Baby Rosemary

For remembrance.

We have a tiny little rosemary growing on one side of the yard. I planted him about six months ago. He’s so cute! He seems lonely so I recently sprinkled some sweet pea seeds near him so he could have some lady friends.

Here's a brilliant (as always) article from botanical.com about our dear rosemary friend.

Stay tuned for updates about my culinary adventures with rosemary. I can almost smell the rosemary and roasted potatoes!

Desert Willow

Apparently we have a desert willow in our back yard. It has the most beautiful purple fragrant flowers!

.

I found it in this clever book "Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest" that I have been immersed in for the last couple of days. This book has really helped me identify some of the plants growing in my yards. Wonderful color photos!

From reading I have learned a preparation of it's roots and leaves can alleviate diarrhea. Desert Willow leaves and flowers can also be brewed into a tea to treat colds, sore throats and fevers as well as aches and pains. In various formulations, the plant has healing properties for skin irritations and cuts. For instance, boiled bark can be used as a skin ointment.

Desert Bloom Herbs also has a great page regarding the use of Desert Willow.

I think I will try and make a salve from the infused bark for cuts and boo-boos that may come up.

Cheesey Weekend

Good Monday Morning!

I had a fantastic weekend making mozzarella and bread. I didn’t get around to making the liquid soap that has been on my to-do list for the past several weeks, nor the tie dying. It was, none the less a very wonderful weekend.

Here are some photos of the yummy cheese making experiment.

Here we have the curds setting up. They are in cubes because I sliced them to make them easier to scoop out :)

Here are the curds after a night of hanging in the cheese clothe to get as much whey out as possible. At this stage it was very crumbly!

Here is the finished cheese! See how it is shiny and more "plastic" looking than the previous photo? That is because I kneaded it and soaked it in hot water until it had the delicious mozzarella consistency.

I made a delicious wheat bread with my fresh mozzarella, about a cup of chopped garlic, and oregano. It was fabulous! It didn't last long...

New Blog

Enjoy!