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. 

What's in your cup (mug) today?

My morning cup today was a large steamy mug of Kentucky Blend,  a hostess gift from Linda of Friendship Tea Blog.  This hearty blend is a combination of black teas handpicked and harvested from Yunnan and Anhui provinces in China.  These are full bodied teas, often described as rich and earthy.  The delightful wording on the canister describes this tea drinking experiece as reminiscent of a morning stroll across our pastoral Kentucky countryside.
Loose leaf tea in pyramidal sachets is a quick and easy way to enjoy a quality cup of tea.  Thank you, Linda, for this perfect gift!

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas is a family owned business since 1990.  Owners Bruce and Shelley Richardson are well known in the tea industry, first as owners of the Elmwood Inn Tea Room (sadly, now closed), and presently as expert speakers on the subject of tea and purveyors of fine tea.  They have penned several cookbooks with delicious tea room fare.  In addition, they vend a wide variety of teas through their internet site, Elmwood Inn Teas.  We were fortunate to welcome Bruce and Shelley to Sweet Remembrances when Susanna, Janet and I founded and hosted the first annual seminar for the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association in 2005.

Taking Tea in Mechanicsburg

Before Linda and her family journeyed back to their old Kentucky home, they stopped by Sweet Remembrances for their very own personal afternoon tea party.  It was a joy to welcome her lovely family to Sweet Remembrances.

After a quick tour of the tea room, we began our tea. Everyone selected their own flavor of tea, and individual pots were brewed and served.   The first course featured a mixed berry salad with walnuts and feta cheese dressed with poppyseed dressing.  The three tiered tray consisted of a variety of tea sandwiches; sliced chicken with basil pesto mayonnaise, warm asparagus and blue cheese rollups, herbed spinach balls, cucumber with French style cheese spread, and swiss cheese and bacon melts on pumpernickel.  Traditional English Cream Scones, plain and with currants were accompanied with sweet cream and raspberry preserves.  The top tier held a trio of desserts: carrot cake muffins, strawberry shortbread cookies, and raspberry cream in puff pastry.

Sorry to see the day end, we bid farewell with hopes of a reunion again someday soon!

Hershey Park Happy!

Out for a Sunday drive.... and some Hershey Park Fun!  Friends recently visited the area from Kentucky, and a day at the park was on the agenda.  AJ and GJ show what it's like to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Angelica and AJ, only a few months apart in age, experienced the majority of the rides, some pretty thrilling, others pretty dizzying!

And a friendship renewed, Linda of Friendship Tea and Nancy of Rosemary's Sampler, were introduced years ago while traveling to London with Denise, of Uniquely Tea fame.  It has been a number of years since we've seen each other, and those years dropped away instantly as we shared stories and laughter throughout the day.
 

World Tea East!

Mark your calendars!  World Tea East, a regional trade event featuring all things tea (seminars, products, tea tastings, and more) is being held this year at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA on October 2 and 3, 2012.  Any one interested in and/or involved in the tea business should consider attending this valuable conference.  We are excited to announce that Susanna Reppert of The Rosemary House will be a speaker on Wednesday, Oct. 3rd during the 9:45 - 10:45 time slot.  Her seminar is entitled
Geo Location Target Marketing.
Details about her seminar as published on the expo website include: Geo Location Target Marketing enhances your advertising campaigns and reaches the growing number of consumers who rely on smart phones and social media. Geo-location or technology based marketing often falls under the category of Guerrilla Marketing as it does require time, effort, and imagination without a large financial investment.
By the end of this session you will be able to:
1. Understand the concept of Guerrilla Marketing.
2. Understand the Concept of Geo Location Marketing.
3. Recognize the value of Geo Location Target Marketing.
4. Implement your Geo Location marketing Campaign.
5. Understand the need to maintain commitment to this Marketing Technique.

We hope to see you there!