Saturday, June 25, 2016

Lastly; on Cleavers... I have an abundance of cleavers! I have more seed than I can believe! Time to try that coffee substitute called 'roasted cleaver seeds'... I will post how I plan to roast them asap

Cleaver and Horsetail on the Wild West End
Here are a couple of amazing patches of cleaver. Well only one photographed published here now. Will get the others later.

Cleaver and Me Came To Be
Friends of the past 3 seasons
I learned much and will do all
That I can to be always thankful
For That.


This is what cleaver looks like in mid June most years. It is in great shape this year. This is out on the bogs in the wild west end.  Will post the forest edge plants soon, they are much much greener...



©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing
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Friday, June 24, 2016

IN Search of Burdock; and the wicked world of work... LoL.... I love working, If I was Wise, this would have been my work, YET... this is something that work helps acheive, maybe...

I remember when I decided to study evening primrose;
Silly.
Looking back.
They say only look back if you are going that way.
I argue only that I am remembering this because it was such a gift.
A, last gift.
A gift of change.
My study included transplanting my find, watching it grow,
Listening.
Big change.
Transplanted it again and watched it grow to the sky that summer.
Thank you Lynah!
So, at harvest time I moved eastward and brought the plants stock and seed heads with me hoping to have time and room to work with it.
Turns out I didn't
But what did happen was only special to me.
Who doesn't want to spread their love and ideas, if they seem "right".
So that hot September day my evening primrose sent its baby seeds out the back of my truck over 45 miles of space...
The plants dried out quite fast in the bed of the truck. and they took their time spreading out.
I didn't clean it (the bed of my truck),except when I finally need the space.
hm. I call that quite a study. (was busy finding refuge before the quickly approaching rainy season ensued..lol)(which helped my friend eveningprimrose take root and grow, or get washed into some cavern and wait dormantly untime the perfect time of it's rebirth)))))))))))))))
May seem like a lame little story. But seeds are little.
Life is only lame if YoU let it.

Today I embark on learning about burdock. that sounds quite hollow.
I want to meet Miss Burdock and hang out with her for awhile. I think she's out there somewhere waiting for someone to come along with some mundame human question.
Maybe she just loves the birds and seeks no human friend.
I think I shall be sure to ask.
Til then my friends!
©Allisonians Please ask me for permission to use my photos or writing

Note to self and anyone who is reading; I can't wait to post photos of my adventure.
I would post from the link below, but my mentor wants our own work. no cheeting! :D
Truly Your's;
Alli McD
Resources;
I found this lovely bit of Identification information;
https://druidgarden.wordpress.com/tag/identifying-burdock/


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Banana This; Recycle Old Peels~ fertilizer or silver polish

There are things you can do with that old peel.

1. Do you have a green thumb? House hold plants and outside gardens require fertilization. A great way to give your plants nutrients is with a banana peel. The banana peel is very rich in potassium and phosphorus, which give that added boost to your plants soil, especially so with roses. Here is how to use a banana peel to fertilizer your soil for your plants. Remove the peel from the banana. Place the banana peel on a cookie sheet to let it air dry. Grab a paper bag or envelope. Crumble the dried banana peel and place it in the bag. Let the banana sit at room temperature for about two days. When your caring for your plant, give it a potassium treat of crumbled banana peel. Mix well in the soil to ensure the roots are fed evenly.
2. Have you been thinking about pulling out that old silver? Well there is no time like the present. Bananas peel can also be used to polish silver. Yes, polish silver. Take the old peels and place them in a blender. You want the peels to become smooth and creamy. Once they have, grab a cloth and small amounts of the creamed banana peel and begin polishing your silver. The shine will be breath taking.

SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST

SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST
Wild yeasts exist in the air around you and to some extent on the wheat berries. There are wild yeasts on grapes (unsulphured) and apples and other fruits. It is those wild yeasts which are 'captured' to make a sourdough starter. The process takes from 3 to 5 days. I wish I had specific amounts for you, but you could start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour and mix in enough warm (not hot) water to make a thin paste. DO NOT make it too soupy. That, in fact, is the trick to a good starter, according to the French bread makers, and I think they should know. And after you've fooled around with the flour and water thing, you might wish to branch out into adding those unsulphured grapes, apples, sour milk, etc as a catalyst in order to capture other strains of yeast. Each of these strains has a slightly different taste. In fact if you move to another area, you might end up with a starter that produces an entirely different flavor. For instance, San Francisco sourdough bread is well known and has a distinct taste due to the wild strains in the air there. On day one you mix the flour and water (and add any catalysts to encourage fermentation) and place in a warm spot. After 3 days, the dough should be moist, inflated, and slightly sour. More flour and water is added (mixed in) and left to sit in a warm spot. After 2 days the process is repeated. Then the next day it is done again. Note the order: 3 days, 2 days, 1 day. At this point you should be able to make a loaf of bread using part of the starter and adding back what you took out in the form of more flour and water. Rule of thumb: Use about 10% starter to size of loaf. In the case of a 2 lb loaf this is a bit over 3 oz of starter (3.2 to be exact). For a 1 lb loaf 1.5 oz would be used. A book that describes this process in great detail is The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz, copyright 1993, published by Ten Speed Press, Berkley CA. If it's not still in print, try the used books stores, that's where I got mine. Or try your local library. If they don't have it, they might be able to get it for you. ©2008 by Ernestina Parziale

Thank You For Visiting!

Thank You For Visiting!
Have a Great Day!