The Columbine Calls!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

I think Columbine is one of the most beautiful and wondrous of wildflowers and I can never resist its enchanting call. This is why dear Zingertalers I have collected a few fun facts to share with you!

Columbine is the symbol of foolishness, based on the flower's resemblance to a jester's cap and bells, funnily enough.   The name comes from the Latin “Columba” which refers to doves as some believe there is a resemblance in the inverted columbine flower to five doves nested together. “Aquilegia” comes from the Latin word “aquila” for “eagle” because the shape of he flower petals resemble an eagle’s claw.  The Native Americans used Colombine leaves as a condiment with other fresh greens which adds sweetness to the dish and is safe in small quantities. However, the flowers and seeds are poisonous!
 
Culpepper tells us:
'The leaves of Columbine are successfully used in lotions for sore mouths and throats. . . . The Spaniards used to eat a piece of the root thereof in a morning fasting many days together, to help them when troubled with stone. The seed taken in wine with a little saffron removes obstructions of the liver and is good for the yellow jaundice.'

It has been employed on the continent, but according to Linnaeus, with very unsatisfactory results, children having sometimes been poisoned by it when given in too large doses. It is no longer used.
 
I have always been very fond of Cicely Mary Barker book called "Flower Fairies," ever since I can remember! So, I thought I share with you a little song from her Little Pink Book.

The Song of the Columbine Fairy

Who shall the choosen fairy be
For letter C?
There's Candytuft, and Cornflower blue,
Campanula and Crocus too,
Chrysanthemum so bold and fine,
And the pretty dancing Columbine.

Yes, Columbine! the choice is she;
And with her, see,
An elfin piper, piping sweet
A little tune for those light feet
That dance among the leaves and flowers
In someone's garden.
(is it ours?)

Last bit of odd and end ~ It was once considered very bad luck to give this flower to a woman because it meant that her hubby was probably being unfaithful.


And remember, dear Zingertales, whenever you garden it best to do it with a song, so sing loud and strong it helps with your flora's moodies!

Teaing with Alice!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

Admittedly, I am a notorious bibliophile. However, this is not a hush-hush secret to those who know me. I LOVE my books. I eat, sleep, and dream about books. Some could find this a bit peculiar, I know.  The thing I love most about books besides being the very best of company is when I happen upon inspiration where I am least expecting to find it. The igniting the old eureka moment happened to me on this very morning. I had not a single solitary idea running through my groggy head for a Zingertale, so, I did what I always do when that sort of thing happens.  I blankly stared at my bookshelf and prayed,  hoping that the powers that be would shine down on me.  And praise be to those little book fairies, they actually did speak.  They loudly whispered, “READ THIS delightful and wondrous recipe for Pebble Cake from The Alice and Wonderland Cookbook, a Culinary Diversion by John Fisher! It will be just so Zingerific for one of those lazy summertime literary tea party you are always daydreaming to host.”

Alice noticed with some surprise that the pebbles were all turning into little cakes as they lay on the floor, and a bright idea came into her head. 'If I eat one of these cakes,' she thought, 'it's sure to make SOME change in my size; and as it can't possibly make me larger, it must make me smaller, I suppose.'

 

So she swallowed one of the cakes, and was delighted to find that she began shrinking directly. As soon as she was small enough to get through the door, she ran out of the house, and found quite a crowd of little animals and birds waiting outside.

PEBBLE CAKE

Ingredients are as follows ~ 8 ounces self-raising flour/ 3 ounces sugar/ 1 ounce chopped candied peel/ one egg/ 2 ounces currants/ 4 ounces butter/ 1 pinch of salt/ 1 pinch of nutmeg/ 1 pinch of mixed spice

First, you must sieve the flour in a mixing bowl
Secondly, throw in salt, nutmeg, and spice.
Thirdly, chop up butter and rub it into the flour with the fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Fourthly, add currents, peel, and sugar.
Ffthly, beat egg in a separate basin with a fork, and add to the other ingredients.
Sixthly, mix everything together, adding just a drop of milk if things appear too dry.
Seventhly, grease a baking tin and pile the mixture upon it in small rough-looking heaps.
Eightly, bake for 15 minutes in a noderately hot oven at about 400 degrees F.
And finally, go find a house that fits!

Happy Teaing with Alice to all!

