Wildish

There is a gorgeous flowering tree near at site of a torn down motel on the Bedford highway. I took a few snaps on my way past.

 

The first step is to get a pineapple that is nice and ripe, it should smell very sweet. The leaves may be a bit sharp so be careful, you can wrap them in a kitchen towel if you need to. Grasp the pineapple fruit in one hand and the leaves of the pineapple in the other hand and twist until they separate from one another, it will take some force. You will be left with a little nub of fruit and you may even see some teeny roots.

To prepare the crown for planting you will need to remove some of the leaves around the bottom. As you do this you will notice that you are exposing more tiny roots that were hidden between the leaves. Once you stop seeing roots you can stop tearing off the leaves and plant it.

If you don’t have soil handy, you can set it near a sunny window in a container filled with slightly warm water. It can stay like that for a few days until you get a pot and some potting soil suitable for tropical plants. Once it is planted, tend the plant and make sure the soil stays moist, but not wet. When it is established in the pot you can let the soil dry out just a little between the time you water it.

It may look a bit trashed at first and some of it’s leaves around the outside may die, but with a little time fresh new blades will grow from the centre and you’ll have a healthy tropical plant, with more care and patience it may even produce pineapples.

I hope my pineapple turns into a healthy plant, I’ll keep you updated on it’s progress. I think I’ll try growing a mango next.

 

You will need:
1 part epsom salts,
1 part sea salts,
1 tsp sweet almond oil,
a few drops of neroli and sandalwood oil,
corn silk,
jasmine blossoms,
a jar with a tight fitting lid.

Method: Mix the almond oil and essential oils in a small jar, then pour in your salts leaving room for the botanicals. Close the jar and shake up the salts until the mixture is thoroughly mixed. Open the jar and add the jasmine blossoms and corn silk. Close the jar again and shake it until it’s blended.

At this point you can also decide whether you’d like to add an extra drop or two of the oils. You might like it a little stronger depending on your preference and the size of the jar you are using. I generally add the flowers by eye, I’d say I normally use a couple of heaping teaspoons of jasmine blossoms and a tbsp or so of dried  corn silk. I find it’s best to make this is small batches so it’s fresh and fragrant, this way you’ll get the most out of your precious essential oils.

Neroli essential oil comes from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree. It is used in many good quality perfumes and even to flavour colas. It has been used traditionally to relieve anxiety, stress and tension, as well as to promote good circulation. It is non-toxic.

Sandalwood essential oil comes from the wood of the sandalwood tree which has been prized for thousands of years. It has a sweet, warm, woody fragrance with a hint of spice.  It is suitable for all skin types and is non-toxic. Unlike many other essential oils it will not degrade over time if properly stored, I’ve had my tiny bottle since I was a teen.

If I were in the market for some now I would be very careful when purchasing it new. You should check the label when you are shopping around for oils to find one that is uses only ethically harvested sandalwood. Smugglers have been removing trees from their native habitat since the wood is very valuable. It is a special oil, use it sparingly and with the respect it deserves. I found this page on sandalwood oil, which is helpful.

I bought the corn silk and Jasmine blossoms from a shop that sells herbs, so try your local organic grocer, tea shop, sometimes Wiccan shops will carry them too. You can also dry and store your own corn silk easily.

 

I wonder if anyone out there can tell me what is this lovely plant is called? I don’t know what it is, but I was delighted to see it. Its blossoms were so vivid on this foggy, rainy afternoon.

I realized later that this is a Japanese Quince, a plant that produces small fruit similar to an apple or pear. I saw the same plant during my trip to Halifax seed and recognized it right away. I think that a bird may have eaten the fruit and spread the seeds, so that is why it is growing out of the way by this old tire on the highway.

 

I decided to make some dairy free soft caramel with honey, and after a little playing around in the kitchen I came up with this recipe. It is made with strong honey and high quality coconut milk instead of cream. It’s also very easy to make as long as you have a little time to keep an eye on it as it simmers.

Recipe
1 cup of brown sugar,
1/4 cup of honey,
1/8th cup golden corn syrup,
1/2 cup quality coconut milk,
1/4 tsp cream of tartar,

Method: Combine all the ingredients in a pot with a heavy bottom. Stir the ingredients together,  stirring occasionally over medium heat until it starts to boil. Once it starts boiling, turn it down to low and leave it alone until it thickens. Keep an eye on it and remove it from the heat once it covers the back of a spoon. It will get quite a bit thicker as it cools.

It is really delicious on apples — a classic pairing. I think I will make it again next fall when the local apples are at their best. I’m sure one batch of this and a few pounds of apples would make an easy, casual dessert for quite a few guests, since a little goes a long way. It thickens as it cools, so I would recommend you warm it just a little before serving. A slightly warm honey caramel is much more fragrant and easy to dip or drizzle, just be careful not to overheat it.

