Happy Guising Night to All!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011 ~

Scotland and Ireland are the originators of Guising.  Incidentally, disguising and guising are a pair of words which have the same meaning, yet seem logical opposites; perhaps flammable and inflammable are the most famous example of this lexical phenomenon.

Over time 'Trick or Treating' has taken on many local variations.  For example in Scotland from about 1850 to 1965, the guisers would patrol not with a pumpkin lantern, but a tumshie lamp made of swede ( rutabaga) or turnip. 

In this Scottish variation, the children would knock at the door and ask: 'Are ye wantin' any guisers?'.  If the householders wanted to play the game, they would invite in the children and try and guess the identities of the guisers.  Still no treat.  In order to get food, or a coin, the children had to perform their party piece, which could be a song, dance or even a magic trick.  Only then would they get a well earned treat.

In Ireland they also go in for guising, but the emphasis is more on pranks, and not just on Halloween, but in the week leading up to October 31st.  The Irish have always been particularly keen on bonfires on Halloween, whereas the English protestants prefer to wait a few days and celebrate Bonfire night on November the 5th.

In Germany and Austria they celebrate Seleenwoche, this festival lasts from October 30th to November 8th.  The theme revolves around leaving out bread and drink for spirits of ancestors returning for the night of Halloween.

An Influenza Punch!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011~

In honor of Hallowe'en and the roaming of the Fays, Ghosties and the Ghouls, here is a culinary recipe for the day after guising day's sniffles that I found in the very humorous Chas Addams, HALF- BAKED COOKBOOK.

Influenza Punch Recipe

(for children's colds and influenza)

Throughly beat up an egg, add 1 tablespoon syrup of cloves, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon lemon syrup and 1 tablespoon of rum. Pour over these 1 tumblerful of boiling water and add sugar to taste. Stir well. Put in tumbler. Best taken in bed.

Last bit of Odd and End ~ Although this is the kind of recipe I was given in my childhood, I do not recommend it for the children of today!  But goodness knows us adult types could use a little rum rest after a long month of preparation and and a day of candy gathering!

The Mount's Specter, Revisited!

photo by ana traina~2010~

Two summers ago, I revisited Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount. I had heard it was restored back to its original state; when Edith and her husband Ted lived there.  I wanted to see Edith’s gardens. You see, I had stayed at The Mount years ago, when I went for a month long intensive with Shakespeare and Company. I remember the house was in a beautiful state of disrepair and there were no formal gardens to speak of. I was excited and bursting with curiosity as I walked down the shaded tree and fern lined path to Edith’s home. I was in part admiring the grounds and in part reading the welcome pamphlet to The Mount when I was struck by this passage:

“It was like some dark undefinable menace, forever dogging my steps, lurking, & threatening…" As I read on, I realized that on Friday nights from June through October, The Mount presents Friday Night Fright, a special guided tour of the most haunted parts of the estate.  The pamphlet said, “Join us for a Friday Night Fright; who knows what strange experiences may lie in store?  ‘For the ghost should never be allowed to forget that his only chance of survival is in the tales of those who have encountered him . . .’”

After reading this passage, I smiled to myself and thought, “Yes, how perfect, how very smart, that they created a legend to gather more curious and thrill-seeking visitors.”  However, I’m not a complete disbeliever in the supernatural, when I was younger I have witnessed what I believed to be paranormal activity.  As I have grown older I’ve chalked these experiences up to a child’s overactive imagination.  After roaming Edith Wharton’s Flower Garden, I marveled at her detail of design down to the tiniest little bulb and root.  Although I did not remember the gardens at all from my previous visit, it may be due to the fact that her gardens have deteriorated during the decades following her departure in 1911.  I wasn’t going to go into the house, but then was struck with a thought, “That it might be nice to have a photo of Edith Wharton’s desk.”  I was told upon entering the house that Edith Wharton did not write at her desk, which was on the third floor, but in fact, she wrote directly from her bed, just like I am doing at this very moment. I headed to the stairwell and noticed an old chained up elevator.  I wanted to take a photo of this bygone house-elevator.  However, my camera refused to take a proper photo even though seconds before I had taken several other pictures with equivalent lighting and exposure.  I then tried to take another photo with my digital canon instead of my iPhone 4, and came up with the same exact results.

photo by ana traina ~ 2010

photo by ana traina ~ 2010

I then felt an urgent desire to get out of there as quickly as possible.  That evening, chilled by my photograph, I decided to investigate further.  I knew Edith Wharton had written some of my favorite novels; such as Ethan Frome and many more.  Here is what else I was able to unearth...

