gardening day

 Give thanks to the Mother Earth.
Give thanks to the Father Sun.
Give thanks to the plants in the garden
Where Mother and Father are one.

Tuesday is Gardening Day.

   One end of our yard, just beyond the chickens, is dedicated to food production.  Mostly we experiment there with grand visions of acreage we may some day own.  Truly, experiment is the word.  We'd like to think of ourselves as gardeners and hope one day to produce most of what we eat on our own property, but I think those days might be farther away than we hope.

   Three years ago neither of us had really successfully grown any kind of crop.  These days we manage to harvest delicious tomatoes, lettuces, various greens, squash, blueberries, strawberries, onions, peas, beans, beets, potatoes and garlic.  Being novices, we're still working on the how-to specifics though.  That and figuring out interesting recipes for beets or tomatoes or zucchini or whatever we're inundated with briefly but intensely as each successive crop fills baskets, jars and bowls in our kitchen, pantry and basement. 

   

   Last year we planted garlic in the Fall and harvested in the late Summer (a little belatedly since some of the bulbs, although edible, were insufficiently protected by the dead outer layer).  This time around then, we decided to plant in Spring (because we'd been told the long slumber of the cloves over Winter really makes little difference) and we harvested today.  The leaves and stalks were about half green, half brown (which is apparently the optimum time to dig them up).  Alas, although the yield was again usable, our garlic was rather diminutive.  I'm guessing our tiny bulbs were, in fact, the result of the Spring planting. 

   Next year's garlic plan: plant in Fall; harvest mid-Summer.

   Good thing we've still got the Farmer's Market.

In my garden there is a seed,
I am the one who put it there.
Who will help it now to grow?
Earth and sun and rain and air.

 In my garden there is a flower,
From a seed it came to birth.
Who then helped it to grow so tall?
Air and rain and sun and earth.

baking day

 Monday is Baking Day.

I had some surgery in my mouth last week and haven't eaten solid food for six days.

Baking day is a bit of a torment this time around.

The farmer gave her golden grain

For us to grind and grind

Now it's flour brown and white

Soft and very fine.

Add the water, yeast and honey

Mix it with our hands

When it's soft and not too runny

Let it stand and stand.

Shape the dough into a loaf

And put it in to cook

When it's crusty, crisp and brown

Then we'll have a look...

beeswax day

In our home Sunday is Beeswax Day.

Many months ago everything changed when we learned to soften the wax in a bowl of warm water.

A gift for us from our friends the bees

To warm in our hands as we press and squeeze

Wax so sweet with honey scent

What can you and I invent?

natural camping crafts

  As a part of our daily rhythm at home we have crafts (or painting, drawing, baking, etc.) every day after quiet time.  Last week when we were out at the cabin at Olallie Lake then, I wanted to carry something of the sort with us into our temporary outdoor life.  For a bit of a change, and also to embrace the natural world we were celebrating, I scoured the internet for outdoor natural craft ideas.

 We brought along a bunch of yarn, string, wire, paper, crayons and a manual drill to make manifest the myriad projects, but we also used many of the organic materials we found as we wandered the lakeside and hiking trails.  It was a great change-up from our standard watercolors, beeswax and glitter and Naiya especially enjoyed the daily treasure hunts.

One of the first things we put together was inspired by all the tangled bits of fishing line we found on our little beach.  This mobile is perhaps hard to see as it hangs from the rafters of our cabin porch but it is composed of that found fishing line, pine cones, shells and smooth water sculpted segments of wood.  The trick was attaching all the pieces to create balance and beauty that delightfully twirled in the afternoon breeze.

From Donni over at The Magic Onions we found this pretty pendant idea.  (Click here for a quick tutorial.)  Pendants can, of course, be made from anything found including small stones, seed cones, shells or even pretty pieces of wood.