If it is cooked for longer, I would imagine it will hold it’s shape enough to make a nice caramel candy with a soft sticky texture…  sort of like those chewy squares caramels that many of us (here in Canada anyway) got in our treat bags at Halloween. I’d love some feedback, so let me know if you come up with any new ways to use it in recipes.I am going to try making it with Maple syrup instead of honey sometime too, I am curious to see how that will turn out. I’ll let you know what happens. =)

 

Bath Products From Scratch:

Making homemade bath products is not just a luxury, it’s just one step on the way to eliminate plastics and synthetics from our daily routine. (After all who wants to bathe in plastic, let alone absorb it through their skin!) Making bath products yourself is rewarding in so many ways, not only is it responsible it is also inexpensive, safe and fun! You can also customize your products, so get creative and try experimenting with your own favourite flavours. Other items that might be nice in a scrub are citrus zest, herbs, peppermint, the chopped leftover outer pod from vanilla beans, candied ginger, lavender flowers and gentle essential oils.

This Spice Cookie sugar scrub will exfoliate and moisturize your skin, leaving it smooth and soft with a hint of sweet cookie scent. If you work in a scent free environment this is one bath product you can definitely get away with regardless. No one complains about the scent of cookies. If you are concerned about nut allergies you can substitute another oil in the place of walnut and sweet almond. This scrub stores nicely in a mason jar, just make a fresh batch and refill when you run out. It also makes a sweet gift.

Spice Cookie Sugar Scrub:

1/2 cup mason jar with lid,
1/4 cup of brown sugar,
1 tbsp coconut oil,
1 tbsp sweet almond oil,
1 tbsp walnut oil,
2 tbsp raw sugar,
1 tsp honey,
1/8 tsp ground ginger,
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg,
1/4 tsp cinnamon,
1/8 tsp ground cardamom,
5 cardamom pods worth of seeds

Make: Melt the oils together by warming them for a few seconds in the microwave. Pour over the sugars. Add spices and seeds from the cardamom pods which have been removed and separated. Add honey, mix together well. Store in a cool, dry place and it will keep for months and months. (Don’t worry if the coconut oil turns white, this is normal since the oil solidifies on cool days.)

Use: Apply a liberal amount and thoroughly massage into your skin while it’s still dry for the best scrub, rinse and pat dry. If your skin is mostly in need of moisture you should massage it onto damp skin in the shower. It will take a few minutes for your skin to absorb the nourishing oils so take time and relax. Gently rinse with cool water and pat dry. Don’t forget about your feet, it works wonders after a day of hard work or running around.

ps: I’ll be posting more bath product tutorials soon. =)

 

I found Taina’s inspiring blog “Plastic Manners; my year without plastics” when The David Suzuki Foundation shared it on facebook. I have been wondering for some time what trying to eliminate plastics entirely from my life would entail. The more I thought about it the more daunting it seemed, but my determination to avoid plastics has only grown over time.

News stories like the great plastic garbage patch floating around the pacific are mind boggling and mutually embarrassing since we are all somewhat responsible for it’s existence.  In this day and age we are all keenly aware that our garbage ends up in a landfill or the ocean, but plastics have wormed there way into every area of our lives and become part of our daily necessities.

It’s time to avoid consumption that produces plastic waste (especially single use plastics!) and start focusing on the first and second R’s ; reduce and reuse. I am interested in Tania’s exploration of her relationship with plastics and I am curious about how she will root out the seemingly unavoidable plastics in her life.  Check out her blog “Plastic Manners” to find new ways to reduce your consumption of plastics. Her plastics information page is a real eye opener with facts about plastic everyone should be aware of.

This pod feeder branched off from an earlier felted project which involved making biodegradable winter shelters for birds. I had read about roosting boxes, but I didn’t have the tools or supplies to make them. I decided to work with processes and materials that I was familiar with to create a textile alternative to the wooden roosting box.

I wanted each shelter to be a cosy spot where small mammals or birds could safely wait out a harsh storm. So the first problem I had to deal with was keeping in warmth. I immediately thought of  wool, because  in cold weather nothing keeps you warm and dry as reliably as wool. So I started by creating a densely felted wool vessel or “pod” in a natural, light shade of fleece. It was spongy, warm, and still let in sunlight and air. The fibre also allow birds to cling to the inside comfortably and easily.

Next I had to find a way to protect the fibre from absorbing freezing rain and turning into a chunk of ice.  I solved this issue by gathering strips of birch bark to make a waterproof covering (prototype image above). I soaked the strips with hot water to make them pliable and then stitched the layers of bark together around the outside. I made sure the bark strips overlaped the piece below it and created a bit of an over hang so the rain would drip off the edges. The entrance was near the bottom of the pod so water could not enter it easily. In the end it looked a bit like a pine cone or wasps nest. Finally I gave the exterior a coating of wax and they were ready to go.

I hope they helped some little creature. I did notice a very fat squirrel pulling bits of felt out of one last spring. I think it may have used it to line it’s nest. I consider this an ongoing project/ experiment and plan on producing more of them next fall as well.

This pod feeder is very similar, it is just the inner lining of one of the nesting pods dipped in wax.  I just need to work on the best way to attach it to trees and it will be ready to reproduce, perhaps even sell in our etsy shop.  It is meant for small birds such as black cap chickadees. They visit the prototype all the time now, even when I am standing right next to it. It’s been a real hit!