The Mount has stood a mute witness to stormy emotional currents from its very beginnings. Built in 1902 as a writer’s retreat, it was the scene of the final disintegration of the Whartons’ ill-fated marriage. Edith Wharton exiled herself to France and embarked on a passionate, yet angst-ridden love affair, and Teddy Wharton descended into years of mental instability.

Sold by the Whartons in 1911, The Mount became part of Foxhollow School for Girls in 1942. Residents reported unexplained noises and odd sensations while living in the old servant and family quarters. The school closed in 1976 and after several years of neglect Shakespeare & Co. used The Mount as both dormitory and theater. Actors reported not only odd noises, but also visions of figures in old-fashioned clothing calmly inquiring what they were doing there.

Edith Wharton was no stranger to the world of the supernatural. As a girl she was inordinately sensitive to forces she could never quite see nor escape. She was "haunted by formless horrors" and felt "some dark undefinable menace … I could feel it behind me, upon me; and if there was any delay in the opening of the door I was seized by a choking agony of terror."

Even as a married woman in her late twenties, she could not sleep in a room with a book containing a ghost story. She said she actually burned books containing ghost stories "because it frightened me to know that they were downstairs in the library!" Years later, after writing many ghost stories of her own she perhaps drew on these early fears when describing what makes a good ghost story:

"If it sends a cold shiver down one’s spine, it has done its job and done it well." 

Whatever Edith, the girls from Foxhollow School, or Shakespeare and Company  left behind, I have come to the conclusion that it truly does haunt the halls of The Mount. 

Whatever Edith, the girls from Foxhollow School, or Shakespeare and Company  left behind, I have come to the conclusion that it truly does haunt the halls of The Mount. 

BOO!!!!

However, this summer, I returned to Edith's house in hopes of having another ghostly thrill. But alas, it was not to be... here is a photo that I took in the very same spot at the very same time of day with the very same camera (my iphone4)! Photo after photo, all that appeared was the old time lift! Needless to say, it was a very Charlie Brown moment.

photo by ana traina ~2011~

Last bits of Odds and Ends about ghosts ~ 

Every year around Halloween, ghosts can be seen walking the streets and “haunting” houses. These are usually small kids who parade around in ghostly guises, getting free candy. 

Ghosts have been part of every culture and lore since before the pyramids at Giza were built. The earliest reference to ghosts comes from the Bible and the Torah. The most notable is the First Book of Samuel 28: 7-19 in which a disguised King Saul has the Witch of Endor summon the spirit of Samuel. Later, Jesus has to convince his disciples that he is not a ghost after his resurrection. They also believed Jesus was a ghost when they saw him walking on water.
Ghosts also appeared in Homer’s Odyssey and the Iliad. These were spirits who had little interaction with the world and were not particularly feared. Some spirits were called upon to provide advice and prophecy.

It was not until the 5h Century B.C.E. that ghosts became haunting, frightening creatures who would work for either good or evil purposes. Ghosts were said to “hover” near the place of the corpse making cemeteries a place to be avoided at all costs. The dead were to be celebrated in public with sacrifice and libations or they may return to haunt the living. The ancient Greeks held annual festivals to honor those who have died. The dead were invited and afterwords were firmly told to leave and not return until the festival next year.
 

The ancient Romans believed that ghosts could exact revenge on others. A piece of lead or pewter was scratched with a curse and laid in a grave. The spirit of the deceased was then compelled to carry out the curse before they could rest in peace.
 

The most famous “haunted house” was described by Pliny the Younger in 50 A.D.. He describes a house in Athens that was haunted by a ghost bound by chains. It wasn’t until a skeleton was unearthed under the house bound by shackles that the haunting ceased

The Forgotten Games of Hallowe'en!

There are several games traditionally associated with Hallowe’en, sadly they are mostly forgotten now. A common game that I played as a child was dunking or apple bobbing! It was lots of silly fun! The apples floated in a tub or a large basin of water and the participants used their teeth to remove an apple from the basin. A variant of dunking involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drop the fork into an apple. Here are some others that I was able to uncover and discover ~

Apple Seeds to Predict Mate’s Vocation ~ Using the seeds from the apple after finishing it as a party treat, a number of other games could be played. For instance, a prediction regarding the vocation of a future mate could be garnered by counting the seeds in an apple. This simple game has girls counting the seeds to this rhyme, "Rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief; doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief." Boys would chant, "Rich girl, poor girl, pretty girl, brunette; sweet girl, neat girl, lazy girl, coquette." The last seed would decide the lad's fate.

Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity that inevitably leads to a very sticky face.

Some games traditionally played at Hallowe'en are forms of divination. A traditional Scottish form of divining one's future spouse is to carve an apple in one long strip, then toss the peel over one's shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's name.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ~ Unmarried women were told that if they sat in a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on this greeting cards from the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Another game/superstition that was enjoyed in the early 1900s involved walnut shells. People would write fortunes in milk on white paper. After drying, the paper was folded and placed in walnut shells. When the shell was warmed, milk would turn brown therefore the writing would appear on what looked like blank paper.

Also, folks would also play fortune teller. To play this game, symbols were cut out of paper and placed on a platter. Someone would enter a dark room and was ordered to put her hand on a piece of ice then lay it on a platter. Her "fortune" would stick to the hand.

Some paper symbols included: dollar sign-wealth, button-bachelorhood, thimble-spinsterhood, clothespin- poverty, rice-wedding, umbrella- journey, caldron-trouble, 4-leaf clover- good luck, penny-fortune, ring-early marriage, and key-fame.[

A Very Fishy Costume!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011 ~

I just love this fisherfolk bike costume that I'd spied at the Maker's Fair this year so much, that I couldn't wait to share it with all you wonderful Zingertalers! I hope you enjoy the creativity as much as I did.

Backward, turn backward,
O Time, in your flight
make me a child again
just for to-night!
~Elizabeth Akers Allen 

Tasty Treats for Little Treasures!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011 ~

A couple of weeks ago I happened upon this fantastic cookbook “Baking for your Dog” by Ingeborg Pils, in Housing Works, my local thrift shop that I frequent often. I love to go there because I never know what little inspiring gems I might find.  Now, you can just imagine how over the moon with joy I was at finding this little cookbook for dogs! It was like no other and just what I was looking for, because in my experience commercial treats for dogs have always made mine ill, whether with hot spots or just terrible grumbling in their tummies.

What I adore about this cookbook is that you can tell it was put together by someone who is a passionate doggie-lover. Which is evident from the very first pages... Ingeborg’s introduction reminds me not to cook anything with toxic properties for dogs, which, ironically, a surprising number of people have no idea what compounds are toxic for them, even if they have owned a dog for many, many years. Things like, no alcohol, (okay, that’s a no brainer), no grapes or raisins, onions, garlic, raw pork, chocolate or any spicy dishes are actually very bad for dogs.

It has occurred to me that this Hallowe’en I just might sign my building’s Trick or Treat sheet and add that I would love to have some four-legged tricksters as well! In costumes, of course!

This is Beckett and Odysseus’ favorite recipe ~

photo by ana traina ~ 2011~

CRUNCHY PUMPKIN CRESCENTS
Makes about 35 crescents

3 potatoes, boiled unpeeled
5 oz (150 g) cooked pumpkin flesh
3 1/2 oz (100 g) sausage meat
3 1/2 (100g) wholewheat flour
3 tlbs pumpkin seed oil
1 egg
2 oz (50g) pumpkin seeds

Peel the potatoes, then put them through a potato ricer. Purée the pumpkin flesh, and mix with the potato and sausage meat.

Add flour, oil, and the egg, then knead all the ingredients to make a smooth dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough until about 1/2 inch thick and use a cookie cutter to make crescent shapes. (I make full moons as they are quicker!) Place the cookies on the baking sheet and decorate with pumpkins seeds...

Bake the pumpkin crescents for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the cookies dry in the oven for another 2 hours!

Last bit of Odd and End ~ Don’t be surprised if other family members love the Crunchy Pumpkin Crescents as well!

Happy bow-wow baking!!

Remembrance Day!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011~

In Celtic lore, Samhain is a time when the boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead are at their thinnest, allowing spirits and other supernatural entities to pass between the worlds to mingle with humans. It is the time of the year when ancestors and other departed souls are especially honored, by elaborate and humble offerings. Often a meal will be prepared of favorite foods of the beloved dead, a place set for them at the table, and traditional songs, poetry and dances performed to lure them homeward.  A door or window may be opened to the West and the beloved dead specifically invited to attend. Many leave a candle or other light burning in a western window to guide the dead home.

