The Story of Stuff...

Medicine Wheel Gardens

I'm currently reading The Medicine Wheel Garden by E. Barrie Kavasch

"A medicine wheel is a central circle, spiral or cairn of stones from which lines of other stones radiate, often as "spokes" to an outer circle of stones. Since ancient times, American Indians have created many such arrangements of stones and held them sacred. Planted with healing herbs, the sacred space of a medicine wheel can also become a special kind of garden: a private ecosystem and a small sanctuary for the birds, butterflies, ad animals whose natural wild spaces are at risk. Or the medicine wheel can take a larger form as a unique community area or even an outdoor classroom.

Medicine Wheel Architecture

Whatever its size, start at one side of your site and pace to other in a straight line, counting your footsteps. Turn around and follow your footsteps back, stopping when your count reaches the midpoint. If you have taken fifty steps, for example, stop at twenty-five. That is the center of your medicine wheel. Mark this spot by sinking a short temporary pole in the ground.

The Stone center, outer circle, and directional cross of a medicine wheel garden give with sacred space its basic form. Some of the herbs you will plant will be colourful and grow quite tall, but they should always be arranged so that the stone architecture remains clearly seen.

Tie one end of a long, strong cord around the pole. Holding the cord, pace from the center to the edge of your site (twenty-five steps in our example). Stretch the cord taut and tie a knot in it to establish your distance from the center. Now hold the cord at your knot, keeping it stretched taut, and begin walking in a circle around the center pole. As you walk, place a fist-sized stone or anchor a stake ever few feet in your path. "

Authentic Lasagna Sauce

This is incredibly good. It's cooked down from a sauce to a paste for an hour and a half. I generally layer eggplant or zucchini and a couple of different types of cheeses (including a whisked egg with ricotta cheese for the center layers).


2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, peel and thinly sliced
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 c sliced black olives
2-28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
1-14 oz can of diced tomatoes
3/4 cup red wine
2 tbsp raw sugar
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp toasted fennel seeds or asian 5 star spice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp brandy (optional)

Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onion, celery and red pepper and saute for 5 mins. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add balsamic. Stir in and reduce for 2-3 mins. Add olives and sundried tomatoes. Add canned tomatoes, sugar and wine. Stir in basil, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Let simmer for one and a half hours, until sauce is reduced to near paste. Add lemon juice and brandy and let sit for 3 minutes.

Kolrabi

I harvested nine purple kolrabi from my vegetable garden this year. It's an interesting looking vegetable, but rather dull to prepare. These edible swollen stems are about the size of a softball and taste similar to a turnip or radish, but family to the cabbage. I've been considering making kolrabi kimchi. I recently purchased daikon radish kimchi from the farmers market. It's so delicous and has a similar texture and flavour to the kolrabi. I've brined and pickled a couple kolrabi, mashed a few and have 6 sitting on top of my fridge.

Haruki Marakami

This man is a genius. His books always manage to communicate those most subtle human feelings in the most straightforward way. The female characters are written with such wit, quirkiness, honesty and realism. Mr. Marakami made me enjoy reading!

I just learned that Norwegian Wood has been made into a movie and will be released in December 2010. Fun!

A Wild Sheep Chase
The Wind up Bird Chronicle
Kaftka on the Shore
Sputnik Sweetheart
Dance Dance Dance
Norwegian Wood
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
After Dark
South of the Border, West of the Sun
Pinball, 1973
Hear the Wind Sing
Tokyo Mysterious Story Collection
IQ84

(I've read the ones in bold)

Dr. Mist and Saywards Homemade Deo

I've been experimenting with deodorants over the last years. I started making my own several months back. I tried rubbing alcohol or witch hazel in a spray bottle (worked pretty well, but not for the long haul). The best homemade deodorant recipe that I found was off this website. http://bonzaiaphrodite.com

Sayward’s Homemade Deodorant Recipe

1/3 cup Corn Starch
1/3 cup Baking Soda
10 drops of Antibacterial Essential Oil (tea tree, lavender, or eucalyptus)
10 drops of Antifungal Essential Oil (tea tree, peppermint, sandalwood, or eucalyptus)
2 tablespoons Vitamin E Oil
3 tablespoons Coconut Oil
Mix everything up in a bowl until it forms a thick paste. Transfer to your storage container and then allow 24 hours to ’set up’. I used an old deodorant container ’cause it looks so cute and I thought it was neat, but I don’t recommend it. In the future I’ll be using a shallow, wide-mouthed jar, applying the deo with my fingertips.

