Spinach Malabar!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

Last week at the Berkshire Botanical gardens, I happened upon this strange and most colorful vine.  I found it odd that the sign nearby read that this was Malabar Spinach, also known as Indian spinach, Ceylon spinach, basella, vine spinach, creeping spinach ~ Well, needless to say it did not look like any spinach that I was ever familiar with, so of course, I just had to look it up.  Here is the tiny bit of information that I was able to uncover and discover ~ The leaves from this heat-loving vine have a mild flavor and are used like spinach in salads and cooking. Malabar spinach can be found at many Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean/Indian grocery stores, as well as farmers' markets. It has been shown to contain certain phenolic phytochemicals and it has antioxidant properties.

The Fanciful Dance!

botanical drawing by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

The Beech Tree Tango!

watercolor by ana traina

 Rooted in the knowledge of the past, 

supported by the ideas of the present, 

we will continue to reach for the stars and dance...

The Ladies' Mantle Lotion!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

Lady's Mantle is a traditional perennial herb enjoyed in many flower gardens. It is named after the Virgin Mary's cloak because of its scalloped leaves.  Lady’s Mantle has many healing properties, here are just a few that I was able to uncover and discover.

Culpepper says “Lady's Mantle is very proper for inflamed wounds and to stay bleeding, vomitings, fluxes of all sorts, bruises by falls and ruptures. It is one of the most singular wound herbs and therefore highly prized and praised, used in all wounds inward and outward, to drink a decoction thereof and wash the wounds therewith, or dip tents therein and put them into the wounds which wonderfully drieth up all humidity of the sores and abateth all inflammations thereof. It quickly healeth green wounds, not suffering any corruption to remain behind and cureth old sores, though fistulous and hollow.'”

Lady’s Mantle is normally taken as a tea or tincture made from plant material gathered in early summer.   You can also make Lady’s Mantle into a wonderful fortifying wine.

Lady’s Mantle can also be used as a hand lotion ~ Here is how you can make your very own at home!

THE LADY’S MANTLE HAND LOTION RECIPE

Ingredients:

30ml.glycerin 10 drops of essential oil of lemon, rose, geranium or sandalwood
10g carragheen moss dissolved in a little hot water
30ml strong infusion of lady’s mantle
60ml alcohol (Vodka)
Method
1 Stir the glycerin into the dissolved moss
2 Add the essential oil to the vodka mixing well, and then blend the two mixtures. Stir in the herbal infusion, blending well.
3 Pour in a screw-top jar and label.

Love-in-a-Mist!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

Dearest Zingertalers,

The other day, in the Berkshire's Botanical Garden, I happened upon this enchanting bloom, and of course, I just had to find out all that I could about it! Here are some delightful odds and bits that I was able to uncover and discover ~

Love-in-a-mist has many wondrous names, such as... ragged lady, spiders legs, jack in prison, lady in the green, love entangled, love-in-a-tangle, love-in-a-puzzle, love-in-the-shade, Our Lady In The Shade, devil-in-a-bush, lady in a bower, garden black seed, hair of Venus, black caraway, and Damascus black cumin.

In the Victorian language of flowers, this plant, love-in-a-mist means "kiss me" or "you puzzle me."

In India, the seeds are used as a sachet to keep bugs out of clothing. Rubbing them release the scent of strawberry jam.  The seeds are used in cooking--flavoring for curry and a sprinkle on bread--and supposedly taste like nutmeg.  At one time the seeds were roasted and an ill person would breathe in the "fumes" to "dry the brain," and it is also mentioned by Dioscorides and Theophrastus for digestive complaints.

Thomas Jefferson grew love-in-a-mist in his garden. It was later popularized by gardener Gertrude Jekyll in her recreations of cottage gardens, and some varieties bear her name.  Mrs. Jekyll!

Black cumin has antibacterial properties and the ancient Egyptians were known to mummify their diseased with cumin. These seeds were found in the Tomb of Tutankhamun!  The seeds were also found in the tomb of Kha, the architect of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Amenophis III.

A Bit of Making Hay Lore

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

Dear Zingertalers,

Symbolic of a good harvest, "making hay" has many superstitions surrounding it.  Here are just a few examples that I was able to uncover and discover ~

For good luck, wish on a wagon load of hay.  However, if the hay is baled, your wish will not come true until the bales are opened.

Avoid approaching a wagon load of hay from the rear, because it may bring misfortune to watch the hay disappear from your sight.

A bit of bad luck may come your way if you fail to make a wish on a wagonload of hay, so have your wish handy if you are in the countryside.


LAST BIT OF ODD AND END ~

Legend: Do London taxis still have to carry a bale of hay in their boot?

Evidence: Nineteenth century cabbies did not need petrol. Their carriages were horse-drawn and their fuel was hay.

According to taxi drivers, the law did exist. The 1831 London hackney Carriage Act made it an offense for drivers to feed their horse unless it was from a bag of corn or with hay from their hands. The law was repealed in 1976.