So here are some Samhain superstitions and omens that I have uncovered and discovered in hope of delighting you ~

Keep a sprig of rosemary and a sixpence under your pillow on Samhain night, and you'll dream of your future spouse.

In parts of England, it was believed that if a maiden carried a lantern to a well on Samhain night and held the light above the water, she would see the reflection of her husband to be.

Women shouldn't whistle on Hallowe’en because it only encourages the evil spirits in their evilness.
People were often cautioned that if they heard footsteps behind them on the night of Samhain, they shouldn't turn back because it may be a spirit following them.

If you host a dumb supper and no one speaks, the spirits are far more likely to show up.

It was believed that ringing a bell on Samhain kept away evil spirits.

Burying animal bones in front of your house on the night of Samhain will keep evil away, according to some legends of eastern Europe.

One old folktale from Appalachia says that owls flew down on Samhain night to eat the souls of the dead.

If the bats come out early on Samhain night, and fly around, it means good weather is coming.
Some people believe that if you see a spider on Samhain, it harbors the spirit of a dead ancestor, watching you...so please don't squash the spiders!

Many people in various parts of the world consider it to be extremely unlucky to look at their reflection in a mirror by candlelight on Samhain.

Many people also believe that mirrors are the gateways to the other worlds, and cover mirrors with black cloths to keep the gateway closed.

A burning candle placed inside a hollowed out pumpkin or jack-o-latern on Samhain works to keep evil spirits and demons at bay.

 If a candle should suddenly go out by itself on Samhain, as thought being blown out by wind or by breath, this is said to be a sign that a ghost has come to call.

Remembrance Cookies Recipe

These tasty delights can be made on Hallow's Eve. They can be shaped like people or animals and a sprinkle of the herb rosemary is added to the dough as a symbol of remembrance. Some of the cookies are eaten while telling stories about our dearly departed ancestors, reminding us that we still have access to their pluckiness--or perhaps a predisposition to their foibles. The rest of the cookies are left outside by a bonfire as an offering to the orphan souls that may walk the night. This can be a solemn but also very joyous ritual.

Ingredients for the cookies:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar 
1 c. butter or margarine (softened) 
1 egg 
2 t. vanilla 
1 t. almond extract 
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour 
1 t. baking soda 
1 t. cream of tartar 
1 1/2 T. chopped rosemary

Heat oven 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, almond extract, and rosemary until creamy. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture. Beat until dough forms and refrigerate for three hours. Divide dough into halves. Roll out one portion on a floured surface. Cut out with gingerbread women or men cutters and place on a non-greased cookie sheet. Repeat rolling and cutting with second portion. Bake for 5-7 minutes.

More than a Candy Corn Jar!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011 ~

As I stood staring into a jar of Candy Corn yesterday, I fell topsy turvy twirling back to past remembrances of Hallowe’ens long gone by...and I saw flashes of all the brilliant smiles on the faces of people I’ve once loved as they bit into the creamy colored candy. I must admit, to my chagrin and the high risk that I am being very corny, I cried, I laughed and before I put the lid on the jar, I took one last sweet inhale of those wonderfully precious and silly moments of once upon a time. Hmm. Most Curious. So, here is what I was able to uncover and discover about the history of Candy Corn ~

Corn is one of the traditional foods and decorations for the Pagan celebration of Samhain (The Festival of the Dead). Enterprising Americans made orange, yellow and white candy in the shape of a corn kernel. In the 1880s, the Philadelphia based Wunderle Candy Factory was the first to commercially produce these Hallowe’en treats.
The treat was made from a base combination of sugar, corn syrup and honey, but it was the revolutionary tri-color design (yellow top, orange center, white point) that had late 19th-century consumers so eager to chomp the tiny delights.

However, the turn-of-the-century manufacturing process was both time-consuming and labor-intensive. It required the newly cooked candy mixture to be dumped into 45-pound buckets called "runners." Next, men called "stringers" would walk backwards while hand-pouring the hot syrup into rows of trays that had kernel-shaped imprints. What made the task so burdensome, however, was the fact that the men had to make three separate passes to layer the colors – one each for the white, orange and yellow syrup mixtures.

As a result of this cumbersome process, candy makers were only able to produce the corn seasonally, from March through November.

