Michael and Jaspenelle

Transplants

This weekend my raised beds and I spent some quality time together.

I transplanted 3 black beauty zucchini because I am a sucker for punishment, 5 sugar pie pumpkins because I adore giant orange things, cilantro and red onions and yellow onions. I also have purple haze carrots and mammoth dill directly sown and hopefully working towards giving me an abundant crop.

On Friday we had some friends over, including the lovely Laurie and Ben. They brought us a couch and several transplants for us. I transplanted the chives, garlic chives, triple curled parsley and tarragon but am waiting another week before I transplant the tomatoes (Giant Valentine, Black Krim, Stupice) and ground cherries. Better safe then sorry, the lemon cucumbers and basil I started will be waiting another week before transplanting as well.

All the seeds I started this year were planted in cardboard egg cartons and so far it seems to have worked pretty well. The roots of the pumpkins were starting to grow through the cardboard, so I didn’t even both removing them from the cups when I transplanted them. I think that they will degraded just fine. If I wanted to grow larger transplants (like if I start my tomatoes indoors next year) they will need to move up to a larger container but for the small starts egg cartons seem to work great.

(Mmmmm tomatoes… Grow my pretties, grow!)

The hardest part about growing your own food is waiting for it to be ready I noticed a few flower buds on the ground cherry transplant this morning and I think that just heightens the anticipation. Come wild plant spirits of my garden, grow!

Nightmare on 29th Street

My hands are stained red, the cutting board and knife drip crimson, chunks of scarlet bubble away in the crockpot, anything that didn’t fit in there is in the freezer, for future use…

Bwahahahahahahaha!

*Cough* Um, this isn’t the start of a B-flick! I just finished processing a bushel of pluots! I also have most of the latest ripe (and a few green just to experiment) tomatoes from Shannon’s garden in my dehydrator. Can you believe I filled 8 square feet of space and still have a few pounds to go?

I still have a bushel of apples to either freeze or dry, as well as more summer squash. Thank goodness I love zucchini (I made relish with the last batch.) I also roasted a chicken and made an apple pie from scratch today. My pie crust was a little chewy (hey I am a bread maker, it feels weird not to work my dough) but got the Michael seal of approval, which is good enough for me. I have some sage and oregano to jar and label before bed still.

Oh Eternal Spirits of the Harvest, how I love this Autumn bounty! But if I see one more pluot… Oh wait, I still have 20 on the table. *Horror-movie-esque scream*

Sharing my Weekend

Two Phrases That Destroyed American Culture - I ran across this article yesterday and loved it, so I thought I would share.

I also thought I would share some stuff from my weekend::

I made cinnamon rolls from scratch:

They were yummy! Next time I am going to use different icing though, maybe just a milk/sugar glaze.

Michael had to be at work from 4am to 8am on Saturday, so he napped with Damian while I made them:

I made labels for some things in the kitchen:

The olive oil bottle says “Olive Oil (now with extra virgins)” because… well, it just amused me.

I got some new shoes at ShopKo (on clearance and 50% off, so $30 shoes for $3!)

We also picked up my diaphragm from the midwives and bought storage bins for my 25lbs of bread flour and sugar. But you don’t need pictures of those.

I got some reading in.

If you are into herbalism I strongly recommend Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar.

Last night be went over to Shannon’s and she gave us some organic produce from her garden, yum! Five cobs of corn, lots of green beans, a couple Anaheim peppers, a cucumber and a few more zucchini! I think I am going to be making zucchini relish with them this time.

I’ll probably be dehydrating some zucchini as well, for future use in pasta sauce and maybe to take camping in a vegetable soup mix.

And to end my sharing post, I wanted to share an amazing speech by Archbishop Tutu! What will happen when the last of our great leaders die? Do we have new ones within our generation? I hope so. (On a slightly amusing note, Archbishop Tutu refers to “ubunto” in his speech, defining it is “the essence of being human.” The Linux distro that I use is also called Ubunto!)

Rosemary Plant and Tracy Holeton

The maintenance people for our townhouse complex killed my rosemary. They were out spraying the other day and apparently the don’t know the difference between weeds in ground and a potted plant on my steps. Two days later the weeds and my rosemary are completely dead.

Arg! I’m pissed! That was my most used herb.

