Green Cable Scarf

I knitted a second cable scarf, this one in green to give as a donation to the Little Star biennial auction.

Materials Needed:

682 yards/400 grams James Brett Marble Chunky Yarn (2 skeins)

Size 6mm needles

Cable needle

Directions:

Cast on 26 & work in the following pattern.

Row 1. (RS) P4, K18, P4

Row 2. P

Row 3. P4, K6, C12F, P4

Row 4. P

Row 5-10. (Repeat rows 1 & 2) 3 times

Row  11. P4, C12B, K6, P4

Row 12. P

Row 13-16 (Repeat row 1 & 2) 2 times

Repeat rows 1-16 until scarf is desired length

End with row 16 of pattern.

Bind off.

C12F: Slip next 6 sts onto cable needle and hold at front of work, K6 from left needle, then K6 from cable needle.

C12B: Slip next 6 sts onto cable needle and hold at back of work, K6 from left needle, then K6 from cable needle.

Herb-Filled Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:

1 fillet salmon

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 eggs

2 slices wheat bread, ground into crumbs
1/4 cup fresh herbs, chopped (I used oregano, garlic chives and 2 sage leaves)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
- Preheat broiler. Place salmon fillet in roasting pan, sprinkle with 2 Tbsp olive oil, and broil 4 inches from the heat for 7-10 minutes or until done.  Take out, set aside & let cool.

- Saute onion and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat until onion is translucent.  Set aside & let cool.

- Combine eggs, herbs, salmon & onion in large bowl.  Use a wooden spoon to stir contents together and to break salmon into small pieces.  Add bread crumbs and continue to stir until ingredients are caked with the egg.  Add salt & pepper, as needed.

- With your hands, create palm-sized patties.  Gently place salmon patties in a non-stick pan.  Sear over medium heat (approx. 5 mins each side).  Remove from pan when each side is browned.

- Serve immediately.  This dish is scrumptions when served with a creamy white wine sauce.

Arnica

The arnica has finally begun to burst.  Unlike Balsamroot, which some confuse with arnica since both belong to the sunflower family, it grows within the shadows of trees, offering a colorful blanket for the forest floor.  Plants grow individually on somewhat delicate, erect stems.  Most do not branch out, and the flowers have a slight aromatic smell.  Arnica is currently used medicinally in ointments for strains, sprains and bruises.

To harvest for salve, gently pop the flowers off their stems.  Be sure to leave the roots intact.  Place inside a bag and DO NOT lick your fingers or rub your eyes.  Be sure to either wear gloves or use one hand for harvesting, and remember which hand you used.

The arnica flowers are often filled with bugs, so I place the flowers in a plastic bag to transport home, and transfer immediately to a mason jar that sits outside for several hours before covering with oil.

To make arnica salve, please visit my May 14th post.

Peppermint Sage Bath Balls

Ingredients:

2 cups sea salt, ground into a fine powder in food processor

1/2 cup constarch, plus extra for rolling dough

1 Tbsp dried sage

2 eggs

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tsp vitamin E oil

8-12 drops peppermint oil

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)
- In a large bowl, combine salt, cornstarch, and baking soda.  Add dried herbs and toss.
- Stir in eggs, vegetable oil, vitamin E oil, and peppermint oil.  Stir until dough forms.

- Use your hands to press dough into 1/2" balls.

- Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet about 1" apart.  Bake for 10 mins.

- Cool and store in tight-topped container in a cool, dry place.

- To use, place 2 bath balls into the tub as the warm water is running.

River Rock Obsession

I took 5 minutes to go to the river today to breath and search for rocks.  The water has risen with our recent rains and has nearly overflown the banks, so my options were limited.  Still, I managed to leave with a handful of small gems.  They were transformed tonight into these funky hoop earrings.  Some of these items are for sale on Etsy.

A Tribute to Big Red

Big Red

When we purchased our first 25 chicks, we acquired a surprise rooster.  He was boisterous and bossy, yet timid and humble.  He carefully tended to all of the other chicks.  As he grew, he watched over his hens, ensuring they all entered the coop simultaneously each night.  He protected them from evening prowlers.  He clucked to guide them to an ant hill feast and kept them all in proper order.  Cymone named him Little Red.

