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Our search for sunshine this weekend led us north to Duluth where we visited the fish in the aquarium and walked around the zoo.  My boy, who becomes a teenager today, wanted to try out my camera and snapped a lot of really great photos.  In honor of his birthday, here are a few images as seen by big R.

a bear butt! (kids, I tell ya)

You did a great job, my boy.  Happy Birthday!

in search of sunshine

We're on day two of rainy weather here and already we're missing the sunshine.  I can't help but wonder if Julie fanned some of this rain over, all the way from Denmark.

We'll be doing a bit of exploring this weekend and hope to find some sun in the process.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, no matter the weather.

earrings for me

I snuck out to the barn last night after dinner to tinker a bit and shake off the stress of the day.  I was playing with a piece of spalted birch when it hit me that I'd love a pair of earrings made from it.  After a bit of shaping on the band saw and some rough sanding on the belt sander, I was able to cut myself two small discs of wood that I hand-sanded to smoothness.  A little tung oil, a little more sanding, then some sterling posts and there they were, earrings. 

A nice little treat just for me.

What have you been making for yourselves lately?

Wordless Wednesday

The three bears

While at the zoo on Sunday we got to sit and watch three black bear cubs play in their enclosure.  I was laughing at just how similar they were to my own brood...play fighting, climbing on the furniture, knocking things into the water, acting forlorn then quickly forgetting about it and running off to play again.  Yep, not too far-removed from life around here sometimes.



Oyster mushroom harvest

The other day I showed you my baby oyster mushrooms from BTTR and just a few days later they are all grown up.  We harvested our first batch yesterday, and oh the excitement!  There are still a few small mushrooms growing on this side so with luck we'll get another harvest, but when they're done we'll lift the inner bag out, turn it around, and start again for another batch.  Yee haw! 

I'm really loving being a mushroom farmer, can you tell?

It was crankin' hot and after a day of sweating our collective hams off walking around the zoo, there was no way I could bring myself to cook inside.  Instead I baked a pizza outside on the grill with the oyster mushrooms, fresh basil, and steak while the kids swam in the pool.  A round of s'mores afterwards and the day was complete.

How was your weekend?

Happy Monday!

They're alive! Aliiiive!!

Aren't they beautiful? 

I know, you're probably wondering what the heck this is and why on earth I'm showing it to you.   One, they're baby mushrooms sprouting from my Grow Your Own Mushroom kit from Back To The Roots .  Two, I'm easily entertained.  Also, I felt like a proud momma and had to show off the babies.

Now you may wonder why I am growing my own mushrooms when I live in the woods.  Well, my woods, while abundant in the fall, are short on mushrooms in the spring.  Secondly because this is the kind of company I like to support.  These little kits use recycled coffee grounds as growing media and if you post a pic of your fully grown mushrooms on their facebook page, the company will donate a growing kit to an elementary classroom, you have to love that.  

And also because it's just cool.

I can't wait to eat them.

Want to try it for yourself?  You can find them on their website, on facebook, and now even on Etsy.

Grow on!

Wordless Wednesday

Pineapple Weed and Yellow Sorrel jelly

As a kid, we used to find these "sour clovers" growing in the outfield at the little school where we used to play ball.  When we needed a rest we'd flop in the grass and nibble on the tiny tart leaves, as kids do.  (I always seemed to have a piece of grass or something in my teeth, the little hayseed that I was)  It was this memory that prompted me this week to find out what that sour clover was.  A quick search online revealed that it was a Wood Sorrel and full of potential.  Not only is the little weed tart and tasty, but it's a plant of many uses as well.   The leaves are used in salads and soups, can be ground up for pesto,can produce a natural dye, and more.   The green seed pods are also edible and have a nice little crunch.  They're slightly less tart than the leaves but biting into them gives a quick taste of rhubarb for me.  It's an easy plant to identify which makes it a great plant for beginners to try.

Luck stepped in while I was gathering pineapple weed yesterday and there it was, a little forest of yellow wood sorrel right in my yard.  I nibbled a leaf and those days in the ball field came right back.  I picked a large bunch of it, scooped up my bowl of pineapple weed, and headed inside to see what I could make.  

I figured I'd start by making a strong tea with my finds so I put my pineapple weed and sorrel in separate glass bowls, poured boiling water over each, then covered them and let them steep for about an hour.  After they were cooled and strained, I was left with two yellowish infusions.  I mixed the two together with a little sugar and a couple of ice cubes for a cold drink and the result was a taste that was a dead ringer for apple juice.  Sweet, but not cloyingly so, and a little tart.  Delicious.

I processed the rest into jelly using 3 cups of the pineapple weed and 1/2 cup of the sorrel infusions, 4 cups of sugar, and a package of pectin.   I processed it according to basic jelly directions.  It was also quite delicious.  It had less of an apple flavor than I expected and tasted a lot like honey, even moreso than the dandelion jelly had.  It has a hint of tartness which makes it light and bright.  I can't wait to have it on an english muffin.