I ran out of homemade deodorant recently and went to the superstore for a quick fix. I pushed past the highly fragrant and carcinogenic anti-perspirants and came across Dr. Mist. An all natural deodorant that boasts NO ALUMINUM, NO OILS, NO FRAGRANCE, NO ALCOHOL, NO Coloring AND IS 100% STAIN FREE! Dr. Mist kills body odor for up to 3 days even if bathing is not possible and works on even the most sensitive skin. But, the most intriguing part is that it won the 29th Geneva International Invention and Innovation Award. What? Why? So intrigued. The only ingredients are filtered water, sodium, calcium and magnesium. The inspiration for this spray was the minerals from the dead sea. It seems all brilliance is inspired from nature. It seems to be going quite well so far.

Agua

(Stefani terracotta water purifier)

There are six types of contaminants you want to remove from municipal tap water:

1. Chlorine and chloramines
2. Volatile Organic Compounds (pesticides, herbicides, etc.)
3. Heavy metals (Lead, Mercury, Aluminum, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper)
4. Bacterial and viruses (Giardia and Cryptosporidium)
5. General Sediment
6. Fluoride

Dreams...and hats!

( I found this picture from a local hairstylist named Chenoa. It's very cool)

I'm dreaming of back alley gardens, tree lined streets with cafes, and florist stands. Beautiful soft fabrics, soft breezes and freckled shoulders. Summer dresses, bright shoulder bags and layered hair. Frothy lattes and fiction novels. Warm summer nights with long conversations. Red wine and laughter. I'm dreaming of Paris. I want to be these images. I'm looking for inspiration.

Rosemary's Perfect Cream

Waters

2/3 cup distilled water or rose water
1/3 cup aloe vera gel
1 to 2 drops of essential oil of choice (geranium, lavender, rose, etc.)
Vitamin A & E

Oils

3/4 cup apricot, almond or grapeseed oil
1/3 cup coconut oil or cocoa butter
1/4 tsp lanolin
1/2 to 1 ounce (or 2 tbsp) of grated beeswax

Combine the waters in a glass measuring cup. Set aside.

In a double boiler over low heat, combine the oils. Heat them just enough to melt.

Pour the oils into a blender and let them cool to room temperature. The mixture should become thick, creamy, semi solid, and cream coloured.

When the mixture has cooled, turn on the blender to its highest speed. Pour the mixture slowly into the center vortex.

Blend until the mixture turns to cream

Pour into jars and store in a cool location

(I recently used evening primrose oil with the waters and a lot of vitamin e & a oil. It was a lot watery, and less thick and creamy compared to the previous batch. I also used neroli oil this batch and preferred the scent of lavender and rose only on the first batch.)

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

I tried this dish recently. It's really just the right amount of sweet and the crust is flaky and delicious.

For The Crust:

2 cups flour
10 tbsp (1 stick plus 2 tbsp) butter, chilled and cut into bits
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cold milk

For The Filling:

2 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1 pound thin to medium rhubarb stalks (about 5), cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 tbsp butter
1 egg, beaten

To make the crust: In a bowl of a food processor or in a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, salt and baking powder, and sugar and process 10 to 12 seconds, or mash with your fingertips, until the mixture has the dry, crumbly texture of coarse cornmeal. Add the milk and pulse 10 to 12 times, or work together with your fingertips, just until the dough comes together in a smooth mass, but before it forms into a ball. If the dough is too dry, add another tbsp of milk and pulse or mix for another few seconds. Remove the dough from the bowl and work it into a ball with your hands. If the dough is very sticky, coat your palms with flour once or twice and work into the dough. The dough should be malleable but should not stick to your hands. Divide the dough in half and transfer onto 2 pieces of waxed paper, press the dough into flat disks, wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the cornstarch with the water and stir to dissolve. Add the rhubarb, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes, then add the blueberries and stir to combine. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly butter a 10 1/2 " tart pan. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin into two 13" circles. Transfer one circle to the tart pan and press the dough gently into the bottom and sides. Fold the overhang over onto itself so that just 1/2 " extends over the rim. Flute the edges between your thumb and forefinger, or gently crimp with the tines of a fork. Using a cookie cutter in the shape of your choice, cut shapes from the remaining circle of dough. Spoon the filling into the pie crust and dot with the butter. Arrange the cut-out dough over the top of the filling, with the pieces touching but not overlapping. Brush the rim of the bottom crust and the cut-out dough on top with the egg and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp sugar.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Set aside on a wire rack to cool.

(I used twice as much filling and filled up a deep dish pie pan. It was really good!)