Just a Bit of Odds and Ends ~ It has occurred to me that perhaps, just perhaps, these little white, orange and yellow sugary bits have a magical power...they can raise the dead.

There is a legend that the ghost of movie star Humphrey Bogart visits New York every October 31st to warn people not to stay in California too long.

A Shadow Thought-em!

drawing by ana traina ~ 2011 ~

Ali, Ali, Pumpkin Free

by

Scott Cohen 

"Ali, Ali!  Where can you be?"

"I swallowed her up!", said the Pumpkin Tree.

"Spit her out you meanie,  I am so forlorn."

"Then gimme good treats, like some Candy Corn!"

"I'll give you a few but not before dinner."

"Well, say goodbye to your Ali, she's mine, she's a winner!"

"Ok!  Ok! I'll give you some now, but promise me this you Pumpkin Monster, promise me that she'll eat all on her plate."

The Pumpkin Tree paused...

"Even the vegetables?  The salad? The... wait... what is she having for dinner tonight?"

"Her favorite, her best,  her meal of delight!"

"Chicken and rice with tamari to boot?"

"Yep.  All in one heap, like a warm lovely soup."

"AAAARRRRRRR!!", said tthe Pumpkin Tree, with a hunger so real. 

Candy Corn waiting AFTER the meal.

This thought-em is dedicated to Ms. Ali Trotta, winner of the Poesy Sleuth!

A Poesy Sleuth!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011

Dear Zingertale Readers,

Everywhere I seem to go in New York City I am haunted by these strange, unusual and no-name poesies.  I have spied in them in Korean delis and flower shops all about town.  Now, through my research the only thing that I am quite sure of is this... they are not Milkweed as they are completely hollow inside, just like a balloon.  So, what is this all adding up to, you may ask?  Well, I need your help!  So here is my proposal, this little contest, guess the poesy!  The first person to guess it right will not only get mucho thanks, but will also win a Shadow Thought inspired just by them!!

Happy Flower Sleuthing!!

Scribbled by a very perplexed gnomette, who now loves unicorns and therefore went out and bought herself a purple unicorn tee-shirt!

With much muchiness and thanks,
Ana

The Corn Field!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011 ~

There is a little corn field near our house where we like to go hiking, and as it stood fading in the autumn's golden light, it tickled my curiosity about its lore. Here are just a few Odds and Ends that I have uncovered and discovered...

There is a legend that old-timers tell of one particular summer when it got so hot that the corn in the fields stared popping right off the stalks. The cows and pigs thought it was a snow blizzard and they lay down and froze to death.

In American Indian folklore, some tribes were said to believe that quiet, contented spirits lived inside of each popcorn kernel. When their houses were heated, the spirits would become angrier and angrier, shaking the kernels, and when the heat became unbearable, they would burst out of their homes and into the air in a disgruntled puff of steam.

Colonial house wives served popcorn with sugar and cream for breakfast (the first "puffed" breakfast cereal). Some colonists popped corn using a cylinder of thin sheet-iron that revolved on an axle in front of the fireplace like a squirrel cage.

In ancient times farmers believed poppies should be grown in the cornfield to ensure a good corn crop.

Corn dollies bring good luck. Originally they were made of the last corn sheaves from the harvest field. They were believed to contain the spirit of the corn.

Cats have been buried beneath the corn fields to encourage a good crop!

Popcorn Balls
There is a Nebraska legend that the popcorn ball is actually a product of the Nebraska weather. It supposedly invented itself during the "Year of the Striped Weather" which came between the years of the "Big Rain" and the "Great Heat" where the weather was both hot and rainy. There was a mile strip of scorching sunshine and then a mile strip of rain. On one farm, there were both kinds of weather. The sun shone on this cornfield until the corn began to pop, while the rain washed the syrup out of the sugarcane. The field was on a hill and the cornfield was in a valley. They syrup flowed down the hill into the popped corn and rolled it into great balls with some of them hundreds of feet high and looked like big tennis balls at a distance. You never see any of them now because the grasshoppers ate them all up in one day on July 21, 1874.
- from American Eats, by Nelson Algren, published by University of Iowa Prewss, 1992

A Shadow Thought!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011~

I have noticed that the fairies have already begun painting the trees  fall!