The Itty-Bitty Tale of Botanist Linnea Blanchefleur!

drawing by ana traina ~ 2012

Botanist Linnea Blanchefleur
quite often could be found wearing a pineapple plant tilted just ever so, so,
on a singular part of her,  O’-so carefully placed and well worn, chapeau. 
And with a spyglass up to her all knowing nosey nose,
ready to shout, “By George, I think I’ve found a new type of cottony Rose!

Naturally, she did not, however, that tale comes a bit later.

Of course, some found this to be strange, curious, or seemingly bohemian, like seeing a knight flying a handkerchief kite.
Some even said that the ratty old hat looked as if it had been stricken with a horrible celery blight.
For it was those particular individuals with their garters and laces pinned tight, 
that they were the ones who were most likely to sit in folding chairs and stare, all night.

While others thought it peachy, noteworthy, visionary, dazzling, and even extraordinaire!
Those particular individuals were the ones who were most likely to live near Such-and-such-an-interesting Square,
and loved to read novels without any hero at all, like those in, well, Vanity Fair!
However, Botanist Linnea Blanchefleur, did not give a hoot, a nanny, or the least bit of care,
for some even said that she actually floated on a peppery cinnamon scented air.

Impossible you say? Well, read on and you’ll soon find out that it is not.
For she alone discovered something, something, even rarer than the rarest Gordian knot.
Why she’s the sole founder and keeper of the legendary, “Planta Tartarica Barometeaslott!”

O’ curious travelers came from far and wide to see the one, the only, lilliputian woolly lamb vegetable!
Now, I’ve heard it has been told and I’ve heard it been said that when the little ewe bent down to graze upon the grass below, many shouted, “How adorable!”
And when Botanist Linnea Blanchfleur gently wrangled her little ewe after she tried to run away, most thought this just so, so applaudable.

So the moral of this small and unusual tale is just this,
it does not really matter if you wear a pineapple closed to your hair.
Or even look through a spyglass all the day long without a hoot,  a nanny, or the least bit of care.
It is just so very important that you, like Botanist Linnea Blanchefleur, do what you must dare.
And just perhaps, you too will floated on a peppery cinnamon scented air.

Which I can assure you is ever so pleasurable.

The Gardenia Fritters!

A stock photo - photographer Unknown ~

Although, my mind might forget many a thing, it will never forget my Aunts and their love for life. They were spicy, daring and ever so feisty!  One of my sweetest memories of them is how they all had a passionate love for gardenias.  On very special occasions they would adorn themselves with a single, delicate gardenia.  I can vividly recall them wearing the tender flower on their wrists, between their breasts, or simply at the nape of their necks.  Sometimes they would wear a gardenia for no particular reason at all, except, that it was a soft summer night.  Perhaps, it brought out some secret stirrings of romance in them.  They were just wonderful that way!  That is why, Dear Zingertalers, I was so excited to share this recipe for Gardenia Fritters that I was able to uncover and discover from THE FLOWER COOKERY by Lenore Woodring Smith!

Gardenia Fritters
1/2 bottle of beer (6 ounces)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon sugar
A pinch of salt
1 cup of gardenia petals
Powdered sugar

Combine the beer, flour, sugar, and salt and let stand for 3 hours or more.

Wash and dry the gardenia petals, dip in powdered sugar, then into the batter and cook in deep oil ( I like to use hazelnut or walnut oil) at 375 F, until golden.

To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or grand Mariner. Serve a spot of tea or coffee, to that special someone on a romantic night as the gardenia is a symbol of "secret untold love!"

LAST BIT OF ODD AND END ~ The gardenia was named for Dr. Alexander Garden, an eighteenth-century naturalist and physican.

A Shadow Thought!

drawing by ana traina ~2012~

A mother's job is never done!

Bewitched by Bees!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

Yesterday, my block was buzzing with excitement due to the wondrous fact that a swarm of bees had settled in a young ash tree just outside my building.   I was in utter and complete awe because in the pass few years bees have been, and still are, mysteriously dying.  Most probably due to a combination of pesticides, parasites, disease and poor nutrition -- The exact cause is still not known.  That is why, dear Zingertalers, as I stood staring up at this busy bee’s swarm it occurred to me that, just possibly, I was witnessing a small but O’ so glorious miracle!  Now, with my curiosity all a humming, I simply had to do a bit of research, so here is a bit of honeyed lore that I was able to uncover and discover ~

Legends about honeybees are widespread throughout the world, it was believed that bees would thrive only in harmonious families, and they were supposed to be included in family happenings.

