Find your place at Spring Bird
When the mushroom spawn arrived, our patio became an inoculation station. Fortunately, sunshine also made its glorious appearance – lighting and warming our tasks. We were working with shiitake spawn from various strains and logs from red oak, white oak, and sugar maple, which Pat …
This excerpt from Dan Deacon’s song, “When I Was Done Dying”, captures my feelings about Spring which dawns today in the northern hemisphere. This season smells like a fresh new playground ball mixed with ice melt. It feels like sticky, squishy mud, and it looks …
This month, Patrick has been harvesting oak and maple logs for shiitake mushroom inoculation! For now, he is stacking them (about 100 logs) in the shade of these yew trees. At the end of the month, we will be drilling holes in them, stuffing the …
A few weeks ago, on our way to Milwaukee, I noticed maples being tapped in someone’s backyard. I smiled. Temperatures in Northern Illinois must have reached above freezing during the day and below freezing at night. This sap seeking process is a seasonal ritual that …
Skunk cabbage is a happy harbinger of Spring. This cabbage patch is popping up in the muddy banks of our creek near the rickety wooden bridge. Skunk cabbage is a good reminder to steadily grow in spite of the cold, clingy mud that threatens to …
The sun will come tomorrow – or if not tomorrow – very soon! When the sun does show itself again, Keep its beautiful rays off of your face while supporting your favorite team – be it team berry, mushroom, snail, or leaf! Which is your …
Oh those donuts! They’re dough delicious! Here’s a hand stitched donut ornament made from upcycled, hand dyed fabrics – including a vintage napkin. This cake donut is apparently frosted in raspberry glaze and adorned with fun sprinkles.
I sort of can’t believe that these snowdrops have surfaced. I mean, it’s the usual time that they bloom, but they usually sprout after several feet of snow have melted. At this point in the season, we have forgotten what the ground even looks like, …
Coffee and Donuts! Coffee and Donuts! Coffee and Donuts, today! That’s my song celebrating this beautiful dunking duo, and here is my artwork. Happy Wednesday!
Happy Fat Tuesday! This is my favorite holiday – for obvious reasons. How do you indulge today? In past years, we made pancakes for dinner or ate chocolate for breakfast. Tonight we are going to make a rich and creamy mac and cheese and homemade …
A pickled ornament – guaranteed to keep for eternity – to be hidden on your Xmas tree – and found on Xmas morning by the child most motivated to be the first to open a present.
A portrait of a table set with a platter of pickles! Pickles make a meal special. They’re a bit extra – a briny bonus.
Pickles! We love pickles so much. I’m surprised that we haven’t made any of our own (other than quick refrigerator pickles). I bought these sour sweethearts from the local grocery store, Deli 4 You, in Algonquin – where you can source your bulk pickles directly …
More Cabbage! This one – a nice tablescape featuring purple cabbage and a black cat. In all seriousness, cabbage feels like one of those foods that is connected to my DNA. Whether it was a juicy cabbage roll or assertive sauerkraut or tomatoey cabbage soup …
Nothing goes better with cabbage than cabbage. It’s a real winter staple and a refreshing summer slaw. Cabbage is a real keeper all year long. We cooked it up last night in the Czech fashion – which is braised, sweet and sour. To make Czech …