Anyhow, Tracy Holeton… I received a package from her with an adorable baby outfit in it but there was no note with it. The return address baby outfit from her, no note or anything. The return address is to a Tracy Holeton of Unico Inc. in Franksville, WI? I don’t know any Tracys.

Anyone know who my mystery woman is?

Oregon Grapeholly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon Grapeholly (Mahonia aquifolium) is a plant native to the Pacific Northwest and are the state flower of Oregon. They are commonly found in this areas Douglas-fir forests. We spotted this one on Memorial Day while we were hiking around Michael’s parents’ property.

Oregon Grapeholly is an evergreen shrub and not related in any way to the grape. It gets its name from the clusters of purple berries which can be harvested in August and September (they are edible.) Michael says when he was a kid they tried to make a pie of out them and it was not very good because the berries were so tart. The berries an bark can be used to make dye. the berries create a purplish-red dye and the inner bark of the larger stems, as well as the roots can be used to make yellow dye.

Oregon Grapeholly is used in herbal medicine, often as an alternative to the threatened Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis.) It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties used to treat a wide range of condition (giardia, candida, viral diarrhea, cholera, eczema and psoriasis.) It also has exhibited anticancer properties which are currently being researched. (Oregon Grapeholly is not recommended for pregnant of breastfeeding women.)

Herbs and Peppers

My parsley, basil and chives have all sprouted! The parsley was the last to come up, which was expected, but it is already taller then the basil. I am waiting for secondary leaves. I am not sure if I should thin the chives, aren’t they suppose to grow in clumps? (If you cannot tell, I’ve never grown chives from seed.)

I am still waiting for my morning glories to come up outside, but its only been 10 days.

I was also chopping a yellow bell pepper for my pasta salad today. When I sliced it open it was filled with mini green bells peppers.

I had to take a picture to ask if anyone had ever cut into a pepper and had it look like this? It still tasted fine so I just finished chopping it up and tossed it all in the salad.

Speaking of peppers, I may be banning myself from browsing Taste Spotting, it makes me drool way way wayyy too much and give me bad pregnancy cravings. I found this recipe for Pimientos de Padron, which I haven’t had since I lived in Spain. I waaaaant!

Blessed Beltane!

In ancient times, Beltane was a festival celebrated on May 1st by the Celts. It marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season, when livestock were driven out into their summer grazing lands.

Beltane is known as a cross-quarter day as it marks the solar midpoint between the vernal equinox and summer solstice. It is possible that it was celebrated on the full moon nearest to this midpoint as the Celtic year was based on both the lunar and solar cycles.

One of the most significant activities preformed at this time by the ancient Celts was the building of bonfires on the eve of Beltane on top of sacred hills. Those who built these fires would drive the village cattle between them as to purify the herd and bring luck to the community. People would also pass between the fires to purify themselves. Household hearth flames were doused and then lit again from the bonfires.

May Boughs (usually made of hawthorn, which blooms in the British Isles at this time of year) were made at Beltane and hung on the doors and windows of houses. The morning of Beltane often saw pilgrimages to sacred wells where rituals to their spirits were preformed and healing water was drawn.

Maypoles were also erected at this time. These were slender trees that were cut down on the eve of Beltane, their branches were removed and the resulting pole was decorated and erected in the village square, some villages also had permanent Maypoles. Maypole ribbon dances (two circles of people holding ribbons interweaving around the pole) were a common sight on Beltane.

Today, Beltane is still observed by many Neopagans. These celebrations can vary considerably despite the shared name due to the many forms of Neopaganism.

Celtic Reconstructionists celebrate Lá Bealtaine when the local hawthorn trees come into bloom, or on the full moon that falls closest to the cross-quarter day. The traditional bonfire rites are observed as well as pilgrimages to sacred wells.

Wiccans celebrate Beltane as one of their eight sabbats. Their holiday more closely resembles a Germanic festival (celebrated at the same time of year) as it is more strongly linked with fertility then the Celtic one. Many people also consider the maypole to have originated among Germanic tribes. (However, both the Celtic and Germanic cultures became very much mingled over time due to longterm Roman dominance over the area.)