Little Red grew into Big Red.  He developed a big personality and was consistently responsible for his clan.  Eventually, Cymone grew scared of him.  She found his stern eyes intimidating.  He performed a ritualistic two-step dance before her, pecking at straw and scraping his beak against the dirt each time she grew near.

Big Yellow

Big Red fathered Big Yellow.  Big Yellow quickly overshadowed Big Red, becoming the king of the hen clan.  He pecked at Big Red anytime he tried to share communal compost and attacked him when he mounted the "worried" hens.  Big Red seeked shelter beneath Sa'be's legs and lingered by us as we gardened or tended to the bees, an attempt to avoid a spontaenous attack.  At one point we found that one of Big Red's talons had been broken in a fight.  It was time to find him another home.

Big Red is now free ranging elsewhere with another group of hens, apparently very content.  Although we miss his quirky personality, we imagine Big Red clucking, beak streaking the ground, lifting his claws majestically into the air as he struts before his adoring hens.  Good-bye, Big Red.

Weaving a Curtain

In the fall when my mother has completed the harvest and the temperatures have dropped, she turns to her loom.  She creates woven bedspreads, pillow cases, curtains, rugs, table runners, bags, shawls, and curtains.  This past year, she wove a 6-panel curtain for me as a present.  I chose the colors and asked her to create a somewhat mismatched pattern.  The following pictures walk us through her process from beginning to end.

Beginning the warp

Dressing the loom

Divided warp, 17 yards of fiber

26 yards of fiber

Feeding fibers into loom

Loom is dressed; warp is tied

Ready to weave

18 yards of fiber combined and rolled

26 inches woven panel

Section of panel

Spools ready to roll

Roll of woven panels

6 finished panels

Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese-Bacon Vinaigrette

Our neighbor gave us this recipe.  Neither she nor I know the resource, so I'm not sure who to credit.  No matter, it is worth repeating!

Ingredients:
4 Tbls olive oil
3/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 Lb bacon, 1/4 inch diced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 heads romaine lettuce, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
- Preheat a grill

- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add the onion and bacon and cook until the bacon is crispy.  Remove the onion and bacon from the pan.  Add the balsamic vinegar and 1 Tbsp olive oil to the skillet and reduce for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

- Brush the romaine with the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Place on the grill cut-side down and quickly sear until grill marks are visible.  Set aside.

- For each serving, place a half head of romaine cut-side up on a plate and drizzle the balsamic dressing on top.  Sprinkle with blue cheese and the bacon and onion, and garnish with cracked black pepper.

Rustic Garden Bench

Derek and I purchased this funky, rustic garden bench at the Little Star Montessori School auction last night.  It was made by Judy Brezina who used all sorts of salvaged materials for this donation.  The garden bench was created out of a recycled picket fence and barn siding planks, an old ramp to a chicken coop, two rusty rakes, a shovel and horse chain, an antique Mason jar, a metal basin, door knob, and birch tree branches.

Making Arnica Salve

It's just about time to gather arnica flowers. This salve smells scrumptious and naturally nurtures sore muscles.

The arnica has finally begun to burst. Unlike Balsamroot, which some confuse with arnica since both belong to the sunflower family, it grows within the shadows of trees, offering a colorful blanket for the forest floor. Plants grow individually on somewhat delicate, erect stems. Most do not branch out, and the flowers have a slight aromatic smell. Arnica is currently used medicinally in ointments for strains, sprains and bruises.

To harvest for salve, gently pop the flowers off their stems. Be sure to leave the roots intact. Place inside a bag and DO NOT lick your fingers or rub your eyes. Be sure to either wear gloves or use one hand for harvesting, and remember which hand you used.

