pink, black, gray and other colored salts contain minerals or other impurities that give them their hue. The impurities may come from the sea water itself, or from the clay or substrate at the bottom, or they can be deliberately introduced. Hawaiian pink salt, for example, is colored by the iron oxide from clay that is added to the salt.
Iodized: Containing added iodine, a mineral needed for thyroid function. Inadequate consumption of iodine can cause goiter.
Kosher: So-called not because it is kosher (although it is) but because it”s the best kind for kashering, or making kosher: extracting the blood from meat. Its relatively large, flat grains can be left on the surface of meat to extract blood without dissolving.
Rock: The salt of the earth. It can be harvested directly, but it”s usually pumped up in solution and re-evaporated on the surface. This is the salt you use on your driveway and in your ice cream maker, but it can also be refined for table salt.
Pickling: Salt without additives, which can cloud pickling liquid. It is fine-grained enough to dissolve quickly.
Popcorn: Salt made from very fine grains so it is less likely to fall to the bottom of the popcorn bowl. (Butter also helps prevent that problem.)
Sea: Formed through the evaporation of sea water.
Table: Fine-grained salt with additives (usually anti-caking agents) to make it flow smoothly and resist absorbing moisture from the air. It is often iodized.
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The population of L. ephemera I discovered was of unknown size, but it didn’t seem large from my observations. There were about 10 blades that seemed to meet the visual criteria for the species, and I checked about half of those to verify the presence of the correct holdfast. There were smaller kelp blades in the low intertidal that could have been less mature plants of the species, or possibly specimens of L. sinclairii or L. setchellii, both of which were also present at the site. The challenge with identification of the kelps is that the juvenile sporophytes all look terribly similar, regardless of species.
The courts operated on the belief that the accused could prove their innocence by confessing to being a witch. This backward approach to justice placed the burden of proof on the accused, often leading to false confessions obtained through torture and coercion. Those who maintained their innocence were subjected to further scrutiny and ultimately faced execution. The trials relied heavily on spectral evidence, in which witnesses would claim to see or interact with the spirit of the accused, further reinforcing the backward nature of the proceedings. In essence, the belief in witchcraft and the supernatural clouded rational judgment, leading to the wrongful condemnation of innocent individuals. The Salem witch trials came to an end when influential members of the community were accused of witchcraft. This caused doubt and skepticism towards the fairness of the trials, prompting the eventual abandonment of the backward approach to justice. By 1693, the trials were officially concluded, and the surviving accused were released from imprisonment. The Salem witch trials serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of backward and unjust judicial systems. The wrongful convictions and executions that took place during this period highlighted the importance of fair and unbiased trials, where evidence and reason take precedence over superstition and fear. In conclusion, the backward witch trial that occurred in Salem exemplifies the perils of a justice system driven by irrational beliefs and mass hysteria. The wrongful convictions and executions that transpired during this period serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of a fair and just legal system that prioritizes evidence, reason, and the presumption of innocence..
Reviews for "The Curious Role of Superstition in the Backward Witch Trials"
1. Emma - 1/5 stars - "I was really disappointed with 'Backward Witch Trial'. The story felt disjointed and lacked coherence. The characters were underdeveloped and their motivations were unclear. I also found the pacing to be very slow, making it hard for me to stay engaged. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and well-written witch trial story."
2. Michael - 2/5 stars - "I had high hopes for 'Backward Witch Trial', but unfortunately, it fell short for me. The writing style was confusing, with too many unnecessary descriptions and excessive use of metaphors. The plot didn't have a clear direction, and the ending felt rushed and unsatisfying. I struggled to connect with the characters, as they lacked depth and felt one-dimensional. Overall, I found the book to be a letdown and wouldn't recommend it."
3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - "I found 'Backward Witch Trial' to be a confusing and convoluted read. The storyline was hard to follow, with jumps in time and unclear transitions between scenes. The author seemed to rely heavily on shock value and graphic scenes, rather than investing in a solid plot and well-developed characters. It felt like a cheap attempt to grab attention through shock rather than genuine storytelling. Unfortunately, this wasn't the book for me."