Monday, June 22, 2009 - Mulberries are in season
|
The mulberry grows in the upper regions of the US and many other countries. While some curse its messiness ( it does tend to stain sidewalks, roofs and bird droppings purple) It is a very easy to identify wild plant that produces excellent nutrition that is easy to take advantage of.
The fruits, called drupes look like blackberries, but they don't taste the same. Mulberries taste sweet, and blandly grapey/boisonberry-ish They are ripe when they are a deep red/black color and come off the branches easily. Some mulberries produce white fruit that is fully ripe, but I have never seen it.
Mulberries can be used in any recipe that calls for berries- cobblers, fruit salads, pies, jams, and syrups. They are not very flavorful on their own, so when using them mix with other berries or use citrus juice to bring out the flavor.
they do not keep well, so any berries that do not get eaten the first day, you really need to cook, freeze, or dehydrate, unless you are planning on having them ferment in your fridge or on your counter!
Harvesting them is FUN! Children can take an old fitted or flat sheet and hold it spread out by the corners, while an older child or adult shakes the branches on this tree. Be sure to wear old clothes- some parts of you and your kids will end up PURPLE! Do not eat any that have already hit the ground before you got there- for the Above mentioned reason. after you get a couple quarts in the sheet,, you need to move them to a shallow container, because they are fragile and will be crushed by their own weight.
When you get them home, cover them in cold water and let them sit for a few hours, hen sort.
Hard or grey looking berries go right to the trash ( or pet that eats berries, if you have one) you will have some bugs, some sticks and leaves too- toss those. then bag up the ones you will be saving and freeze them.
Mulberry syrup recipe
1 and 1/2- 2 quarts fresh or frozen cleaned mulberries ( mostly ripe- but throw in a few tougher ones that are nearly ripe for tartness).
2 cups of water
a handful of shamrocks- see previous post for info) whole- remove seed pods, flowers and roots. this provides lemon flovor( optional)
OR- 2 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
In a saucepan, boil all ingredients except sugar for 20 minutes. Let cool til you can touch it. Strain seeds and shamrocks through strainer or cheesecloth squeezing to get out all the juice and water, which you keep. Throw the fruit mmush and seeds away. Return juice/water mixture to the pan and add sugar. Boil stirring occaisionally.It may take 1/2 hr to an hour depennding on how juicey the berries were. Stop boiling when desired consistancy forms on a spoon when cooled.
This is very yummy on pancakes!
|
| � 0 Comments � Post A Comment! � Permanent Link |
Friday, June 19, 2009 - Detour Through the Desert
|
I am re-posting this for a friend. It was written by me on my other blog just about a year ago.
Many of us are in the desert this year..... not an easy place to be, but it can still be a good place, if we let our Shepherd lead us THROUGH it.
| Tuesday, June 10, 2008 |
| Detour Through the Desert |
She stopped dead and said to them, " We mustn't go down there. The Shepherd has called me to the High Places. We must find some path which goes up, but certainly not down there."...
Much-Afraid looked to the left and right, but though it seemed incredible, there was no way possible by which they could continue to climb upward....
"I can't go down there," panted Much-Afraid, sick with shock and fear. "He can never mean that-never! He called me to the High Places and this is an absolute contradiction of all that He promised."...
He looked at her and answered very gently, "That is the path, Much-Afraid, and you are to go down there."...
"No," said the Shepherd, " it is not a contradiction, only the postponement for the best to become possible."
"You mean,"..."you really mean that I am to follow that path down and down into that wilderness and then over that dessert, away from the mountains indefinitely? Why.... it may be months, even years before that path leads back to the mountains again. O Shepherd, do you mean it is indefinite postponement?"
"Much-Afraid, do you love me enough to accept the postponement and the apparent contradiction of the promise and to go down there with me into the desert?"
...with the Shepherd standing close beside her, she laid down on the altar her trembling, rebelling will. A little spurt of flame came from somewhere and in an instant nothing remained but ashes.
...she saw a little stone of some kind, a dark-colored, common looking pebble.