The arnica flowers are often filled with bugs, so I place the flowers in a plastic bag to transport home, and transfer immediately to a mason jar that sits outside for several hours before covering with oil.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh arnica flowers
1 cup dried lavender
3-4 cups olive oil
1.5 cups beeswax

Directions:

1. Place fresh flowers in a  large glass jar (I use 1/2 gallon Mason jars)
2. Cover the flowers with olive oil, close container with lid, and place in a shady corner.  Let sit for 1-2 months, stirring occasionally to avoid mold forming on the surface.
3. It may be necessary to add more oil, depending on how much the flowers soak up.
4. After two weeks, extract the oil by placing a cotton cloth into a strainer and pouring the mixture into the cloth. Squeeze the oil out of the cloth into another glass jar. Let it sit overnight.
5. The following day, heat the oil and melt beeswax in 2 separate pans.
6. Once the beeswax has melted, mix the two together.
7. Pour the mix into tin cans or small glass jars to cool.

Bike Towbar

This is my brother Scott.  He's 2 years older than I am, and someone I have always looked up to.  Whenever we receive our issue of Yes!, I expect to see him on the front cover, a picture of him next to his rain barrels, holding chicken eggs in hand, biking home from the local coffee shop with a bucket of coffee grounds in tow to place on his tomato plants, or in a group picture alongside some of his other sustainable Columbia City citizens.  One of his recent inventions was his bike towbar, which allows him to haul several kids to the farmers market or his kayak to and from the lake.  Pretty nifty.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
10 tomatos, chopped into cubes
2 red peppers, roughly diced
2 cloves garlic, left whole
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups cream
1 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup basil, chopped
Fresh lemon juice

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 385 degrees (F)
- Toss tomatos, peppers and garlic in olive oil.  Place in baking dish, and roast (tossing occasionally) for 30 mins.
- In a food processor, blend roasted vegetables with tomato paste and cream.
- Pour mixture into dutch oven.  Add water, salt & pepper.  On medium heat, bring to a boil.  Add additional cream or water, as needed.
- Serve while hot, top with basil and lemon juice.

This soup is great when served with grilled cheese wedges.

Growing Rabbits

The rabbits are growing quickly, have silky new fur coats, and are just about to open their eyes.  They bounce all around the nest box, then huddle together in their little burrow. Mother Rabbit is slightly protective, but generally lets us reach in to scoop out her kits for a quick exam.

Recycled Bottle Garden Border

For those of you who are wine connoisseurs, can you identify which wines these were?

The rain water dripping off our roof was running our well-nurtured soil from the herb garden into the gravel pathway. To hold it in place, we installed a simple French drain using rocks. Then, we created a semi-terraced garden border with recycled bottles.

Asparagus

Today we harvested our first asparagus of the season.  It was a deep purple, perfectly crisp, tender, sweet, and filled with flavor.  Derek threw it on the grill to accompany Quinoa and chicken.

Making Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp softened butter

1 cup warm water
2 3/4 cups Soft White Flour
Kosher Salt
5 Tsp baking soda mixed in 4 cups water

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 475 degrees (F)
- Mix yeast, salt, sugar, butter, and one cup of the flour into a mixing bowl

- Add the water

- Stir until smooth

- Add remaining flour and stir

- Knead with your hands until dough is smooth and no longer sticks to the bowl

- Allow dough to rise until double its bulk
- In the meantime, grease a cookie sheet
- In a large (non-aluminum saucepan), bring the baking soda and water mixture to a boil
- When the dough has risen, punch down, knead again, then divide and roll the 6-inch sticks with your hands, to 2-inch long rolls to make shape into pretzels
- Allow sticks or pretzels to sit for about 2 mins
- Place pretzels into boiling mixture two at a time
- Let the pretzels boil for 70 seconds, flip with slotted spoon and boil on the other side for 1 another 70 seconds
- With the slotted spoon, remove the pretzls from the water, allow to drip, and place them on the greased cookie sheet
- When all the pretzels or sticks are done, sprinkle with Kosher salt
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown
- Enjoy with gourmet mustard (we enjoy Methow Valley Gourmet Chipotle Mustard)

More Fun with Rocks

We're back to having fun with rock art by making more river rock earrings.  There's something calming about working with natural elements.