A Blue Moon!

photo by ana traina ~ nov. 2010 ~

Interestingly enough, "Blue Moon" was an everyday expression long before it developed its calendrical senses. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first reference to a blue moon comes from a proverb recorded in 1528:

If they say the moon is blue,
We must believe that it is true.

Saying the moon was blue was equivalent to saying the moon was made of green (or creamy) cheese; an obvious absurdity. In the 19th century, the phrase until a blue moon developed, meaning "never." The phrase, once in a blue moon today has come to mean "every now and then" or "rarely"—

Historically the Blue Moon was considered unlucky and a real nuisance when it occurred at various times of the year and upset scheduling of church festivals.

Understanding why the thirteenth moon is called "Blue" takes us back to ancient Egypt.  They regarded thirteen a lucky number and stood for transformation. 

In love songs the Blue Moon is often a symbol of sadness and loneliness.

The first appearance in print of this expression goes back to the time of Shakespeare, when some folks felt that sometimes the moon visually appeared blue in the sky.

Although the expression dates all that way back, it has only recently come to mean the second Full Moon in one month.

The Blue Moon is not as mysterious as would seem to be implied - it is simply the occurrence of two full moons in one calendar month. 

The Blue Moon is truly an astral oddity, due to unusual conditions such as a dusty upper atmosphere, which gives the moon a blue hue. I would have to say, no matter how dusty or sooty the Blue Moon may be, its beauty is incomparable.


A Bon Mot or Two about the Moon ~

A dark mist over the Moon is a promise of rain.  

The heaviest rains fall following the New and the Full Moons 

The Full Moon eats the clouds away.  

A New Moon and a windy night. 
Sweep the cobwebs out of sight.  

A Red Moon is a sure sign of high winds.  

And should the Moon wear a halo of red, a tempest is nigh.  

Many rings around the Moon signal a series of severe blasts. 

A single ring around the moon that quickly vanishes heralds fine weather.  

When the New Moon holds the Old Moon in its arms,  (ring around the New Moon) disasters occur at sea.  

The Edible Bud!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011~

This summer I decided to plant my all time favorite veggie, Brussels Sprouts, in my garden. Unfortunately, it caused me much brooding and fretting. I puttered around them day after day mulching, watering and hoping they would sprout! Nothing, nada, not even so much as a hint of a tiny bud appeared. Even up to my last day in the country they were nothing but a bunch of bug eaten leaves atop stalks that barely grew an inch. O, what a very poor gardener am I, was my exact thought.  However, last weekend we returned to the country after being away for a month, and I am so happy to report my absolute delight at discovering this miraculous sight in my now over grown and neglected garden.  My little edible buds had sprouted!!!  Now, I am not ashamed to say, I did a little Brussels Sprout jig around my garden as I dreamed of their heavenly scent roasting in the oven with just a dash of olive oil, salt and cinnamon!

Now, it has dawned on me that not everyone shares my love for these tasty edible buds, so I’ve decided to dig up some very interesting facts and lore to convince the Brussels Sprouts dislikers, like in the hilarious poem by Stuart Mclean below! ( I use the word dislikers as HATE is too strong a word for me to use and I dislike it very much, indeed.)

To a Brussels Sprout by Stuart McLean

O, Brussels sprout sae green and round,

Ye sit upon ma plate,

So innocently mystifying,

The cause o’ much debate.



Some say ye taste like camel droppings,

While others think you great,

I’m sure your sitting there a wonderin’,

Whit’s goin’ tae be your fate.



So let me tell you o’ so quick,

As nervously you wait,

That I find you e’er so loathsome,

So you definitely won’t be ate.



(From No' Rabbie Burns)

So without further ado, here are some very persuasive bits of Odds and Ends that I was able to uncover and discover about the little edible buds, that are also known to be of the cabbage family...

Ancient medicinal uses ...

• Egyptian pharaohs would eat large quantities of cabbage before a night of drinking as they believed that cabbage consumption would allow them to drink more alcoholic drinks and not feel the effects. This is perhaps why many still consider cabbage with vinegar as a good hangover remedy.

• Greeks and Romans placed great importance on the healing powers of cabbage. They held that the vegetable could cure just about any illness. Roman mythology holds that cabbages sprung from the tears of Lycurgus, King of the Edonians.

• Scrolls from 1000 BC uncovered in China mention white cabbage as a cure for baldness in men.
• The Romans cultivated it and some of them, like Cato, ate it before and after meals, a practice he advised to his citizens: "It will make you feel as if you had not eaten," he assured them, "and you can drink as much as you like."