"Pick it up and take it with you." said the Shepherd "as a memorial of this altar which you built and all that it stands for."
"Much-Afraid", he said, "all of my servants on their way to the High Places have had to take a detour through the desert. It is called 'the furnace of Egypt' and 'an horror of great darkness'
(Gen 15:12, 17). Here they have learned many things which otherwise they would have known nothing about."
..."In Egypt too, I fashion my fairest and finest vessels and bring forth instruments for my work according as I see fit." ( Jer 18) Then he smiled and added, "Can I not do with you, Much-Afraid, as this potter? Behold, as the clay is in the hand of the potter, so you are in my hand."
( Isah 54:11) Then he added,"my rarest and choicest jewels and my finest gold are those who have been refined in the furnace of Egypt.", and he sang one verse of a little song:
I'll turn my hands upon thy heart,
and purge away thy dross,
I will refine thee in my fire,
Remake the at my cross."'
These words are from Hannah Hurnard's "Hind's Feet on High Places."
From the sixth chapter, entitled " Detour Through the Dessert".
If you have not read this book- I would highly recommend it!
It was a gift given to me at the very beginning of my life in Christ that has become a treasure to me. It was reading this at the beginning of my journey that helped me through the valleys, and the times I spent in the desert.
Times when:
My husband was verbally and emotionally abusive
My daughter almost bled to death
My son had a life threatening kidney infection
Money crises
mothering 4 children with special needs
spending Christmas and New Year's in the hospital because of pregnancy complications
leaving my baby in the hospital for 5 months because she needed surgery
Hearing the ignorant comments people make when they know your kid has Down Syndrome
Living in and out of the van in order to see her in Chicago
Hearing in the the hospital that she might have leukemia.
She had surgeries that did nothing but traumatize her because they failed.
My husband was suicidal, and so angry all the time, I was afraid
Watching my daughter die in my arms, as I tried to bring her back.
hearing all the stupid things people say when a baby dies- especially if they were handicapped.
becoming pregnant right after that and being scared to go through it all again.
Taking the kids and leaving my husband because of his untreated bi-polar
My husband at 28 had 90-95% blockages of all of his coronary arteries
watching him scream in pain after the surgery that saved his life
Being told that he would have to go through it again possibly every 5-10 years
and not grow old before he died.
Hearing that my children would probably end up the same way, maybe even earlier in life
Finding my husband passed out on the bathroom floor from double dosing his medicines because they were mislabeled, wondering if he would live through it.
Becoming homeless because of all the medical expenses
Watching my husband walk away from God, and become hostile
toward God and my church friends
Having a baby when I was homeless....
Moving in with my in laws without a job in a totally unfamiliar place
Taking my husband to the ER almost every month for chest pain
watching the strong man he once was fade away, replaced by someone who was sick and tired
Watching people disbelieve his heart condition because he looks strong and healthy
Going through our first winter in that state with everyone being sick for the majority of the year.
Finding out that my son had been molested by a teen neighbor-not once but several times
Moving 17 times in 15 years.
Having clinical depression- unable to feel that God is still there
Not wanting to even get out of bed, afraid to go to sleep because I would have to feel it again
Screaming inside because living, and going about normal activities caused mental pain
Hearing the dismissive comments of people blaming it on my own thoughts-( just as I used to do) because they have never been there.
Leaving a cult that introduced me the Jesus, and the tearing away of friendships when they all believe we are condemned to Hell for leaving the "one true church".
The desert is no fun. I hate the desert. But I love the one who is leading me there. He wouldn't shrink from death on a cross for my sake, and I will go where he leads because I know he loves me more than his life. Remembering what He has brought me through and the good he has done through it gives me hope for the future. He has not abandoned me. He is working for my good where I can't see it.
|
|
| � 0 Comments � Post A Comment! � Permanent Link |
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - Summer Adventures Part Two- Me
|
Wild foods!