I remember making these as a child and I found a tutorial for an Ojo de Dios or God's Eye over at Natural Suburbia.  We used found wood for these and made them with either two or three sticks.  I think they're prettiest with some kind of variegated yarn.

We were hoping to locate a greater variety of flowers but even with just the lupin and a few buttercups we were able to do some flower pounding and fill our cabin with a wall full of art.  We found a flower pounding tutorial from At the Butterfly Ball and had even brought along a hammer for this activity.  In the end, Naiya preferred using a flat, smooth stone she found.  We must have done "flower mash" (as she called it) two or three times a day.

Another activity that consumed our little one was just pounding nails and drilling screws into stumps we found lying about.  For some reason the cabins at the lake always seem to have stray hardware around their perimeters.  (The result of poor clean-up from the refurbishing done some years ago?)  Anyhow, we remembered this and brought the hand drill for just this purpose.  It's still a little unwieldy for a four year old so we opted for hammering more often that drilling.  Again, those smooth, flat rocks come in mighty handy.




  There were some other great fellow blogger finds that we just never got around to...
 
  At Ordinary Life Magic we found a couple of ideas including cute Woodland Elves and some sweet Nature Fairie Dolls.  Perhaps next time we'll have time for those (and remember to bring glue.)

  Kelly at Freeflowing Ways has a tutorial on these lovely Pressed Flower Sun Catchers.  We didn't bring any tissue paper when we went camping but still plan to try these at home.

  Over at Acorn Pies, Beth has a tutorial on How to Make a Toy Boat out of Sticks.  Since we were lakeside, we thought this would be great fun.  It turned out to be too difficult for the four year old and we just threw chunks of bark in the water instead.  We'll certainly try this one again when she's older though.

  Lastly, from Lady of the Arts we found a how-to for Nature Marionettes.  I'm thinking that these also would have been too difficult for a child as young as ours (and we didn't get around to trying them) but what fantastically creative women there are out there in blogland!

  Do visit them if you get a chance and, while the weather holds, we hope you have the opportunity to enjoy all the goodness Nature provides for art projects of your own.

bear grass

  The most common flowers (other than Lupin) that we found up at Olallie Lake were the huge blossoms that rose from boundless clumps of Bear Grass (xerophyllum tenax).  These plants present a really beautiful bloom and aren't really part of the grass family at all but are, as I understand it, more closely related to a lily.

  One day, as Naiya stripped the tall stalk of its petals and seeds, she asked if we could plant the seeds in our garden at home.
  "Sure," I told her.
  "Okay," she said, "then we can grow bears in our back yard."
  (Very matter-of-fact.)

  Wouldn't it be fun?...

olallie lake 2011

 We're back!  I'm ending another blogging hiatus to let you know we've just returned from a recent vacation up at Olallie Lake.  This trip was a repeat of one we did last year with the addition of mosquitoes, tantrums and letterboxes and a reduction in caught fish.  Still, it was a relaxing week in a beautiful area with great weather.

 Olallie Lake is up in Mt. Hood National Forest within the shadow of Mt. Jefferson in an area home to over 200 lakes and small ponds and endless fields of huckleberries.  By state law the lake is un-swimmable and motorized vehicles are forbidden but it is stocked with rainbow and brook trout.  Apparently the 7,000 fish they released there were caught prior to our arrival though.  Or so say the diligent but unrewarded fishermen.

 As usual, we took a few hikes on this trip.  This time around we used some Letterboxing clues to lead us up new and interesting paths (and into some pretty intense mosquito breeding grounds as well).  (For more info on Letterboxing visit here or here.)  Below are various shots of our circumscription of Monan Lake which Naiya loves for the many plank paths which keep one from treading in the swampy grounds surrounding the pristine waters.

