Fresh

Two Red Pears


Two fresh red pears 


I asked for three but it's the end of the fresh pear season here so I'm doing good to have gotten two!


These are not as red as the Barletts I had earlier in the season, these are rudier and are more in keeping with Pantones color for 2015 "Marsala".  I also am quite enamored with the greenish blush on the large pear and the stripes on the smaller pear.


Since I have only two pears my original idea is well, will no longer work.  So I'm playing with these to see how I want to use them in my work.  Next up some thumbnail sketches and I think I will slice one open it could get interesting!

Family Room Partial Redux

 
Oliver at home on the new, to him, rug in the freshly cleaned family room.

I didn't think to take a before photo and this is probably a good thing!  Needless to say we spent the past two days taking apart, deep cleaning, and then putting back together with a replacement rug no less, the family room.  No small feat on our part because the dogs wanted to be in the middle of everything the entire time.  But we got'er done and I have to say mostly due to John's particpation in the whole process!  Another words it wouldn't have ever have happened if he hadn't been home to help me. 


Notice the beautiful rug in the previous photo, it's replacing the neutral number that has been ruined by my shelties relentless need to pee on it!  The new, it's actually not new we've had it in storage for about seven years now, rug is scotch guarded and well will hide the pee stains much better... unfortunately my red oak floor was ruined from Angel's relentless need to pee in the same spot for the past nine years.


She's NOT happy about the new rug and will barely come into the family room.  Btw her peeing issue is due to having been spayed improperly... from what I've learned it was the breeder herself that spayed Angel and NO she had no vet training.


A very unhappy sheltie!


And lastly, hillbilly puppy training!  He's already set the trap off that was in a skillet on the stove.  He's learning!

Madder Root

Fresh Madder Root from my best friends green house - picture and roots courtsey of Karen Hartshorn!

Dried Madder Root - picture and roots courtsey of me!
YES there is a discernable difference in the color and the intensity of the colors you get when using fresh or dried madder root! If you can get fresh roots that is the best way to go, much better reds. The lightfastness and washfastness will be the same but the overall intensities will be different.

Madd About Madder Root

Photo of Madder Root Courtesy of Karen Hartshorn




8 oz to 1 # of whole Madder Root
4-5 Gallon Bucket
Water

Break your madder root into smallish pieces ¼” to ½” inch in length.
Cover in water and soak overnight.
Rinse Madder Root the next day.
You can save the rinse water and use it with other yellowish yielding dyes if desired.

The reason you rinse the madder root, if it is dried madder root not fresh, is to remove any of the yellow dye that is present in the root. Leaving the yellow rinse water will give you dyes more towards the orange/yellow end of the spectrum. Rinsing the madder root after the initial soak will give you deeper truer reds.

Bean Soup and Hot Corn Bread



Well I misread the directions and used only 1/3rd cup beans when in fact I was supposed to fill the jars 1/3rd full with beans.


So today we had bean soup and it was very juicey. To counter act the juiceyness John made corn bread with fresh ground wheat and fresh ground cornmeal - see Fannie Farmer cookbook for recipe. A canning buddy told me to add veggies to the bean soup and to use it as a soup base in the future - which is a totally brilliant idea - Thank you David!!!

Cinnamon Rolls


I made homemade cinnamon rolls last night, from fresh ground wheat berries, that was half the dough batch. I also make a loaf of bread the oven decided to cooperate which is good because I've given up on my bread machine! The rolls were yummy even if I did screw up the recipe, apparently your supposed to use brown sugar with the cinnamon and butter, I used white! They still tasted heavenly.

Fresh Bread




I made bread for function today from freshly ground wheat, John did the grinding, it was delicious. So the dough rose in record time, I made loaves of bread which rose in record time and my oven decided not to work~! At 9:50 pm!!! So I called the neighbor and enlisted the services of their oven, it is really nice to have neighbors that care! The bread fell somewhat in the transfer from our house to theirs, the bread was incredible none the less.
The wheat was fresh ground Wheat Montana Spring Hard White.