This summer, we have all been learning more about plants. Trinity has her garden, Harley is making herbal medicines and I am exploring wild foods again. This summer, we have tried these easy to identify foods growing right in our back yard! ( and here I have links to foraging sites about each one)
Dandelions young leaves taste like lettuce- older leaves are bitter
Yellow Wood Sorrel(aka Sleeping Beauty, aka Shamrock)- sour- tastes like lemons
Ground Ivy ( aka Gill Over the Ground, aka Creeping Charlie)- strongly herbal, Raymond liked it, the rest of us didn't really enjoy it as a salad green, but might make good tea or flavoring.
Common Chickweed tastes like corn, sort of, chewy.
White Clover- fragrant and tasty- as long as they are green/white.. brown is not good for salad, but can be turned into flour.
DISCLAIMER: please do not ingest wild foods unless you are positive of their identifying characteristics, and equally positive that either they have no poisonous look alikes, or that they possess NONE of the look alikes' identifying characteristics. The wild foods mentioned in this particular blog are very easy to identify and most people know them well. They also do not have poisonous look alikes-but do be careful to go to the links and positively identify them anyway:)
Yesterday, we harvested wild clover form our yard and the empty lot near our home. We gathered 2 zippered sandwich bags of the white flower heads. That seems like a lot, but as I type this, I can see our yard, and we have barely made a dent in the population!
Anyway, these two bags, when rinsed, sorted and chopped make about once cup. I love the scent of clover- it filled my house as i chopped them on the cutting board:)
Clover Corn Bread ( Recipe from " Identifying and Harvesting Edibleand Medicinal Plants")
To tell you the truth, I probably should have allowed the clover to dry after I rinsed it, but i didn't figure it mattered.. it did. this stuff didn't dry out enough, but it does smell and taste very good to me. Harley commented that it tasted like salad and bread mixed together, but I betcha that if he didn't know what was in it he would have loved it. Rowan enjoyed it, and Trinity has not had any yet. it is not a SWEET cornbread recipe- what my Tennessee relatives called "Johnny Cake" ( like the commercially made corn muffin mix) this is a whole grain and corn meal quick bread that is not sugary.
anyway... here goes...
3 Tablespoons vinegar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups apple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup barley or whole wheat flour ( we used whole wheat)
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup finely chopped dried or fresh white clover flowers
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Preheat oven to 300. Combine liquid ingredients in a bowl. Combine dry ingredients in another. Add the liquid to the dry mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour batter into an oiled 9x 13 pan and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Hope you try it- this is the perfect time of year to harvest the clover.
|
| � 0 Comments � Post A Comment! � Permanent Link |
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - Summer Adventures Part One- Harley
|
The weather has been LOVELY here- not a hot day yet- and I AM SO THANKFUL, but, the kids don't share my enthusiasm for the prolonged springtime. They would rather be using their pool passes Our local public swimming pool has not been open every day yet.
4-H Project Geology, Pebble Pups I
So anyway... Sunday, we took a trip out to Viroqua, WI to attend the gem and mineral show. We got lost- this time it was not my fault- Raymond was driving, and we got there just as they were closing. I was not happy, to say the least. I stayed in the truck while Raymond and Harley went inside and purchased a few specimens. Then, we found out that there was a rock shop in town, so while the kids stayed in the vehicle, we picked up a few items for Harley to identify ( without telling him exactly what each rock or mineral was).
 My wedding ring got oxidized during a chemistry experiment, so Raymond picked up a hematite ring for me there and put it on my finger. It is a steel grey/blue color and shiny. The whole thing is made of rock instead of having a rock on it. It's a cheap replacement, I know, but it is sweet, and I felt much less grumpy after that.
Raymond also stopped at a roadside rock quarry where the kids dug through the rubble and found many interesting composite rocks. Harley has a lot of identifying to do before the fair- just about one month away!
Herbalism
We purchased the kit from Learning Herbs.com and Harley began his journey to making medicine from herbs. This is a great starter kit, with lots of free gifts and access to a site that has lots more information, including worksheets and tutorial videos.