 We were unable to locate the letterbox we searched for there but did find a series of them on other adventures to Timber Lake and Upper Lake.  These hikes were both beautiful and burdensome.  The mosquitoes were out in full force, especially where the numerous small ponds lined the sides of the trails. 
 And then there was the girl child...
 Let it not be said that our every moment is lightness and joy (although the great majority of them really are).  For some reason this time around, Naiya was a rather unpleasant hiking companion.  Her feet were sore; she was tired; she was hungry; she was hot; over and over again, she just could not take another step.  Her loud complaints and screams were enough to keep away all wildlife (except the unwanted insects that continually attacked us).  Coupled with the swarms of biting, flying beasties and the continuously disconsolate child, we practically ran some of these paths carrying her on our shoulders and only saw the glorious flora, fauna and incredible views in a passing blur.

 In the end, we spent the bulk of our time just relaxing around our cabin, hanging out at the beach down the path, swimming at a lake a short walk up the road and doing various natural crafts.

 Of course, mommy brought along baskets full of crafting supplies and we produced quite a collection  of handmade goodness both from natural found objects and things we brought from home. 
 More on outdoor camp crafts to come...

lughnasadh and campfire bread

   Here we are at the least celebrated and least recognized cross quarter day of the year.

   Yes folks, it’s a holiday!  Today is Lughnasadh (also known as Lammas or First Harvest).  Get out your festival wreaths, bring in the first of your crops, figure out where you’d like to live for the winter, try out an anonymous marriage for a year and a day or contract out your children into marriages of their own.  (Okay, perhaps not those last two.)  This day, like so many seasonal celebrations, is also traditionally a day of craft fairs and of games and contests of skill and strength.   What better mid-summer pursuit than a badminton or bocce ball match?
   Of course, like all festivals, the important piece is the gathering.  Even if Lughnasadh means nothing to you, doesn’t it just offer up a reason to hold a lively Summer soiree?  (Truth be told, it doesn’t actually mean much to us either.  We’ve just been researching festivals of late and, in trying to create a stronger sense of community and tradition in our disconnected, modern, urban lives, have enjoyed recognizing and celebrating each of the changes of season as well as the seasonal mid-points with family and friends.)

   Today we will celebrate the first grains of harvest (albeit not our own since we don’t actually grow grain) by baking bread over our bonfire.  If you’ve not tried this before, it’s a tasty and fun way to prepare bread out of doors.  While it’s possible to bake over a fire in a dutch oven or even a regular camp pot, it’s so much more fun to roast what is often called stick bread or campfire bread. 

   Begin by preparing dough using any bread recipe (even a sweet bread or cheesy variety will do).  While waiting for your campfire to burn down to hot embers, whittle away the bark from one end of a hardwood stick (for the length that the dough will wrap around it).  It’s possible to roast the dough over an open flame but, as is also true of marshmallows, a more even, less erratic cooking will occur over coals away from a giant blaze.  When the fire is ready, pull small biscuit sized chunks from your dough and roll them into little sausage shapes.  Insert the prepared stick into the center of the dough roll leaving the end closed and proceed with the baking.  Depending on the heat of the embers, hold the bread 6” to 10” above the coals and rotate the stick regularly.  Ours have taken 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the bread and the heat of the fire.  They’re done and ready to peel from the stick and fill with your favorite spread when they sound hollow when tapped.  They’re so delicious and a great, non-sugary alternative to the requisite camping marshmallow treat.  (A baked good camping luxury any day of the year.)
   We’ll enjoy them with the other fruits of our early harvest and perhaps a lively game of Toss-the-Frog.  Happy Lughnasadh to you all!


Easy Campfire Bread Recipe
(If you're not into all that kneading and waiting for dough to rise)
3 cups flour
1/2 cup oil, butter or animal fat
1 1/2 Tblsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup water
In a large bowl, mix together flour and fat by hand.   Add the baking powder and salt (and dried fruits or cheese if you're doing that).  Next mix in the water and knead for a few minutes until you've got a firm dough.  Separate the dough into fist sized balls and roll each into a sausage shape before piercing with a clean stick.