Wildish

There is a beautiful, untouched park here in Nova Scotia called Victoria Park. The land was given to the town of Truro about a hundred years ago so that everyone could enjoy it. There was also a by-law written protecting the park from outside businesses, although it did have the exception that vendors could be permitted if they received special permission from the council.

At the time this by-law was written they were referring to vendors with small carts or wagons (it says this in the by-law itself), but since times have changed. One business is trying to use this as a loop hole in order to convince the town of Truro to transform the park into an a “aerial adventure park”. They wouldn’t have to pay to use the land so they are desperate to get a foothold in the park, and fast. I only found out about this a week or so ago and council will make it’s decision in march 1st.

The business claims that they have to make it happen this fast because they need time to build, but many residents are concerned that they are using this as an excuse to push things through council quickly. The business has started an online petition to try to convince council as well. They are trying to appeal to a younger audience by making it sound as if it will give kids something to do on a regular basis, but the truth is it’s almost 30$ to go through the park therefore it’s unlikely that people could afford to do it more than a few times over the summer, if at all. It would cost over a hundred dollars for a family of four for just a few hours of entertainment.

This magical place has rushing waterfalls and old growth elms over 250 years old. Studies have shown that it’s already suffering from soil erosion and other problems.  These issues would only get worse if the park were altered to accommodate the aerial adventure park itself, as well as all the visitors the business claims it will bring to the park.

In one statement the business said it would leave the parks existing trail unaltered, which made it sound as if they would do no harm, but in reality this is misleading. At the town council meeting (and later quoted in the paper)  it says it will have to build all it’s own new trails (which means removing trees and disrupting the environment). The park is home to many deer and other wildlife, which will surely be affected by all the traffic, construction and destruction. There have been no environmental impact studies done at all.

If you believe in the spirit of a beautiful, public park please sign the petition to try to preserve Victoria Park as it is; an unbroken system and peaceful old growth forest.

You can contact city council to ask questions or let them know you are opposed.

Become a fan of it’s preservation on facebook!

I’m currently working on pieces for spring, so I’ve been using combinations of fleece and shiny ribbons in light or bright spring shades, such as greens and variegated pinks. Once the interlocking circles are stitched together I added small pieces of lace and beads to complete each unique little creation.

This green one is inspired by lichens and seed pods. The pink and green one has a tiny, simplified lace orchid, but in reality these forms are similar to patterns found throughout biology. These could just as easily be imagined as seaweed, diatoms, and other creatures of varying sizes and from diverse habitats.

The pink and ivory has a small pink button comet or little paramecium, depending on how you’d like to look at it. =P

I’ve decided to leave how they will be used up to the customer as well, once they tell me what they’d like I’ll turn them into a hair pin, brooch or pendant.

 

Dan and I woke up this morning hungry and low on supplies, so we figured we should make some bread. In the end we decided to make a variety of bagels; poppy seed, garlic and cinnamon sugar spice. All you need is one batch of dough and a small amount of each kind of coating to make a selection of flavours.

While we worked we discussed how much improving our food preparation skills has added to our quality of life and how it could do the same for others. It doesn’t take nearly as much money to make home made items and the results are way more satisfying. In the end you use less packaging and enjoy the freshest product tailored to your individual tastes. It seems strange to me that bread is something we buy from big factories now, when it is often synonymous with home and a metaphor for the general necessities of life. It’s true that many of us don’t have the time to make bread every day, but I hope that the general public picks up more of an interest in making things like this at home or supporting small bakeries more often.

I was in Montreal a year ago and one thing (among many) that I found absolutely wonderful was that no matter where you were in the city there seemed to be a bakery close by. I visited a few, I could not resist the butter croissants and delicious coffee. The bakeries were beautiful, so much attention to detail and the warm aroma of baked bread. I hope that it becomes more of a trend to visit local bakeries here in the east, if there were more locations this would facilitate people getting in the habit of picking up their bread fresh daily.

Having said that, there are some great bakeries in Halifax that I feel you should be aware of (if you live in the area like I do). Juliens at the hydrostone is one of my favourites. They make a fantastic Brioche and I love their almond croissants. Boulangerie La Vendeenne at the farmers market makes great organic products, they have loyal following of fans. Mary’s bread basket at the brewery makes a great corn bread. I’m sure there are other good places I’ve forgotten to mention as well.

Dan’s Bagel Recipe
3 cups of flour
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons of instant yeast
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 to 1 1/4cups of warm water (approx)

If you have a stand mixer it’s really easy. You put the flour in, you sprinkle the salt on and stir it together, so it doesn’t kill the yeast. Then you add the yeast, butter, egg and water and let it knead for about 20 minutes.  If it seems dry add a bit of water, and if it seems wet adjust with a bit more flour. This can also be done by hand if you don’t have a mixer or bread machine, it’s just a little more time consuming. The dough is properly kneaded once it is springy and if it passes the window pane test. If you can take a small piece of dough and gently stretches to the point where if it is held up to a  light the light will pass through, translucent and thin (even though it refers to glass it won’t be transparent).

Take out the dough and let it rise about 40 minutes. Then punch it down a bit and cut it into a dozen pieces. Shape these in to a ball and pinch through the centre with you thumb and index finger to make the bagel shape.  Let these rise again for another 15 to 20 minutes. While it is rising make your spice mixes and put a large pot half full of water on the stove top and bring to a boil. We usually a tablespoon or two of honey to the liquid, but you can use any sugar in the water.

