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Mango Sticky Rice

June 15, 2022 by admin

This dessert is delicious and simple to make.

Choose ripe mangoes. I like to use these Champagne or Filipino, mango as there are fewer strings. Choose ripe mangoes. I like to use these Champagne, or Filipino, mangos as there are fewer strings and they are very sweet.
Florida-63

Florida-64 Cook your sticky rice in a pot or rice cooker. This rice is different than regular rice. It is sweeter and clumps together.

When the rice is cooked, cut your mangoes into squares and gently blend the fruit and coconut cream in with the sticky rice. Add honey or sugar to taste.

I like to add in mint for a tasty garnish. I like to add in mint for a tasty garnish.

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Green Smoothies!

June 7, 2022 by admin

Green smoothies are delicious!  They are also good for you and easy to make.  Here’s how to whip one up.

Take some frozen fruit. I have plums from last summer and added in some mango too. Take some frozen fruit. I have plums from last summer and added in some mango too.

 

Add in a couple of spoonfulls of yogurt. If you don't tolerate milk you can leave this out. Add in a couple of spoonfulls of yogurt. If you don’t tolerate milk you can leave this out.

 

Put the yogurt and fruit in a blender, add milk or juice and a thick layer of greens. Put the yogurt and fruit in a blender, add milk or juice and a thick layer of greens.

 

Ready to go! Ready to go!

 

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Lady’s Bedstraw Dye

January 30, 2022 by admin

I planted this from seed a few year’s ago and harvested some recently. Planting it in a pot makes it easy to get all the roots.

I soaked the roots then rinsed out the dirt.
Next came simmering at low heat to get a deep color.
Here’s how the color differs depending on the pH level.

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Guyabate (Guava Paste)

December 28, 2021 by admin

My daughter has a guava tree with a huge amount of fruit this year so we made guyabate! It naturally has a lot of pectin so no need to add more.

So much fruit!
Slice the guava.
Scoop out the seeds in the center of the fruit and soak in water. Strain out the liquid and add to the cut up fruit.
Cut up fruit and put in a pan or crock pot with the liquid drained from the seeds. Cook until soft.
Blend fruit and put in pan with equal amounts of purée and sugar. Stir and cook until the liquid thickens and sheets off a spoon. You can also put a drop on a cold plate and see if it will easily lift off. It takes a while to cook down and reach this stage.
Once it’s thickened take it off the heat and beat it for 10 minutes. This reduces crystal formation and makes for a smoother, less grainy paste.
Pour into a pan lined with wax paper and let sit for 24 hours.
Enjoy!
We also tried making some in a crock pot. It turned this lovely color.

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Plant Dyed Embroidery Thread

December 25, 2021 by admin

The great thing about dyeing small batches of embroidery thread is you just need a small amount of material.

I ordered this silk.
Walnut and indigo are colorfast but the beet and dahlia will fade over time.
Here’s a range of colors.
Ready for filling with lavender!

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Preserved Limes

December 25, 2021 by admin

I’m visiting my daughter and she has limes in her garden!

It’s December and the limes are ripe.
Rock salt
Bay leaves
Layer sliced fruit with salt and bay leaves.
Fill to top then add juice until everything is covered with salty liquid.
Agitate jars every few days. Preserved slices will be ready in about a month. Be sure fruit stays submerged. You may need to weight it down.

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Pressed Flowers

December 1, 2021 by admin

I love to press flowers and leaves then use them on cards or on stationery.  My favorite plants to press are Johnny jump ups, Bleeding heart and variegated hops but almost any thin flower will do.

Pansies hold their color when dried.

Pansies hold their color when dried.

If you want something like calendula then you need to press the petals separately; if you try and dry the whole flower together the center often rots.

These all press well.

These all press well.

If you still have old phone books around they are ideal for this job.  If not you can use newspaper in between book pages with more books on top to add weight.

Try pressing something unusual! Sometimes colors will fade.

Try pressing something unusual! Sometimes colors will fade.

Some flowers dry white and others get a little brown.

Some flowers dry white and others get a little brown.


Here is a nice example from the She Knows blog of what you can do with the flowers when dry.

Simple but pretty.

Simple but pretty.

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Grapevine Wreaths

November 30, 2021 by admin

It’s a wee bit early to be pruning grapes but I wanted to neaten up the front yard so trimmed off the long, ropy vines.

Using these vines to make wreaths is easy and they turn out great.

First choose the vines you want to use and trim off the side twigs. For a more rustic look, leave the tendrils on.

First choose the vines you want to use and trim off the side twigs. For a more rustic look, leave the tendrils on.

These are my favorite pruners.

These are my favorite pruners.

Wrap the vines around and twist in the ends. Trim off anything that sticks out.

Wrap the vines around and twist in the ends. Trim off anything that sticks out.

Here are three finished wreath. You can use these as is or as a base for baskets.

Here are three finished wreath. You can use these as is or as a base for baskets.

Great activity for a frosty, sunny day!

Great activity for a frosty, sunny day!

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More Baskets!

November 26, 2021 by admin

Here’s how to make another type of basket!

Starting Starting
  • First cut slits in four of the spokes in the center of the spoke.
  • Next make a slant cut on the ends of the non-slitted spokes so it is sharp and pointed.
  • Slide the cut end spokes through the slits in the other spokes.
IMG_3623 This basket has dogwood for spokes and reeds for weaving.
IMG_3588 Next steps
  • Take a long reed, double it in half and loop it around four of the spokes.
  • Line the two ends of the reed up and put the reed on the left over the reed on the right and behind the four spokes.
  • Go around once then divide the spokes into sets of two and go around in a circle always putting the reed on the left over the right reed and behind the next set of two spokes.
  • Do this 3 or 4 times.
  • Next pull the spokes so they are one apart
  • Continue going around in the same fashion.
  • When you run out of reed you can either weave in an over under pattern with one length or double it and continue twisting as you did in the beginning.
Doing the sides. Doing the sides.
  • When it’s time to bend the spokes use pliers and crimp the spoke lightly as each spot you want it to bend.
  • For the top loop each spoke behind the next one then trim the excess.I used some palm and seagrass for variety and texture.

Dogwood, Dappled Willow and Arctic Willow

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Fresh Indigo Dyeing with Salt

October 13, 2021 by admin

I grew a lot of Japanese indigo this year and am trying different processing methods. Fir small projects this salt method works well.

I used sea salt but any type works.
Fresh leaves
Rub the leaves and salt together until juice starts to flow. This will lightly stain your hands!
This is silk embroidery thread freshly dyed. It’s green to start. Rinse well or the dye can bleed on your project.
As the thread dries it turns blue. Animal fibers dye better than plant.

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