In my personal practice, my main focus is honoring the Earth and the changing seasons. Spokane’s climate is certainly transitioning into summer at this time of year, so the celebration of Beltane seems fitting. As it is an important day to many local Pagans, it touches me on a community level as it is a time we can all come together and celebrate the Earth. On Saturday I will be going out to a bonfire celebration in Medical Lake. (I can’t wait!)

As far as collective modern symbolically goes, this festival celebrates the sacred unity between between lovers and pleasures. As I write this, I am 8 months pregnant with my first child, perhaps this makes this larger connectivity more apparent to me then then ever. I was a maiden at past Beltanes, ready to dance the Maypole, but now I am at the cusp of being a mother, preparing to guide a new generation through the same stages I have passed though. I have noticed that this transition phase is certainly its own trial by fire and I find myself renewed by it.

I took this photo at Fishtrap Lake a couple years ago around Beltane, Arrowleaf Balsamroot is one of my favorite local wildflowers. As I said earlier, honoring the Earth is among the highest of my personal values so I thought I would include a list of all the native wildflowers that are blooming around Spokane at this time of year. I have spotted some so far and I hope to be able to see them before Summer Solstice.

• Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhize sagittata)
• Calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa)
• Dogtooth Violet (Erythronium grandiflorum)
• Fairybells (Disporum trachycarpum)
• Grass-Widow (Sisyrinchium inflatum)
• Heartleaf Arnica (Arnica cordifolia)
• Nuttall’s Larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum)
• Sagebrush Buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus)
• Shooting Star (Dodecatheon pulchellum)
• Trillium (Trillium ovatum)
• Western Springbeauty (Claytonia lanceolata)
• Wild Hyacinth (Brodiaea douglasii)
• Yellow Skunk Cabbage (Lysichitum americanum)
• Yellowbell (Fritillaria pudica)

I hope you all have time to spend with Nature today and have a beautiful and blessed Beltane.

Phlegm

Even when I am sick I find myself analyzing my body, more to tell my midwife about I suppose, maybe I am just a pawn in my curiosities greater subconscious plot, either way I have noticed something. Whether you have a doctor or midwife, they always ask what color my phlegm is, apparently this gives incredible incite into what ails you.

Did you know that phlegm is part of an ancient theory known as “humourism” which is credited to Hippocrates. It influenced medical thinking for more than 2,000 years, until finally discredited in the 1800s. It stated that the human body was filled with four basic substances (black bile, bile, phlegm, and blood) called the four humours, which are held in balance when a person is healthy. All diseases and disabilities result from an excess or deficit one of the humours.

So I have an excess of phlegm which is a particularly nasty shade of green. Nice to know this mostly likely means I have a healthy thriving infection! Last time it was this color I had bacterial bronchitis. “Healthy” phlegm is normally clear or white by the way. (However, the initial state of the common flu when the phlegm is still clear can also be the most infectious period, which means this is the time to cough on all those people you don’t like…)

Between my prescribed staying home, hot baths, ginger and Echinacea teas, rest, vitamin C rich foods, lots and lots and lots of water and absolutely no refined sugar I seem to be improving much faster then others I’ve infected. Not so green phlegm is showing up today and my ability to breath is slowly returning (which is always a perk.) The baby is as active as ever, which is a good sign of course.

I am feeling miles better then Sunday, I think yesterday was the hump day in this sickness.. I feel like I actually have some energy today, so as long as I do not overwork myself, it’s all good.

Baby shower is on Saturday and I am set on being well by then.

~~~

Off topic and a little bit of an older story but I think stories like this are tragic. I do not understand how that second model could possibly seen as more beautiful by the judges! She looks likes a skeleton.

Project Gutenberg

What do you do when you are tired but can’t sleep? The herb Skullcap works but I am trying to keep the herbal remedies to a minimum during my pregnancy.

While not quite as cuddly as curling up with a paper book, I read ebooks. Staring at the computer screen wears my eyes out more somehow. I was reading “Confessions of an English Opium-Eater” by Thomas De Quincey (why didn’t we get to read stuff like this in school?) and I thought I would pause and blog for a few minutes. Was the author actually on opium when he wrote it?

I find a lot of my free ebooks on Project Gutenberg since all their books are public domain, which means they are almost all old, but I like the classics.

Anyhow tiredness just struck me so I think I am off to bed.

How is everyone? Any big plans for the Winter Solstice/Christmas?