stirring words, herbs, and colour
Salt. It has been around for a long, long time, with evidence of its use dating back as far as 6500 B.C. The British evaporated salt by boiling seawater from salt springs in small clay pots over open fires during the Iron Age. Salt was used as money by the many ancient cultures, including the... Continue Reading →
We love golden milk, with fresh turmeric and ginger grown locally by Paradox Farms and a few cardamom pods simmered slowly in milk. But frankly, in the muggy heat of summer the thought of a warm beverage makes me shudder. Recently, I came across a recipe for turmeric cake in The Washington Post, and it... Continue Reading →
“Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall, if I can’t have the girl I love I won’t have none at all . . . ” Anyone else love Shadygrove? It’s certainly summer here in these shady groves of the Blue Ridges, and the scent of fresh, ripe peaches wafts through our kitchen, mingling with... Continue Reading →
Cilantro is in full bloom, a dazzling sight artfully arranged by hundreds of miniscule flowers dancing together. It’s creating fruits now, which are known as coriander seed and used in almost all the sub-continental dishes I grew up eating: daal, curries, biryani, fish, kababs, none of them are without either powdered coriander seeds, crushed coriander... Continue Reading →
In March, I began making hand sanitizer for my husband to carry with him to work. Initially I started out with rubbing alcohol, glycerin, witch hazel, and essential oils, but we found this combination very drying to the skin, so I made a few changes. The CDC recommends minimums of 60% ethanol or 70% isopropyl... Continue Reading →
Reishi has been dancing up and down the Eastern Hemlocks, adorning their bark, in these sylvan woods all spring right into summer. A dryad called me out one day, she knew they'd matured, and led me through the wilds. A triad of trees here with nymphs hiding in the trunk, a mossy bridge over bubbling... Continue Reading →
Peaches are coming in, juicy and scrumptious, so I make shrub with the skins and scraps and even some pieces plus herbs. What is a 'shrub' you ask? A vinegar sipping beverage with fruits, sweetener, and herbs/spices dating back to the Babylonians, who mixed date vinegar with their water to make it safe to drink.... Continue Reading →
"I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still... Continue Reading →
"Joy is the transformation of our suffering, not the escape of all we have to face." -Mark Nepo
"Limitless love, from the depths to the stars: flooding all, loving all. It is the royal kiss of peace." ~Hildegard of Bingen
The Coddiwomplers Cauldron 