Rose Cottage

 As January comes to a close, we are finishing our first blog challenge for 2024. It's been fun visiting each other's blogs, giving us a kaleidoscopic view of each other's worlds. As this challenge ends, new opportunities beckon.  Fly agaric and valentine tree Yesterday, I joined Sophie Wheatly in a needle felting workshop, crafting a wee mushroom, and tomorrow will begin another virtual workshop, Sing the Body Electric. And with Katie and Vi, I am hosting a group through February, Resetting Your Sace as a Living Altar. A dozen or so years ago, my blogging friend Jamie hosted a weekly group - Wishcasting Wednesday.  Jamie wrote,  "Wishcasting Wednesday is a safe haven for wishes, a fertile field in which to plant wish seeds and have them witnessed and tended lovingly. It’s a place where magic begins...Make a wish: Dare to dream." My wish for us is to experience more quiet joy, better health and good friendships.  "What would happen if every week you made a w

 This morning I used my little Cherokee dictionary to record some of the traditional plant names in my garden journal. I needed to look up one of the wild greens, Sochani, and was delighted by this  article  highlighting that following recent changes to laws, the National Park service now allows Sochan and other traditional food and medicine to be harvested by tribal members! The service is cataloging and monitoring plant populations in harmony with this shift. Sochan is one of many traditional foods and medicines which were wild-harvested, and the people have had limited access for decades! Cherokee Syllabary and Feast of Days I first read about Sochan's use in an article on edimental proponent Stephen Barstow's blog . "Sochan is documented as probably the most important spring vegetable of the Cherokee in the Southern Appalachians in Moerman’s Native American Ethnobotany, which is probably where I first noted its edibility. It’s missed in Cornucopia II.  "The Chero

  I'm looking forward to this year's February invitation to  Reset the space of your Living Altar,  which I'll co-facilitate with a friend from our  Intentional Creativity  community. This is timely, as I've been in my new house 9 month, so it will be good to revisit my use of this lovely space! It will be my second year in this role as a host. Vinny A decade ago, our Intentional Creativity mavon  Shiloh  issued this invitation:   " I would love for you to finish your painting if you haven’t, and then to clean your studio. Reset your altars. Make new room for the sprouts to come up through the ashes. You need space and time to see what’s coming up and what wants to be shared and prepared for...." Red Thread The Reset group description reads,  "think of this, what if your whole home was a sacred space? Throughout February, (we) will lead a month of consciously clearing spaces in your home, and you're invited!"  As we are approaching the beginning

 Winter is prime time for garden planning, and savoring the bounty in seed catalogs with a warm cuppa is a cozy way to cheer up cold grey days! In a recent post, a favorite gardener and chef in Wales, Gaz Oakley, remin ds us to consider flavor, and include heritage varieties!  Black cap raspberries   In my garden journal (Poteger Devotional) from 2006, I added this quote,  "For too long vegetable gardening has been obsessed with shape and SIZE.  Better that care be lavished from tilth to table on growing tasty food whose beauty is a bi-product to be relished." Montague Don, the Sensuous gardener. In a later chapter, he comments that there was a shift to growing for size and quantity when men took on a larger role, as there's  'an inbuilt relationship between Horticulture and gastronomy when the person(s) cooking/ preparing the food is involved!' Field peas, pansy,  chickweed, broad beans still fresh and green after the freeze In traditional cultures around the wor

 Over the last 27 years, my daughter Mary and I've passed the Breitenbush Cookbook back and forth several times.  Breitenbush cookbook With a snowy week and lots of time at home, she's been cleaning out her cookbook shelf, so it's come back to me! Mary asked about favorite recipes contained therein - what a treat to revisit them, and see our notes on GF modifications and other tips!  One of them is compiler Sara Joy's Calazones. Growing up in NY, she and her twin sis loved their family tradition of pizza on Saturday nights. Calazones make nice personal pizza, and were always popular at the Bush!  I was on Healing Arts and lived at Breitenbush in the early 90s, and have enjoyed many meals from the BB kitchen - this post has several pics of the land and river.  Winter Calazones Root veggies, mushrooms and greens are nice options in winter - for this batch, I used cilariac, parsnip, onion, chard, garlic, acorn squash and endive. Calzone • veggies • meltable mozarella • pe

 In the 70s, I feel in love with Anne McCaffrey's writing and her fantasy world Pern, with its telepathic dragons and dragon riders! Who doesn't want a dragon (or more practically), small fire lizard in their corner? Map of Pern And throughout these magical books, two drinks figure prominently, wine from Benden hold, and Klah... ' Aleesa herself served him up a cup of Klah . Pellar nodded and smiled in thanks, cupping his hands gratefully around the warmth. The klah was thin and watered down.' (Dragon's Fire,  p 92) So - what's Klah, and how do I make it?  The mythical Pern is the 3rd planet from its system's star, Rukbat, with a similar climate to the colonists home planet Earth.  As they settle in, they miss their familiar coffee. The early botanists find the bark of a native tree to have stimulant properties, and that it tastes rather like a blend between coffee and cinnamon, so begin using it for their daily brew. Klah, book and recipe A decade or so ag

