Twelve days of attending to what happens at twelve o'clock in your sanctum leading to the discovery of omens to weave a year with . . .
12 Days of Omens
Glory Days
Glorious goldenrod rises Filling the bed where Asparagus speared through the ground In spring On other cool mornings
Gourmet Herbed Salts
Salt. It has been around for a long, long time, with evidence of its use dating back as far as 6500 B.C. The British evaporated salt by boiling seawater from salt springs in small clay pots over open fires during the Iron Age. Salt was used as money by the many ancient cultures, including the... Continue Reading →
Golden Milk Cake
We love golden milk, with fresh turmeric and ginger grown locally by Paradox Farms and a few cardamom pods simmered slowly in milk. But frankly, in the muggy heat of summer the thought of a warm beverage makes me shudder. Recently, I came across a recipe for turmeric cake in The Washington Post, and it... Continue Reading →
Kimchi
The napa cabbages have grown jy-normous! Harvested six and had no room for any of them in the fridge, so did what I usually do: make kimchi with most of it, and keep a bags worth in the fridge for stir frying or soup. Not only is it delicious, it's good for the gut... Continue Reading →
Summer Peach Preserves
“Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall, if I can’t have the girl I love I won’t have none at all . . . ” Anyone else love Shadygrove? It’s certainly summer here in these shady groves of the Blue Ridges, and the scent of fresh, ripe peaches wafts through our kitchen, mingling with... Continue Reading →
Cilantro: Coriander by Another Name
Cilantro is in full bloom, a dazzling sight artfully arranged by hundreds of miniscule flowers dancing together. It’s creating fruits now, which are known as coriander seed and used in almost all the sub-continental dishes I grew up eating: daal, curries, biryani, fish, kababs, none of them are without either powdered coriander seeds, crushed coriander... Continue Reading →
Hand Sanitizer
In March, I began making hand sanitizer for my husband to carry with him to work. Initially I started out with rubbing alcohol, glycerin, witch hazel, and essential oils, but we found this combination very drying to the skin, so I made a few changes. The CDC recommends minimums of 60% ethanol or 70%... Continue Reading →
Roots Reishi & Rose Syrup
Reishi has been dancing up and down the Eastern Hemlocks, adorning their bark, in these sylvan woods all spring right into summer. A dryad called me out one day, she knew they'd matured, and led me through the wilds. A triad of trees here with nymphs hiding in the trunk, a mossy bridge over bubbling... Continue Reading →
Shrub
Peaches are coming in, juicy and scrumptious, so I make shrub with the skins and scraps and even some pieces plus herbs. What is a 'shrub' you ask? A vinegar sipping beverage with fruits, sweetener, and herbs/spices dating back to the Babylonians, who mixed date vinegar with their water to make it safe to drink.... Continue Reading →
