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Chimicum Farm Stand!

October 16, 2024 by admin

My daughter brought me to this wonderful farm stand in Chimicum.

Posted in Cooking |

Plant Based Watercolors

October 1, 2024 by admin

I went to a fair at the Georgetown Steam Plant and met Laura C Wright, the artist behind Waterplant. This is a work where she created two dye gardens in the Georgetown area and developed a project for Duwamish Valley youth programs, community members, and organizations to create watercolor paints from these plants.

Paint palette
Red pigment made with cochineal
Fun with paints
Japanese Indigo
Coreopsis
Marigold

I’m looking forward to giving it a try!!

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Acorn Candles

October 1, 2024 by admin

I can’t resist packing my pockets with acorns. In past years I’ve leached the tannins out in the toilet tank then made meal. It’s edible but just barely. This year I opted for tiny candles.

Remove the cap, nestle in sand, fill with melted wax then add wick. ( I used cotton string and it worked well.)

These should only be lit floating in water as the cap can catch on fire!

Posted in Crafts |

Hats!

October 1, 2024 by admin

What do all urban farmers in this brisk chilly climate need?  Warm knit hats!  It’s easy to make these using circular needles.  I like to use number 8 needles and usually cast on about 95 stitches to start for an adult hat.  Once the stitches are on I do a rib stitch with two knit to one purl stitch for about 8 to 10 rows; this will give the band some stretch. For size 6 needles cast on 135 stitches.

A hat in process. A hat in process.

Now it’s time to use your creativity and go crazy with patterns and color using a knit stitch.  Once you have 34 rows  start decreasing to form the top of the hat.  To decrease knit together two stitches every 10 stitches for one row then knit normally for the next.

All finished All finished

As you get to the top of the hat knit stitches together every row then when there are a few stitches left use a darning needle to go through the remaining stitches and draw this tight.  Now tuck in your yarn ends and you are all set!

Here are some different examples. Here are some different examples.

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Willow Garden Structures

March 19, 2024 by admin

This year I had a fair amount of willow with thick stems. These are hard to twist into baskets so I decided to make some garden structures.

The first step is to select 7 to 9 branches. Trim the ends to a point so they will go in the dirt more easily then peel off the bark on the part that will go in the soil, (otherwise it will sprout). You can put the sticks directly in the soil or in a bucket or plant pot to hold them.

Bring the ends together on top and twist a thin piece of willow or string to hold them. If they are long enough you can bend them over.

Next weave several slender branches around the base then a foot or so up towards the top.

Once you’re done you can pull it up and put it in another place or leave it there. You can also do a shorter version. These will last about two seasons.

If you have a lot of willow you can keep going and make some low fences!

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Willow Fencing

February 29, 2024 by admin

I’m cutting willow to dry for basket making and decided to make some low fences with some of the thick pieces.

Cut short, stout pieces at an angle then peel the bark away. If the willow is put in the ground with the bark on it will sprout! Put the upright pieces in about every foot. Closer than this and it can be hard to weave, farther and the weave may be too loose.

Weave long pieces over and under alternating with the thicker end first on one side then on the other. No need to peel these pieces unless you want a lighter colored fence.

This is a quick and easy barrier that will last several seasons. It does take a fair amount of willow though! It can also be made with sticks but it doesn’t look as even.

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Twig Barriers and Supports

February 26, 2024 by admin

Now is the time to get out and prune so there are lots of available branches and twigs to work with.

Here is a simple barrier made by pushing vertical twigs into the soil and weaving supple branches back and forth to the desired height. This usually lasts for one to two seasons.
Here’s a slightly more complicated version made by stapling vertical twigs to the bottom board, weaving supple horizontal branches then stapling the top branches to a second board. The sides are made from PVC pipe so it’s easy to place the barrier then pick it up and move it around if needed.
Here’s a close up of the branches attached with a staple gun.
You can attache the PVC with a pipe fitting or two screws. I usually pre-drill so the screws easily go through the pipe and don’t split the wood.
Here’s another version made with just vertical twigs. These were attached with chicken wire staples that are pounded in.
To keep it stable it’s a good idea to put cross pieces at each corner.
Here’s a trellis made with four branches and three wreathes.
The bottom wreath is the biggest then each successive wreath is a little smaller until you get the height you need. Attaching them with string or wire makes the structure more stable but isn’t needed.
The top can be tied with string or wire. If you use wire it will last longer.

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Eco Printing

July 7, 2023 by admin

This is something I’ve always wanted to try. I had the opportunity to gather eucalyptus on a recent visit to LA so decided to give it a go!

Arrange tannin containing leaves on alum mordanted silk
Cover with plastic wrap
Tightly role around a stick or dowel using cotton twine. The tighter the wrap the more distinct the print. Steam for two hours. Leave for 24 hours.
Here are the finished scarves. The background blue is indigo and the tan is walnut.

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Mulled Wine

December 19, 2022 by admin

What do you do with more than two hundred pounds of plums? Make wine!

We couldn’t do our usual holiday open house this year so decided to bring the party to our friends. Mulled plum wine is spectacular!

We dried citrus in the dehydrator
Pounded whole cloves, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg into small pieces.
Put the dried citrus and spices into cheesecloth then tied it on the bottles.
Delicious!

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Time to Make Orange Marmalade

December 17, 2022 by admin

Oranges are in season right now and staying inside on a cold, rainy day to make marmalade is a great way to pass the time.  Your whole house will smell wonderful!

To make marmalade follow these steps:

  1. Peel off the skin by scoring the orange with a knife so you can carefully remove it in sections.
  2. Cut the peeled juicy oranges into 4 pieces.
  3. Scrape the white pith off the inside of the peel so you are left with the orange part. Put the pith into a cheesecloth or net bag. This pith has pectin in it that will help with the gelling process.
  4. Take a sharp knife and slice the scraped peel into 1/4 inch wide strips.
  5. Put the peeled oranges, bagged pith and sliced peels into a pot and just cover with water. Let sit for 12 hours.
  6. Take out the bag of pith and measure how much orange and peel mixture you have. Add one cup of sugar for each cup of liquid.
  7. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. To test if it’s done you can put a small amount of the liquid on a cold plate. If it holds together it’s ready.
  8. Put in sterilized jars. Water bath can for 10 minutes.
Peeled oranges ready to be cut in quarters.
Here’s the pith scraped from inside the orange.
Slice into thin strips. Sliced peels.
Cooking orange, sugar, peel and water mixture.
Finished product.
It can take a few days for the marmalade to set.  It tastes great on a slice of hearty bread. 

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