 Over a decade ago, my son-in law Matt asked where he could find chia seeds, as he wanted to make a traditional drink for boasting energy, Chia Fresca or Iskiate! 1 cup water 1 T whole chia seeds 1-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice 1 tsp maple syrup (or honey, etc) Mix together & let sit 20-30 minutes. You can experiment with the liquid; coconut milk, sun tea, water kefir . . . Here's a video of the process. Iskiate and Wind Rider I like to add 1/2 tsp of mixed sea salt and cream of tartar (which is high in potassium and comes from grapes), for an inexpensive and easy electrolyte recharge. And yes, Chia seeds are gluten free! And grade B (less refined!) Maple syrup is a lovely sweetener.  This drink became popular amongst runners after the publication of  Born To Run , about the Tarahumara Indians 'a Meixcan group of super-athletes,' who cover great distances running barefoot, and drink Is kiate.  Like flax, Chia seeds are high-fiber, omega-3, high-protein, antioxidant and vit

 I've been intrigued with homemade concoctions and  Kitchen cosmetics since my teens, and it's fun to watch my granddaughters experimentation with their own formulas!  My mom was sensitive to chemicals and fragrances, so kept her routines simple - she washed her hair with baby shampoo, and used skim milk (from powder) to set her hair in pin curls ! Her mama Mary worked with herbs, so my mom was supportive when I tried recipes from my American Girl magazine (facial stream using mint leaves, facial masks with oatmeal and honey ...)  In my 20s, my botanist hubby and I grew herbs, and with guidance from our books, I steeped nettles, horsetails, lavendar,  Rosemary and chamomile, for hair rinse, made facial masks, and drank herbal tisanes. I learned to identify plants, and harvest nettles, horsetails and wild herbs.  When my son was 8 or 9 and spurred by our mean rooster, we learned about clay for wound care from our friend Kylene - after thorough cleaning, the clay drew the toxins

 In winter, some plants lose their foliage as they tuck- in for winter, whilst others stay green year round.  One of my favorite year round herbs is  - Yomog i, or Japanese mugwort,  学名： Artemisia princeps Years ago, whilst buying another Artemisia, Southernwood, from my  herbalist friend Kate , & she asked if I might be interested in some Yomogi, which a customer at her other market, Kiyoko, brought her, along with a sheet on its uses. Kate told me, 'I certainly don't need 4 clumps!!' so she shared some with me! With Rounder leaves and sweeter flavor than it's European cousin, it also stays green nearly year round! Heres Kiyoko's list of uses:  Fresh YOMOGI juice - 1 Tbsp every morning (promote health) (high blood pressure) Yo Mo GI tea  Yomogi leaf (dry in the shade) (asthma - hip pain) & to repel mosquitos, bees, wasps etc - extract elements from Yomogi (Yomogi & Alcohol)  Growing up in Central Oregon, I love the silvery green and fragrance of our wi

 I grew up in a family that appreciated local food - but in Central Oregon with its short growing season, that was harder in winter! Moving to the valley when I went off to college, then marrying into a family of biologists, I quickly appreciated the abundance of year round local fare!  Mid winter weeks are often referred to as 'the hunger gap,' as even in our year round climate, growth slows and choices are more limited. Fortunately, we have a year round Farmers market, and our groceries offer local produce and.  I've eaten mostly local OG veggies & fruit, & try to keep the rest of my food as close to home as possible, for most of my adult life. Squash, kale and chard, potatoes, root veggies are abundant, and Winter salads can include chicory, winter greens, herbs, grated root veggies, celery, Kim chi  and sprouts (so easy to grow your own using filtered water and organic seed)  Bean and broccoli sprouts Our little family (daughter, her family & myself) have ea

 Happy 2024!  Though January 1 is 'simply a date on the calendar,' winter is a good time to take stock of how our habits and routines fit our current needs and lifestyle! Health and fitness are often at the top of the list.  Winter waves - high tide at Depoe Bay   When I lived at Breitenbush Hot Springs retreat center 30 years ago, we suspended our educational workshops during the winter holidays, and invited guests to join us for personal retreats. As had abundant free time, we added more in-house 'Daily Well Being' offerings, which along with with meals and 24 hour use of the hot springs, were included in their stay.  I was invited to lead a couple of Tai Chi/Qigong classes during my first winter on staff. I'd had a personal Chi practice for 8 years, and while several staff members taught yoga, I missed the flow of movement of Dance and Tai Chi! (I attended another 'guest teacher's' Chi class, before offering my own!) I loved teaching the classes, and