Hello, friends. I recently noticed some fresh lemon balm growth, harvested some, and started a jar of glycerite. I also started elderberry glycerite, from berries I'd dried. Both are handy to have during cold and flu season. We're still on our very hard well water, so we took a load of lights and linens to the laundromat last week, to keep it all from becoming stained with the water. We brought it home, and dried it on the line. The rug in the studio needed cleaning, from regular use, and the last months of McNibs life. It was too stiff to go in any washer (it's polypropylene), so we clamped it to the forklift, and J pressure washed it. We left it there over the weekend, to dry. All the rain missed us, but we have high hopes for this week.
I harvested sumac, and gathered persimmons from the ground. Many were already partially eaten, and were used to check the seeds for a winter forecast. Have you heard about this Southern winter tradition? When you cut open the seed, if it looks like a spoon, snow is likely. If a knife, cutting cold. A fork portends a mild winter. It looked to me like the top two, and one other have fork-like tines, and the others, spoons, with possibly a knife or two. Ha, that covers it all. We don't necessarily think it's accurate, but it's fun to check anyway. A couple were tasted, and were very good. The pulp went to the chickens. I'll likely make zaater with the sumac. I've had the sumac "lemonade", but prefer zaater.
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persimmon seeds |
In anticipation of bringing in the winter squash, which have been curing on the porch, I wiped down the storage shelves, first with soapy water, and then with straight vinegar. The potatoes had to be rearranged a bit, to make room for the squash. J ordered garlic, which arrived last week. A batch of Kitchen Thyme soap was made. The basil and thyme essential oils make the house smell herbal. I took advantage of a less full than usual fridge, and wiped out crispers and cleaned needed areas. A batch of suet was made for the birds. We each saw one hummingbird last week, so it appears most are already migrating from the area. The seasons are changing. Happy Autumn equinox and first day of astronomical Fall!