Today, Harley made a healing salve- useful for minor cuts,burns, scrapes and insect bites. It was a lot of fun. We are going to give a little tin of it to each of the married couples in our family when we get together this July 4th weekend. We have a big jar and a smaller jar for ourselves as well.
Harley is very happy to be learning so much this summer!
|
| � 0 Comments � Post A Comment! � Permanent Link |
Sunday, May 24, 2009 - The garden is GROWING!
|
Our maple trees have been prolific in raining down their twice yearly loads of helecopter seeds. We spent some time picking them out of our garden, and ripping out a pesky dandelion that had managed to take root.
Here is a before picture of the squares.
That's the West one and here is the East side one
and this is the strawberry planter
The other day we discovered that we needed to water the garden- I know you probably think this is a no brainer- but I thought that if you planted the garden and it rained every few days,
you didn't need to water it.
Our marigolds were drooping and the tomato plant shriveled... nothing was sprouting that we had sown.
I tried to hook up the hose- only to find that it didn't fit well, and got a shower!. So, we improvised.... I had gotten the kids some water squirters They work sort of like a syringe- you pull the inner part back while holding the tube under water, and it sucks up the liquid. Then you can push the plunger back in and shoot water out of it. So we used bowls, and water squirters to soak the 2 Square foot garden beds.
Today we have some sprouts- the pumpkins, beans, and watermelon are showing themselves. |
| � 0 Comments � Post A Comment! � Permanent Link |
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 - Our Square Foot Garden
|
I have decided to use Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home for part of Trinity's curriculum this year. While this curriculum does have some VERY conservative and old- fashioned ideology, I feel that it will help prepare Trinity for life on her own, no matter which direction her life takes. She was interested in many aspects of home economics that I was not the least bit knowledgeable about.
My ambition in life as child and young adult was to work in some science field- never to be a homeschooling mother! God's plan was so much more ME- so much fun and so fulfilling- I wish I had known earlier in life where he would place me. So, when I became a wife, and had children shortly after, I did most of my homemaking training on the job- not an easy task!
I just don't want her to have to go through that- and this way I get lo learn right along with Trinity and have a great time with the few years we have homeschooing together. I really enjoy being with her every day!
So anyway, Trinity chose to get a head start on the gardening aspect and use it for summer school, and the curriculum specified that we use the square foot method. I know NOTHING so I follow DIRECTIONS in this area.
Yesterday, we mixed together 2 bags of perlite- because vermiculite is tough to find, 60 lbs of compost and manure, and 8.8 cubic feet of peat moss.. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering what we were doing making this huge mound of DIRT on the concrete pad in the lot next door.
We used 4x8 construction grade lumber and 3 inch galvanized shank nails to make 2 boxes, each 4x4 feet, for a total of 32 square feet.
After filling them with the soil mix ( it was windy today, so we got quite dirty), we used 1/8 inch braided nylon cord to create the grid. The official square foot gardening web site said we could use screw eyes to anchor it... HA! as soon as I tightened the first knot, the darn eye came right out! I had to improvise- with some smaller nails, we anchored the cord on the top and then again on the sides by pounding the nails through it halfway and then bending the nails over to hold the line in place. It worked well.
The curriculum says to start with seeds- but we were anxious to see something growing in it, so we cheated with the marigolds and tomato plants. We also have some onion sets to put in tomorrow.
Harley is going to have a perennial herb/medicinal garden out back and fill it with some of things we can't put in the squares because they self-sew or take over. Ecinacea, chamomile, and mint are going to go first.
Rowan will be planting strawberries in a container, and broccoli in one square. Trinity has planned 2 varieties of lettuce, some flowers, watermelon, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, cucumbers, and purple green beans. This is going to be FUN!
I will bring pictures when I blog next! |
| � 0 Comments � Post A Comment! � Permanent Link |
Saturday, May 9, 2009 - ZAXY Rocket
|
Raymond once had an orange tabby named Aslan. when he was just a kid.