I'm curious what your reaction is to reading recipes like this; are you curious to try it, fearful, repulsed?  Our relationship to food is so interesting to me.  What wild plants have you tried?

p.s. We gather only wild plants that we can positively identify and only from areas that we trust to be free of pesticides, run-off, and other ickiness.   The occasional bug or clod of dirt is okay with us, but chemicals are not. blech. 

Brainerd's Arts In The Park

I stopped by Arts In The Park today, an annual event held in town, one that I had never been to. Some art shows can be hit or miss, with mass-produced goods or "hand assembled" items being prevalent.  The few I've been to in our area seem to be mostly of that type.  I find those shows really disappointing and honestly, this is what I expected today.   There were a couple of those booths in this show but largely it was a show full of talent and with 140 or so booths in the show, that's pretty impressive.

There was a lot to look at, but for me there were a few stand-outs that really made a big impression.  These are people I would watch for at the next show and make a bee-line for their booths.  I screwed up my courage enough to ask for a quick photo while admiring their work (sorry if I freaked anybody out, and thanks for being such good sports) and wanted to share them with you.

Naturally Unique had a collection of smooth beach stones worked into stacked lamp bases, little bud vases (loved these!), cabinet pulls, and much more.  They even had felted wool bags that closed with little stone buttons.  Perfect!  They were such nice people that they offered the kidlets a couple of stone magnets, which they thought were the greatest things ever.  I'll be watching for their work again next year, but they have a website too with photos of their work and their show schedule, and an Etsy shop too, so go have a peek.  

When we first moved to Minnesota I stopped by a craft show in town, and though it was a large show, it was short on the type of work I was hoping to find.  About halfway through the show I spotted Adama Sow's pottery and it was like a bright light in an otherwise dull room.  I walked away then with a small egg cooker that I still use.  I was really excited to spot his work at this show.  Check out the colors he's working with, aren't they fantastic?  Happiness captured in clay.

A quick look in this booth and I immediately recognized William Lange's work from Etsy.  He coaxes magic out of copper.  Check out that amazing pogoda fountain (that my boy couldn't get enough of), isn't it something?  I loved the little details on his pieces that you really have to see to believe.  (little spiders in copper webs...beautiful)  His bird houses that I had fallen in love with on Etsy were even more beautiful in person.  The craftsmanship and patina were really outstanding.  Check out William's Etsy shop here.

There were a number of potters at the event but the work of Phillip Schmidt really pulled me in.  His pieces were perfectly worked, not too fussy, not too plain.  It didn't feel as though he was making work with the intent of making things that people would buy, rather his work felt sincere (does that make sense?) and beautifully executed.  I loved that many of his pieces were taken out of round and given edges and a sort of perfect imperfection.  His glaze colors are simply stunning too.  I chatted with him for a few minutes and he was as delightful as his work.  If I had more money I would have cleaned him out.

Instead I left with just one gorgeous vessel for my freshly-picked chamomile.  Isn't it awesome?  Fits my hand (and aesthetic) perfectly.

Phillip has a website here, which you should definitely check out, and he also has a blog where you can read about his work and philosophy...and beer bread. (come on, how cool is that?!)  I'm a fan.

I also got to chat with a really engaging woman from Busby Bee Salve but walked away without snapping her photo, darn.  She makes a healing salve with ingredients right from the hive.  This is a woman who believes in her product and it shows.  She convinced me and I came home with a tube of salve in my pocket to replace the Burt's lip balm I had been using.  She also has a website and an online store here where you can get some too.

Though I didn't get to talk with him, Greg Rosenberg from Shining Light Studio was also exhibiting. His work is beyond stunning.  I really can't describe it without gushing.  Seriously.   When I first saw his work a few years ago he was in the middle of making a lamp using petrified wood in lieu of traditional stained glass as the shade; an approach that is both unexpected and really successful.  He sculpts the bases for his lamps himself and the details, oh my goodness the details.  Tiny brass acorns, crystals tucked into the roots of the tree bases, leaves and flowers, and ohhh...I'm gushing.  In addition to lamps he also makes furniture, doors, custom lights...amazing stuff all of it.

He has a site here where you can gush too. 

I am so glad I finally stopped by this show and I'm already looking forward to next year. 

You've got to love a day that just totally exceeds your expectations. 

Beautiful art, nice people, buying handmade. 

Yes!

Tinkering in progress

Signs of progress...chunks of wood turning into brooch bases...antlers being cut and drilled...wool being needled...

There's been some tinkering going on over here.  

It makes me happy.

and so does this.

More about all of this in time.

Fo now, have a wonderful weekend, everyone!