In some areas of New England, telling the Bees" was vitally important, whether it was good or bad news or simply everyday happenings. The Bees had to be told about a death in the family or they would die too. The bad news had to be given before sunrise on the following day for all to be well.

Sometimes a piece of funeral cake and a drink of wine was left by the hive after a funeral. The bees might also be formally invited to the funeral, or the beehives turned round as the coffin was carried out of the house past them.

The Greeks believed that a baby whose lips were touched by a bee would become a great poet or speaker.

If a bee flies into your house, it means that someone is coming to visit. If you kill the bee, the visitor will bring you bad news.

Ever hear the phrase "busy as a bee"? According to the National Honey Board, a bee may visit more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just one pound of honey. Thus, bees are associated with hard work and diligence.

If a bee lands on your hand, it means money is coming your way. 

Bees are, in some cultures, associated with purity. This is because the worker bees that produce honey never mate.

In Celtic mythology, the bee is a messenger between our world and the spirit realm. Bees are also associated with wisdom.

Last bit of Odd and End ~

A swarm of bees in May


Is worth a load of hay;


A swarm of bees in June


Is worth a silver spoon;


A swarm of bees in July


Is not worth a fly.

Life is so momentous, therefore let us be beedazzled!

A Peppery Delight for Men... or Daring Women!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

I hate the commercial perfumes of today. They reek to the high heavens of choking chemical.  Also, I do not believe that they possess a note or even a hint of the natural flora that one can smell in... O' let us say, a garden!

This is why, dear Zingertalers, I must speak plainly and admit to you that I can not imagine a more deadlier fate then to be entrapped in a small elevator accompanied by a freshly powdered and perfumed individual on a musty day! Haunted daily by this aromatic daymare is the very reason why I am so excited to share this little gem of a recipe for Sandlewood Black Pepper Skin Delight ~ from Dina Falconi exotic book, Earthly Bodies & Heavenly Hair that I was able to uncover and discover.  One can use this peppery moisturizing formula on their body or face.  Its spicy fragrance is mostly sported by men but very often, also, enjoyed by women.

Ingredients are as follows ~

3oz. coconut oil
3oz. almond oil
3oz. canola
1oz. beeswax
9oz. distilled water
1 1/2 teaspoons sandalwood essential oil
15 drops black pepper essential oil
10 drops tangerine essential oil
15 drops rosemary essential oil

 Now you must mix all the oils firstly, and then add the water in a pot over a low flame. This recipe yields 19oz.

Edible Fungi, They are Not!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

It has been raining here in New York City for past few days, therefore the fungi are sprouting here, there and everywhere one looks. It is quite a wondrous site to behold among the city's cracks and crevices!  So, it is no wonder that today on my routine doggie jaunt I was reminded of an old adage: There are old mushroom hunters and bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters.  This is why, dear Zingertalers,  I have decided to post a few myth smashers on this glorious, yet, very drizzlesome Tuesday morn...

Now, when identifying edible fungi, ABSOLUTELY NONE, I REPEAT, NONE of the following wives' tales are true!

Poisonous mushrooms tarnish a silver spoon.
If it peels, you can eat it.
All mushrooms growing on wood are edible.
Mushrooms that squirrels and other creatures of the forest eat are safe for humans.
All mushrooms in the meadows and pastures are safe to eat.
All white mushrooms are edible.
Poisonous mushrooms can be detoxified by parboiling, drying, or pickling.
A clove of garlic turns black when cooked with a poisonous mushroom.

Happy mushrooming!

The Red Red Roses of Kmart!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

Just a few years back I bought a dried out rose bush from Kmart. To be quite honest, I bought the bush because the price was right, 3.99!  I say, can you blame me?  Yes, I know that the rose has been highly regarded, and has been known as the Queen of flowers ever since the dawn of gardening. I was even forewarned by my neighbor that it would never ever, ever, bloom. Yet, somehow I refused to believe that just because this rose bush did not cost an arm and a leg that it would never thrive and produce the most elegant of roses. Now, when I look out my little window to my blushing roses that lean so gently against the barn, I am contently reminded of this passage from “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott...

The June roses over the porch were awake bright and early on that morning, rejoicing with all their hearts in the cloudless sunshine, like friendly little neighbors, as they were. Quite flushed with excitement were their ruddy faces, as they swung in the wind, whispering to one another what they had seen, for some peeped in at the dining room windows where the feast was spread, some climbed up to nod and smile at the sisters as they dressed the bride, others waved a welcome to those who came and went on various errands in garden, porch, and hall, and all, from the rosiest full-blown flower to the palest baby bud, offered their tribute of beauty and fragrance to the gentle mistress who had loved and tended them so long.