I always wanted an orange tabby... and when Widget had one, he was born with tons of personality and a loud mouth. The very first thing he ever did was meow loudly and shortly thereafter he crawled completely out of Trinity's bedroom and into the hallway despite being only 2 days old. Good thing his voice carried to my room at the other end of the house and I found him!
This was Rowan's kitten to name, and he chose Zax.... because rowan names everything Zax. He became known as Zaxy, and his middle name is Rocket. Don't ask me why.
Zaxy Rocket is my good morning cat. Sometimes the "good-morning-because -the-sun-is-up-and-why-are-you-still-sleeping-at-the-crack-of-dawn" cat. He's the "I'm-cute-and-you-must-pet-me-and-talk-to-me-or-I -will-lick-your-face-and-rub-against-you-purring-and-meowing-until-you-have-to-aknowledge-my-presence." cat.
It's a nice way to wake up, much better than alarm clocks and screaming children... even if it is sometimes too early! It puts me in a good mood and I am thankful that God brought him to us.
Zaxy Rocket is 4 months old, and is almost as big as his mother. He is going to get neutered this month... I hope he stays sweet and affectionate. Trinity is going to show Zaxy in the 4H cat show this year- her first entry. It's 10 weeks away! |
| � 0 Comments � Post A Comment! � Permanent Link |
Saturday, May 9, 2009 - Review of Kent Hovind's Creation Series
|
I really like Netflix. It is a wonderful way to rent movies and There are many side benefits, such as being able to watch things instantly and also access to documentaries that arre relevant to what I am teaching in our school.
I saw Kent Hovind's Creation series and thought it would be a great series to watch, because we believe in creation. Kent is a cynical smart-aleck, whose low opinion of everything not " Baptist" bleeds through. He has lots of useful information, and while he is entertaining to watch, I think someone else may have done a better job.
Kent does a lot of name-calling, and his ultra conservative lifestyle, represented by his opinions of fashion, namely, long hair, tattoos and body piercing, are insulting to those of us who do not share his viewpoint.
Hovind is fond of saying that the scientists, teachers and politicians are lying to us, or at the very least covering up the truth... This is a fact---but then, he puts excerpts from books on the screen, highlighting the points he is trying to make and doesn't leave them there long enough for you to see that he has taken things out of context and twisted them. He has done the same with scripture. I regularly paused the DVD playerr in order to read those things he posted on the screen, fully.
My husband- ever the visionary man who can spot a hypocrite from miles away was fed up with him after the first DVD. I figured we should test everything and hold onto the good... the 5th of 6 seminars was full of conspiracy theories about the government poisoning us and changing the weather, water and food supply to take over the world. I don't doubt that some of the information was true, but the conclusions he jumped to were outlandish. (chem trails, genetically modified food)
I didn't find him to be a very good example for my children and was dissappointed in that.
I did, however, get a good explaination of the dinosaurs and the flood from the 3rd and 4th DVD's,whitch were excellent.
I looked him up on the internet and found that both he and his wife are serving prison time for refusal to pay their taxes, saying that they work for God and therefore do not have to pay those. Sorry, Kent, Jesus told his followers to pay their taxes and even performed a miracle so that his disciple could pay his.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
When the worlld looks at this guy, it's no wonder they label us all crazy right-wing fundimentalist bigots!
Case for a Creator and Expelled were infinately better, with less off topic and irrelevant information.
Is there smeone out there who can reccomend a good film for this subject?
|
| � 1 Comments � Post A Comment! � Permanent Link |
|
About Me
Well, I'm a Mom, a Medical Assistant, a knitter, kite flyer, nature lover...Around here we have special needs, ( Asperger's, ADHD, Bi-polar) a few animal pals, some tattoos and a homeschool. It's our 6th year. This is my 16th year of marriage to a Mr. Visionary who happens to be a walking miracle.
backlinks widget
Links
Categories
Faith
About School
Uncategorized
Home and Family
Freebies and Curriculum Ideas
Just for Fun
Knitting
Medical
Secret Sisters
homeschool-memoirs-2008-09
pets
curious+as+a+cat
nature
|