• Captain Cook swore by the medicinal value of sauerkraut (cabbage preserved in brine) back in 1769. His ship doctor used it for compresses on soldiers who were wounded during a severe storm and thus prevented the development of gangrene.

• At the turn of the last century Cabbage was considered to be the lowly vegetable of poor people. It is now highly regarded as one of the most nutritious vegetables available today, and is thought to have strong anti-aging and anticancer properties.

Current Medicinal Uses for Cabbage...

•Uncooked Cabbage is high in glutamine, an amino acid that is essential for intestinal health.

•Cabbages are a good source of Vitamin K, which is essential in the production of blood clotting proteins.

•Cabbage is high in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure, promotes a steady heartbeat, and can lower your risk of stroke.

•Savoy Cabbage is among the highest in beta-carotene.

•Bok Choy and Chinese Cabbage are highest in calcium.

•Cabbage contains quercetin, an antioxidant that is a natural antihistamine that can benefit allergy sufferers.

•Red Cabbage provides the most Vitamin C.

•Cabbage juice can be used to treat stomach ulcers and help stop any bleeding.

•All Colewyrts are high in vitamins A and C, and in the mineral iron.

• Cabbage  juice is used to relieve constipation. However it may cause flatulence as the juice breaks down putrefying matter in the intestines. Cabbage leaves are considered ideal roughage.

• A chemical (isothiocyanates) found in cabbages may lower the risk of lung cancer in smokers by as much as 38%.

Wee Woolly Bear!

photo by scott cohen ~ 2011 ~

Pyrrharctia Isabella or better known as the Woolly Bear!

This past weekend my husband and I were taking a little stroll down our country lane as we happened upon this enchanting creature struggling to cross the rocky terrain. To my surprise, the next thing I saw was my husband lying flat on his stomach in the middle of the road with my camera. He was trying to capture just the right angle of this tiny furry beast. I stood guard. Then Scott tenderly picked up the little caterpillar, as it of course coyly played dead in his hand, and placed it on the woody side of the road, so that its wee life wouldn’t be cut short by a speeding car or UPS truck.  I was opposed to this action, thinking that perhaps the little fellow was trying to get to his family on the other side of the road.  However, Scott felt strongly that he had done the right thing after passing another caterpillar on the road that had experienced a similar tragic end that I described earlier in this passage.  What ensued for the entire hour and half walk was a long and very furry conversation about destiny.

Now, of course, after viewing the photos of our newfound woolly banded friend, I became curious as to who and what he really was!  So, here is what I was able to uncover and discover...
Familiar since colonial times as the "Woolly Bear," the caterpillar is often seen crossing roads and paths on warm autumn days.  According to superstition, the amount of black in the caterpillar's bristly coat forecasts the severity of the coming winter.  However, in actuality the color indicates how near the caterpillar is to being full grown before the cold blast of autumn weather sends it seeking a nice and cozy port in the storm.

A Bit fun weather lore that also indicates the coming of a long Winter!

If ant hills are high in July, winter will be snowy.
If the first week in August is unusually warm, the coming winter will be snowy and long.
For every fog in August, there will be a snowfall the following winter.
Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry will cause snow to gather in a hurry.
As high as the weeds grow, so will the bank of snow.
A green Christmas = a white Easter.
If the first snowfall lands on unfrozen ground, winter will be mild.
If there is thunder in winter, it will snow seven days later.
See how high the hornet’s nest, ’twill tell how high the snow will rest.
The higher muskrats’ holes are on the riverbank, the higher the snow will be.
A halo ’round the moon means ’twill rain or snow soon.

LAST BITs OF ODDs AND ENDs ~ This particular bit of advice is for my brilliant cousin who is studying the effects of different caterpillar’s bites on humans. ~ The woolly bear caterpillar does not inject venom and is not hazardous.  Handling them is discouraged, however, as the bristles may cause irritation in people with sensitive skin.

This species is a feeder, it feeds on many different species of plants, especially herbs and leaves.
The annual Woollybear Festival occurs each October in Vermilion, Ohio. The family event, started in 1973, features a woolly bear costume contest in which kids, even pets, are dressed up as various renditions of the woolly bear caterpillar.

Dear Zingertale Readers!

photo by ana traina ~ 2011 ~

Zingertales will be back this Wednesday or Thursday...

with a river of thoughts!