...and how a little tender loving care goes a very long way!

Last bit of Odd and End ~ Remember, rose petals are edible. They can be used as a delightful garnish, adding a daring dash of color to any summer recipe!  Or they can be wildly scattered a top your favorite salad, for a refreshing treat!

The Cloaked Lady of the Hudson...

photo by ana traina ~ 2012

Watches over all who are lost at sea.

Dear All, Zingertalers, Funnybunniers, friends, family, and cookie monsters out there (Liam posting for Ana),

Starting tomorrow Ana is taking time off (2 weeks or so) in order to recalibrate the trajectory of her projects.  She has decided that she needs time to prioritize her respective works in order to continue to create efficaciously.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more to come shortly.

All the best,

Liam A. Cohen

Seamstress Icie Smith has a Notion...

drawing by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

She says, "Sewing may mend the soul,

however,

the fine sport of spooling is best for squelching stress!"

Wisteria Jelly, Anyone!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

I love jelly! Especially, exotic flavored jelly.  So naturally, when I inhaled the delicate bouquet of these beautiful wisteria blossoms in the Brooklyn botanical garden with all my senses, I thought... hmmm... Can I make wisteria jelly? Well, after some research, I am delighted to say that I can! Here is an old recipe that I was able to uncover and discover...

Wisteria Jelly

1 quart wisteria blossoms
2½ cups boiling water (Please, no leaves, twigs, seeds or vines)
Cover and steep for 24 hours.  Strain the liquid through a coffee filter of a cheesecloth.

2 cups of wisteria infusion
Juice of 1 lemon (about ¼ cup, well-strained, clear)
1 box powdered pectin
½ teaspoon butter
4 cups sugar

Combine wisteria infusion, lemon juice, pectin and butter and bring to a rolling boil. Add sugar. Return to a rolling boil and time for 1 minute. Remove from heat and ladle into clean jelly jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yields about 4 half pints

Happy Jelly Making!

Making a Cup of Merry May!

Photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

O' Happy, Happy May Day, Dear Wondrous Zingertalers!

Although, it may be a bit rainy outside and the idea of dancing around the maypole only a distant dream. Do not despair!  One can still celebrate by inviting a few friends over for a rosy cup of cheer.  In fact, I have a very specific cup in mind, The Merry May Cup! This is an old English tradition in which  one offers a cup to frolicsome guests and weary travelers during the May Day celebration.  The recipe is easy enough to make, but needs two hours to settle.  However, it is so yummy that it is well worth the wait! Here is all that you will need...

4 glasses of white wine
8 glasses of cider
1 glass of brandy
1 orange, sliced
1/2 ounces ladies' bedstraw (Galium verum) This plant has been used to color cheese, it has also been used to create both red and yellow dyes and also it has been used to infuse spirits. Bedstraw tea cleanses the liver, kidney, pancreas and spleen of toxic wastes. It is also said to be good foe anaemia. The tea used externally is said to help spots and skin disorders and ladies can use it as an astringent on the face. Placed on wounds it is said to stop bleeding. People also place a part of the plant in their shoes in order to prevent blisters.

Now, without further ado, you will take all these tasty ingredients: the white wine, cider and brandy,  and mix them together! Then add those tangy orange slices and the ladies' bedstraw.  Finally, place the mixture in a cool environment to settle and mingle for about two hours.  And last but not at all least, you will filter your ready to serve May Cup mixture into an inviting pitcher; to be served in a tall and slender glass.

Last bit of odds and ends ~ Their unique shape led them to be called “fairy bells” in Celtic cultures. It was believed that only fairies could hear them ring. In Irish lore, they form ladders for Fairies to climb and reach the reeds, from which they weave their cradles.
These flowers, supposedly sprang from Eve's tears, when she was cast out of the Garden of Eden.

A beautiful, but deadly flower; it is believed that Lily of the Valley will protect your garden from evil spirits.

One ancient legend tells that the first Lily of the Valley loved the Nightingale, but because she was so shy, she hid in the long grass to listen to his song.  The Nightingale became lonely, and said he would no longer sing unless the lily of the valley bloomed every May, for all too see.



Wishing you many a Green Man's blessings!