Mercersburg Inn Bed and Breakfast

David and Susanna have started a new tradition of enjoying two days at bed and breakfasts while Cedar was at camp and Nancy and Angelica were doing Hershey Park.   The Mercersburg Inn is a large grand Inn in downtown Mercersburg, PA.  We spent the evening walking the historic tour of Mercersburg.

Breakfast featured fresh cantaloupe and pumpkin raisin bread followed by a plate of flavorful chicken sausage, light eggs with Asiago and cream cheese, served with a side of tomatoes and asparagus. 

Art in the Garden

It is a new garden tool!  Named a Heron Head by artist Mike Patterson of Steel in the Wind, it is made of stainless steel and made well to last forever, even as we bush whack through our July garden.   Use it to weed, dead head flowers, pop open a bottle of brew, cut wire or twine and to keep away intruders!

 It is so pretty it is hard to get out there and use this amazing tool but the more you work with it the shinier it gets.  Thanks Matt and Tracy for a wonderful surprise birthday gift!  Garden tools are always a fun gift, an all-in-one garden tool that I can't break, now that's cool!

What is it?

This was an exciting gift for Susanna's big 5-0 birthday.  Any guesses? 

 Cedar says it is part horse, part sawhorse.

Check back tomorrow!

Primitive Skills - Bark Baskets

On the last day of the skills camp, Tracy and Nancy attended a session on making bark baskets.  Utilizing a branch from a Tulip Poplar tree, with some skillful cuts and guided instruction from Jeff, we removed the outer bark.  Once the original cuts were made, it was quite amazing how the bark simply peeled off.  Additional cuts in the center of the peeled bark allowed you to fold the bark in half, forming a basket.  Poking holes along the sides and weaving them together, helped to form the basket.  Additional weaving along the upper rim to support the edge completed the basket. 

 The sense of accomplishment upon completion of this craft was quite satisfying.  Selecting sessions that resulted in a completed project was important to me.

And the other primitive skill that I learned, was how to carve soapstone using flint and antler pieces to create a vessel to burn the cordage that Susanna learned to make using the yucca plant.  A lot of scraping and digging and a few blisters later, there was a spot hollowed out that was large enough to hold the oil and the wick.  Fun!

Primitive skills - Pottery

One of the skills, Angelica, Cedar and Zach enjoyed was creating the pottery.  Which was then fired by being buried in the ash overnight.  The pots were rotated and moved around so that the firing process wouldn't cause them to crack.  It required diligent attention over the hot embers on a hot day. 

Cedar's coaster says "Ma" as a thank you for his mora knife from the trade blanket. Angelica made a bowl with some decorative edging.Angelica pressed a delicate pattern around the edge of her clay pot before it was fired.

Trader Blanket

Based on the trade blanket of the Fur Trappers, the trading blanket was part of the early evening entertainment at camp.   The person who is trading would put their item in the center of the blanket,  and anyone who wanted that item would set out their trade items around the edge of the blanket. 

The person then had the opportunity to chose a trade from those items, or ask for someone to "sweeten the pot" and add something else.  Once the deal was struck you would shake hands and state "good trade".  There was also opportunity to create side trades of the blanket as well.  If you were low on trade items "Frog skins" were also acceptable to use.  Frog skins are green rectangular pieces of paper that have various US presidents featured on them....   Be warned though,  as it got to be dusk, and harder to see, you would need to be careful at the trade blanket and make sure the item was the quality you thought it to be for once you shook hands the deal is sealed.

We traded our Roastmary seasoning (delicious on all meats, including game), DIY Elderberry Syrup to keep healthy, Tobacco plants and White Sage plants for ceremonial purposes.  Some of the items we got in return were: a Mora knife for Cedar,  hand knit fingerless gloves for Angelica, a bottle of honey mead for David, and a shaman style nature print for Susanna.

Primitive skills - beer brewing

Beer brewing was another workshop that was offered.  Malt, Hops and Barley form the basis of the brew which after a fermentation period is strained in a burnt out log through juniper branches.  Juniper doesn't add any flavor, it is simply a good straining material.

Once bottled, the beer continues brewing and is ready to drink one week later.

Happy Fourth of July, please celebrate responsibly!

Peruvian Finger Weaving and Basketry

 Angelica and our friend Tracy Holliday, were quite the weavers at the primitive skills camp.  Here is Angelica hard at work on her Peruvian Finger Weaving project, an art with ancient origins.

Basketry was another primitive skill that required concentration and finger dexterity to complete the project.  Shown here, Tracy is working with broomsedge to craft a tightly woven basket.

Primitive Skills - Cordage

Yucca filamentosa, I never really thought about the second part of that name, filamentosa, until I sat down to make cordage with the yucca plant.  It is certainly filled with filament! Yucca, or sometimes called Adam's needle because of the sharp needle like point on the end makes very strong cordage, fairly quickly.  First you scrape the green part of the leaf.  We did this very quickly using a quarter.  

Next you comb out and separate the fibers, you can use your fingers or a flower arranging "frog" or a pet comb.   Then, take a small section of the fiber and do a "reverse twist" while applying tension.  As you are twisting gradually work in additional small sections of the fiber so you continue to get one long piece of cordage.

Yucca is also used for its Saponins (soap) which are mostly found in the root but also in the leaves.  It is one of the best woods used as a hand drill for fire starting. An all purpose plant, the flowers are edible and fritter nicely.   It is native to the SW but grows throughout much of the US in full sun.

Primitive Skills - MAPS

Years ago when The Clan of the Cave Bear books came out I read them with great interest, with all the mention of the herbs used and the developments of the peoples.   

For years I remember The Rosemary House sold (and I own) the complete set of The Foxfire Book series.  The Foxfire books cover everything from faith healing to fire starting to log cabin building to moon shining.    Fast forward . . .two and a half decades . . . . . .   Over Memorial day weekend this year, our dear friends invited us on a weekend adventure to the Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering were we learned pottery, beer brewing, cordage making, bark basketry, finger weaving, atlatl making and much more.   Activities of interest for everyone in our "clan".

American Ginger

Our crop of American Ginger (Asarum canadense) has escaped under the fence to the neighbors yard! This charming native American woodland ground cover has gone seeking just a wee bit more sun. It grows happily in semi shade but not in dense shade. The interesting flowers are small and brownish and grow near the base of the plant in early spring. The roots of this plant have a gingery flavor and can be used for seasoning of a wild foods meal. The leaves have a slightly spicy scent but aren't used for food. 

Lungwort

Lungwort is a lovely garden plant.  It blooms in early spring and enjoys partly shady areas.  It grows in many different plant zones from about zone 3-8.  The bell like flowers are pink and blue and make the prettiest fairy skirts.  It has a mounding habit and has beatuiful foliage all year round.  It will grow nicely under deciduos trees and along woodland paths.  We grow ours under our Fairy Rose bush.  Lungwort, also known as Pulmonaria officinalis, is considered deer resistent.  We don't have a problem with deer here in town, so I can't attest to that positively.

The speckled leaves were thought to resemble a lung.  Therefore, in the days of the early herbalists, lungwort was used in the treatment of lung disorders.