When looking for information on the difference between stalks and stems (turns out there is one), I stumbled upon a blog I thought you might like to know about.
Botanical Accuracy is a site that doesn't seem to be updated a lot but if you're as pedantic as me, you will love the way that common mistakes are deconstructed and explained. I wanted to send a little shout out to Joshua Becker. Sound familiar? He's the mastermind behind "Becoming Minimalist". Now, why send a shout out to him when there are so many great people writing great blogs? That's an easy one for me to answer. In addition to having a great perspective on becoming minimalist, with some really good, real life solutions, Joshua also offers a lot to people for free.
The most important thing for me, lately, are his posts on his business model and getting started as a blogger. These are the kinds of things I've been struggling with - for example, do I need to have advertising to keep my blog sustainable? It just wasn't something I wanted to do and when I saw a few bloggers I really liked head down that path, I started thinking maybe this isn't the platform for me. I just want to share what I know and hopefully, along the way, help someone out. I'd love to not pay out of pocket for the blog but I don't need to make a fortune off it either. Joshua's post about his business practices helped me find the middle road which in turn, lead me back to the original purpose of the blog. If you're interested in how to create a sustainable blog without a tonne of advertising (hint: it requires extra effort but is so worth it) or if you're not sure how to start or what the benefits are, I suggest you hit the links above. And, if you're interested in a real life experience of stripping away the excess, it's a great post for his musings, tips, and some diversity brought by the guest bloggers. Overall, it's a blog I would strongly recommend. Well, technology is amazing but we can't quite bring you the full range of deliciousness happening in my world. Do you know what these pretties are? If you guessed elderflowers, you'd be right. Also known by their Latin name, Sambucus, various varieties of elderflower grow all over the world. In my part of the world, we have primarily Sambucus nigra. Being clear about the variety is extremely important, not because the flowers and (cooked) berries of the elderberry are poisonous (though the leaves and stems contain cyanogenic glycosides, like a lot of fruit seeds) but because there are other plants that look sort of similar and are poisonous. Back to the elderflowers. We harvest them for a few different things. Primarily, we want to make elderflower cordial, at this time of year. Secondarily, elderflower wine or champagne and dry some to have in tea in the winter. The floral scent and flavour of the elderflower is simply incomparable to anything else. And that takes us back to the limitations of tech. Right now, I have my annual batch of cordial working away. The scent that winds up from the pot every time I take the lid off is nothing short of divine. And that, my friends, is where I think the Internet fails us. There really should be an app for that. I know, it would be misused and largely serve to play pranks on people (I have a 14 year old son and have no trouble imagining where this could go) but in these moments, I just wish I could share this with all of you. The next best thing then, is to teach you how to make it yourself. First of all, locate elderflowers (and now is the time in most places). You want them on the young side - just bloomed is best. And you want to pick them in the early afternoon when they're releasing their full perfume. It's best to leave the ones in a traffic heavy area for the birds; though we don't use leaded gas anymore, there is still some speculation that the toxins from the exhaust are taken up by the flowers. I don't know about you but I don't want to eat that! So, find some on a quiet street, in an out of the way area. For me, half of the enjoyment of making these sorts of things is the foraging. So consider it an adventure. When you have positively identified that you have, indeed, located an elderberry bush in flower, ask for permission to take the blooms and get harvesting. Now, a word to the wise... most of us know that we're to ask permission if we're taking something from someone else's land and some people will ask the plant for permission but in the case of the elder, you must always ask the spirit of the shrub for permission to take anything from it. And you'll know if you have permission, trust me. So, you harvest your blooms. You're careful to take a mix from up high and down low, leaving enough to be sure there is a good crop of berries for the birds (and possibly you) in the up coming seasons. A good rule to harvest by is to never take more than 25%, unless it's something like Japanese Knotweed, then take as much as you can! Take your blooms home and leave them in a basket or somewhere they can breath overnight. There are two reasons for this - first, it makes getting the blooms off the stem a million times easier. And second, it gives a chance for the bugs to realize they need to move and most of them will. The next day, strip the blooms off the stem, getting as little of the fine stems as you can without making yourself crazy. Definitely keep the big stems and leaves out of the pot of blooms. Even though you're not likely to get enough to make you sick, you don't want the bitterness they're supposed to impart. I like to shake the blooms before picking them. Most of the scent/flavour is in the pollen so I figure the more I can get that into the pot, rather than on my hands, the better. So I shake them and I strip them until all of the blooms -the nice ones, not the old crunchy ones - are all in the pot. And then I cover them with my water solution and let them soak. So my recipe is as follows:
30 humungous, young elderflower heads 16 cups water +1 cup hot water 5-8 cups of water 5-8 cups of sugar 2 Tbsp citric acid (available at the chemist/pharmacy) 2-4 Lemons, limes, oranges (on day three) Pick the flowers (after asking permission) in the early afternoon on a sunny day (yes, be that particular, the results are worth it). Let them sit overnight in a basket or other breathable option. Strip the blooms from the stalks, taking care to keep as much of the small, tender bits of stalk out. Definitely be sure there are no leaves and woody stems left in with the flowers. Cover the flowers with 16 cups water. Dissolve the citric acid in the reserved cup of hot water and add to the flower/water soup. Stir. Cover. Ignore. Stir once in the morning, once in the evening, taking time to breath deeply each time you open the lid because that is the smell of fairies. On day three or four (let the quality of the blooms be your guide - if they look yucky, do it sooner), make a simply syrup of sugar and water. Again, let your preference be your guide. For this size batch I'd probably use about 6 cups of sugar to five cups of water. While that's simmering, slice up your citrus. I prefer lemons though any citrus can be good. More citrus in there = more citrus flavour. Add the simple syrup and citrus and stir. Leave covered for at least 24 hours (except to stir once more). Strain the whole delicious mess and pour into bottles. A lot of people in the UK 'sterilize' swing top bottles and leave them on the shelf. I haven't had huge success with that so I strain it off and freeze it in jam jars. Thaw as needed and dilute with water (sparkling or still) to your taste. Absolutely delicious! Oh - and want to savour the deliciousness but don't live near elderberry bushes? Check out the gorgeous elderflowers offered at Mountain Rose. I had given up on goat breeding. It was too much work/stress/hassle. And then, one knit night, I was speaking with a farmer friend I respect immensely. She told me they have been selling cows and horses their way. Not to people who would be unsafe (as much for the horse as for the person), not having made any alterations or adjustments to the animal that they feel aren't in the animals' best interests. In short, they don't do anything that to sell the animal that they wouldn't do to one they were keeping. She got me thinking - that and spring and missing babies hopping around. She inspired me to continue on (with apologies to the Reluctant Goatherd).
I love my goats in spite of the sorrow the losses brought out of the last breeding. After a year of research consulting with vets across the province and beyond, and studying lineages, we think we've figured out the baby problem. If we're right, we should have a different experience next time. The only way to be sure if to breed them this year and see, which is a bit of a daunting way to go about it. Through all of this soul searching, I've realized that I have some really strong values about how I raise my animals and I can't comfortably compromise those principles for sales. One of those principles I hold dear is around the controversial issue of horns. Now, first of all, let me say I think we all need to do what we need to for our animals. As someone who has had horned animals up until my most recent goats, I've grown into my farminess with a horn related comfort. In fact, I think I'd go so far as to say I have a preference for horns. I've come to rely on them as a handle and for something to catch the goats in the headgate. I also like the fact that they can scratch their backs with them and hopefully, it helps give them a bit of extra protection in the event of predation. As I live in a cougar/wolf/coyote/etc area, any extra little bit of protection is a good thing. Yes, I have bent over and nearly poked myself - I think that says more about me and how mindfully I am dealing with my goats than it does about the horns because, ahem, I've done that with fruit trees and shrubs and fences too. I'm not cutting off every single thing that sticks out and could poke me but I am trying to pay better attention. After a lot of research and soul searching, I've decided I will be selling horned goats, with a twist. If you want to have your babies disbudded, (and 4Hers have to) I have no problem with that. In order to hold a baby for anyone, I require a $100 non-refundable deposit. If you would like disbudding to happen, I will just add on a $25 fee which is far from the full cost of the disbudding. I actually stole the idea from a few breeders in the US who are doing the same thing, for the same reason. I think we all know there are some people who feel strongly about having disbudded animals, or they're showing and have no choice, so this was the best compromise I could come up with to accommodate all of those views. Also - horned goats look just awesome. I love the primitiveness of them. Seriously - how can you look at this and not think "yes!" I am a breakfast person. I know there are a lot of non-breakfast types but not me; love it. When I can't have tea and toast, or just want a change, oatmeal is my go to. My oatmeal is a simple kind of thing - bring old fashioned rolled oats slowly to boil. If it looks too dry, add a bit more water, if it's too wet, just keeping on stirring. Once the oats are cooked, put them into your bowl. Top them with some jam (or marmalade, swoon) and a splash of cream. Cheap, fast, filling, good for you and the leftovers make a great lunch. Enjoy. |
AuthorI'm a 40-something writer and smallholder living in the wilds of BC with my family, our small herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. Archives
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