Poach the bagels for about 15 seconds on either side. They will look a bit wet, but not as if they’ve absorbed water and turned sticky. Shake off any excess water or let them sit on a wire rack for a minute and dip them in your spice or sugar mixtures. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400f until golden brown. They will puff up a bit more as they bake.

 

This brooch is made with three small interlocking circles wrapped in fuzzy blue wool fleece and silk/wool blend fleece in lighter shades of purple, blue and pink. The brooch is based on clouds partially obscuring the night sky and stars. It is hand stitched and embellished with clear and opaque white, glass seed beads. The moon is represented as a large white freshwater pearl. It has a bar pin back which is stitched on. It measures 2 x 2 inches.

 

I just listed these lace dangles in the Wildish Etsy shop. They are made with off white lace and glass, diamond shaped, red beads.They are stitched into forms that are reminiscent of shells or hanging blossoms. The chain and ear wires are sterling silver.

 

I just found an old water colour sketch from last summer…

These buttery cookies are really easy to make and quick to whip up. I like them with a hint of dark chocolate drizzled on top. Serve with a cup of tea or coffee.

Recipe:
1 cup butter,
1/2 cup icing sugar,
2 cups flour,
a little chocolate to melt and drizzle on top

Whip the butter and sugar together for a couple of minutes, it should look light and fluffy. Then stir in the flour until it just comes together to form a soft dough.  Shape and bake at 350f until golden at the edges.

Once they are cool you can drizzle them with a little melted chocolate if you’d like. I put them in the fridge to firm up on a plate. Since the chocolate is melted it is no longer in temper and will melt a little to the touch.  (Tempering chocolate is a whole other step and isn’t really necessary in this case. If you were mailing them it might be a good idea though. You can read more about tempering in our recipe section under “truffles”.)

 

My friend Karyn Haag and I are pleased to announce we are opening our “Wildish”  Etsy shop shortly. Karyn makes buttons, books and all sorts of lovely hand made things. Her books are one of my favourite things to give as presents, they are simply beautiful and expertly crafted. She makes a variety of styles with fine papers;  journals, sketchbooks, you name it.

Here is a sneak peek at just a few of the items we will have up for sale in a day or so (in the meantime, send me an email and I can hold one for you).

 

This post I thought I’d show you a few accessories I’ve made for myself. I am a natural red head so I decided to make a set of hair pins that complement my hair colour. I wear them individually or in groups.

The largest size are made with four interlocking circles of wet felted wool/silk blend fleece. They are sewn together and stitched on to heavy duty bobby pins. My hair is long, so I occasionally plait it in a few braids. The largest size are strong enough to secure them in place.

The smaller size are made with three interlocking circles. They are cute by themselves and look dramatic when grouped together or mixed with the larger size.

The flower is made with two kinds of lace which is hand stitched and embellished with a small copper pearl. It is attached to a large sturdy bobby pin. I’ve made a few of these to sell in the past as well.

I’ll be making more of these in various colours for the” Wildish”  Etsy shop which is coming soon. Feel free to click through the images for a larger view.

 

There is a lot of truth in the old saying “a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” and I would say it’s the way to a woman’s heart as well. This year why not bake your crush or valentine an apple pie?

Pies are easy and ready to eat warm from the oven. Plus if you are having a date over they’ll be greeted with the smell of apple pie which, in my opinion, is one of the most welcoming, comforting and delicious smells.  As an extra special treat you could pick up a nice pint of vanilla ice cream and serve it “a la mode”. Yum!

Apples are the fruit of the apple tree or Malus domestica, which is a member of  the rose family Rosaceae. There are many varieties of apple, the best for baking are firm and flavourful, like the mackintosh.

The apple fruit is a symbol of love. There are many myths from various cultures regarding the apple. In Celtic myths the other word of Avalon was also known as the Avallach, the Isle of Apples, ruled by Fairy Queen Morgan le Fay. Druids considered the apple a magical tree. It is part of the Celtic Ogham tree alphabet, where it is known as “Ceirt”. It is one of the most widely cultivated fruits on earth.

Recipe:

Apple Mixture:

Five large apples peeled and sliced (any firm and flavourful apple will do),
1 tbsp of lemon juice,
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of white sugar,
1/2 cup of brown sugar,
1 tsp of nutmeg,
cardamom and cinnamon to taste.
I like to add a lot of cinnamon and cardamom, sometimes I add a couple of tablespoons of local honey. It’s best to taste it as you go and decide what combinations you like best.

Crust: Makes one large apple pie with top and bottom crust:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour,
1 cup butter (cold, cut in to pieces),
3 tbsp sugar,
1/2 cup of ice water (approx),
1/4 cup of sliced or chopped nuts (optional)

Cut the flour, sugar and butter together with a pastry blender, or blend with a paddle attachment on a low speed until the flour mixture looks a bit sandy with teeny pieces of butter still visible. Mix in the remaining ice water until the dough forms a ball. Divide in half.

Roll the first half out into a circle on a floured surface. Carefully lift this in to your pie plate and press together any tears. Prick the bottom and sides of the pie crust with a fork and bake for ten to 15 minutes at 400f. It doesn’t have to cook all the way, just about halfway so that it won’t end up getting soggy with apple moisture.

Fill your crust with the apple mixture. Roll out the remaining crust and cut with a heart shaped cookie cutter, layer them around the edge of your pie so that they over lap slighly and put a few in the centre. Bake until golden brown and delicious. =)