Today there are all sorts of buzzings in the thyme. Honey bees have shown up for the big mats of thyme flowers and for several days I’ve seen them on the plantain flowers in the front lawn. What a lovely thing to have diverse plants flowering to attact the lovely apis.
I picked flowers today and macerated them in alcohol to make a tincture. This is new territory for me, although I made two tinctures last year (burdock seed and elderberry). I loved walking among the flowers and looking for the ones that were freshest today. They were vibrant albeit simple and the sensation of gathering their energy into an extract was powerful in a quiet way. I had a sense also of service shared and of reverence.
Dogs: checking both ways.
The sofa as chin rest. Rudi keeps tabs on what’s going on.
Rudi listens and gazes out over pond at east end.
Tonight we pastured the llamas in their new area for a more successful hour. They ate more diversely than other times and in different sections of the area - the goats love the big rocks to climb on which is really cute. The llamas didn’t hum and hang around the gate as much. It probably helped that it wasn’t hot. We need to build structures that will make it feel like home for the llamas. A hay manger kiosk and a proper leanto for chillin’ and avoiding flies.
I’m never getting one of those aluminum canes (http://www.canescanada.com/lightweight.htm). I’d rather fall down. I want the rainbow one it’ll hold me up better.
I had a handful and a half of new green beans and wanted to combine them with something: the refrigerator offered burdock root, celery, bacon fat, cilantro pesto and anchovy paste. I was pleased that this seemingly esoteric mix of ingredients did not swear, but made a harmonious little stir fry.
I didn’t eat this day lily - but it’s good enough to eat! Spicy and hot. I think it hasn’t bloomed as early other years. I’ve always had it mentally filed under “later than others and closing the daylily season”. It’ll be interesting to see what it does this year.
Sunlight dapples
happy twitters and exclamations
of birds
disperse the mind chatter
in ever widening circles
I breathe fully into my body
Tonight I saw the red-bellied woodpecker pop into a cavity on the pine snag between the house and the pond. I suspect the second nesting. Possibly they’re using the spot the flicker was using earlier this spring. I’ve seen the female hummingbird twice on my Cherry Chief sage. Brought home some slightly old hangers: pink petunias and another which is petunia and dark pink bacopa. They need fertilizer. Trumpet vine is getting ready to pop flowers everywhere. Happy hummers! The female (rose-breasted) gros-beak came to look for seed in my empty feeder yesterday. I’m sad not to feed her, perhaps a baffle to deter the chippies. Heard bluebirds yesterday I think, but was working on something, maybe digging post-holes for the llama chute and so I didn’t stop to look around. Thrushes are singing across the pond mostly. Maybe I’ve heard them since early June. There’s a wood thrush or two and a veery. Yummy.
Ginger Miel and Ginger Fizz
I’m a ginger lover. I cook with it, infuse honey with it, drink it as tea, get it in ice-cream, eat it as candy. Ginger has digestive health benefits as well as being delicious and zingy. I also enjoy ginger ale and ginger beer from time to time, but like candied ginger, i tend to limit my use of them these days because of the high sugar content.
At one point I was craving sweet food sensations in my diet but avoiding sugar completely, so I came up with this ginger infused honey which I’ll call
Ginger Miel
(miel is honey in French)
Fresh ginger root
honey
rice sized grater
I keep my ginger frozen because I like to buy a big hunk of root but sometimes don’t use it up right away. In the freezer it doesn’t go bad, it’ll thaw easily within a few minutes to cut for cooking, and for this recipe it grates better than fresh.
Break off a knob of ginger big enough to safely hold onto and grate it fine into a small bowl. When you’ve got a nice pile (at least a quarter cup) transfer it to a jar and cover it completely with honey. You can put in honey as much as a 2 to 1 ratio and still have plenty of ginger flavor.
Let the honey and ginger mixture stand overnight or for several hours and stir to mix the ginger and ginger juice thoroughly. Taste.
I like this with plain yogurt, pancakes, in tea or you name it!
Another treat Ginger Ale, is too sugary and often not available with organic ingredients.
So I was delighted recently to learn how to make my own low sugar ginger ale. This is a naturally fermented beverage. It has a gentle fizz rather than big bubbles that explode out of the bottle were you to shake it. And it’s simpler to make than a regular carbonated beverage.
Ginger Fizz
Fresh ginger root
raw agave syrup, honey or sugar
water
1. In a one quart mason jar* place approximately one inch of ginger root sliced 1/8” thick. Add 2 tsp. sugar or honey, or 3 tsp. agave syrup. The sweetener is what ferments. Add in 1/2 cup water, cover loosely and allow to sit at room temperature for a day or so. Depending on the room temperature you will begin to see tiny bubbles at the surface.
2. When the mixture has begun to ferment you can add some more sweetener (no more than another tablespoon) and fill the jar up with water to the “shoulder” where the jar comes in to the neck. You need to leave a little breathing room because this food is alive! Let your mixture sit another day or so. Sample as necessary. You should get a lightly fizzy, refreshing drink with a little tang from the natural fermentation.
3. When I’ve got the desired fizz, I pour off all but about 1/2 cup of “starter” and refill the jar with sweetener and water as in step two. I re-use the ginger slices once, then set them aside for cooking. I put the finished refreshing drink in a second jar in the refrigerator.
I find there is a delicious healthy feel to this drink: refreshing and a little extra digestive boost from the live cultures.
If you have fun with this, check out the book “Wild Fermentation” by Sandor Katz or go to wildfermentation.com for more great adventures!