I must admit, Spring is Here!

Our nature shelf/cabinet is full of flowers. We picked most of them (the tulips were a gift from Papa.) It must be spring!

Culture

There's a bit of kraut-making happening around here, which I was elated to see illustrated in my favorite local artist's yearly calender, Nikki McClure of Olympia, WA. If you're not familiar with her, please check out her fabulous prints and other works.

Now back to the fermenting cabbage. I've been reading about the amazing probiotics and digestive enzymes available in cultured vegetables. With the plethora of cabbage from our CSA last year, I tried homemade sauerkraut. It took a few tries, we had a lot cabbage to spare! Finally, the bitter flavor I kept getting went away and now it's pure salty sour deliciousness. My daughter gobbles it up and I watch in amazment, since I know this is not just food, but medicine.

I invite you to let these college kids inspire you!

I feel so progressive and handy in the kitchen when I crack open one of these jars. Which has not always been the case! Especially my summer time attempt at pickling: cucumbers + brine in jars left inside the cooler for a few days (who knows why) = very moldy pickles. For successful sauerkraut, I follow the directions from this site. She explains lacto-fermentation and how to use the whey from store bought yogurt. The process is about patience. Just let the ingredients sit on the counter for a week and watch as it bubbles, froths and overflows. Fermentation is happening! I make my sauerkraut in quart jars placed on a plate. Be sure to keep all the pieces of cabbage submerged in the brine by filling a tall glass with water to weight it all down. Once a day, check the sides of the jar for loose pieces of cabbage and push them back down to be submerged (cabbage that is partly out of the water will mold.) This is one of those things that I NEVER thought would work. Letting something ferment on my counter was really a process in me letting go. If I can do it, you can do it.

Scrumptious recipes for kimchi and more...



Nourishing Traditions: the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and diet the dictocrats by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig

They definately look like dryer lint

Lately, our art projects have been of the paper and markers variety. In order to bring some more interesting crafting into our lives, but limit the mess. I decided to do one in the bath tub and I really love felting. I love the feeling of the roving in my hands. The roving I used for this project was like silky blue hair with pink highlights. I thought it was so pretty...


Our project was inspired by these fabulous felted pebbles. As well as this detailed tutorial.



So we collected some pebbles and got to work. with soap and water


We rubbed and rubbed the wool as it felted around the pebbles.
Then I prepared them for their washing machine and dryer treatment, using a produce bag and some hair ties.


I thought they were going to be so cool and modern and fun for some home decor until...
I realized they look just like glorified lint balls. They definitely need another layer of color added. More attention is needed indeed. However, my initial goal of spending time crafting with little ita was met and I loved that. If you're interested in exploring your own lint ball extraordinaire the materials are available locally and online!