They also stopped the law that if a taxi driver needed to pee he could stop a copper who would shield him with his cape.

The Magical Hands of Dr. Sue Tanner!

Yesterday, I was heading home on route 295, when I received an urgent call from my dear friend and veterinarian, Dr. Sue Tanner, asking me, if I wanted to stop in and see the Sharpened Knee Hawk that was just brought in by the wondrous wildlife rescuer Ellie.  Did I?  I was so excited, I could hardly contain it.  I said, I would be there in 20 minutes, I was there in 11 1/2 minutes.  Now, you might think this is a bit odd, but the truth is I have been pestering Sue for quite some time (after hearing about all her funny and enchanting tales) to call me when rare and exotic pets come through her door so that I could photograph them and her magical hands in action.  Watching Sue work was nothing less than observing small miracles happen! So dear Zingertalers, here are just a few delightful moments that I was able to catch on film...

~ the one-eyed sharpened knee hawk rescue ~

~ examining the cataract ~

~ spreading his wings ~

~ Quackers has many ailments ~

~getting out those clogging and most annoying nose boogers ~

~after eye drops, there is always a bit of time for grooming ~

~ the baby passerine ~

~ I sing for my supper ~

Jamming with Rosehips!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

Rose Hip Jamming Rose Hips are the red-orange berries that develop after the petals have withered and dropped off. They are very high in vitamin C. Be very choosy when choosing your berries, use only the very ripe, red, and undamaged! Ingredients: 4 cups pureed rose hips 5 cups sugar 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice Cooking tutelage: It is most productive to gather your rose hips after the first frost, and be absolutely certain that the roses you're gathering from have never been sprayed with pesticides, etc, etc...  It is most enjoyable to gather the rose hips on a sunny day in after noon time.  Now, you must wash and dry your rose hips thoroughly, and with a scissor remove the tails and tops, then split open and remove seeds, and thereafter put them in a saucepan of water to simmer over low heat until soft.  Now is the perfect time to puree them in a food mill or blender.  You must combine the puree, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the mixture thickens to a desired consistency.  Fnally, you must have readied some washed and sterilized about 5 1/2 pint jars, so you may ladle the jam into your hot and sterilized jars... seal accordingly to the directions. Last bit of odd and end ~ frequently, I like to use a sprig of rosemary in my jam... for remembrance!

The Cork and the Ohio Buckeyed Tree ~

watercolor by ana traina  ~2012~

had a little tiff over the western Australian coral pea,

or was it the Africanized honey bee?

No matter,  for they are the best of friends once again, these trees!

And Along Came a Spider!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

photo by ana traina ~2012~

The other day I was down by my little pond trying to capture a photo of a dragonfly, when perchance, I glanced downward and discovered a gigantic (bigger than two quarters put together) and most glorious colored spider only inches away from my completely exposed leg!  I fell immediately under its spell.  I could not take my eyes off of her or the peculiar zigzag pattern of her web. This is quite odd behavior coming from me as I am a devout arachnophobe. Then something shocking happened as I watched this relatively tiny beast of the garden devour its sweet lunch of sticky fly... in one felled swoop it turned, speed skittled to the other edge of its web, adroitly kill a nearby fluttering moth and then ever so nonchalantly ambled back to its fly buffet leaving the quite dead moth for a late-afternoon nibble.  With my mouth agape and catching no-see-ums, I ran home to find out all that I could about this eight-legged leafcreeper! Here is just a bit of what I was able to uncover and discover about my venomous friend ~

The black-and-yellow argiope spider (Argiope aurantia) is quite attractive and one of our more conspicuous species of orb weaving spiders. Orb web means it spins a web like a circle. The species name "aurantia" comes from medieval Latin “aurantium” meaning “orange (the fruit)”. Other commonly used names for this spider are golden orb-weaver, yellow garden orb-weaver and the writing spider.

Here is the part I really love ~ The black-and-yellow argiope breeds once a year. Adult males roam in search of potential mates. When they find a female, they build a small web with a white zigzag band across the middle either nearby or in an outlying part of the female's web. Potential males court by plucking and vibrating her web. They are just so so romantic!

Fortunately, these treacly, yet, very intimidating spiders are not poisonous to human.

O' those crazy orb weavers, you got to love them!

In the Land of Odd and Tree...

watercolor by ana traina ~2012~

In my curious travels throughout this O' so exotic land, I found the most scrumdilliluscious recipe for Gooseberry-Bergamot Jelly that I like to share with you my fellow Zingertalers!

Here are the very things you will need ~

4 qaurts of fresh gooseberries
3 big handfuls of chopped wild beramot leaves
White sugar (at least 12 ounces and preferably organic)

Now go ahead and wash your gooseberries, and place them in a rather large enamel pot and crush them. Then you will mix in the heavenly scented bergamot leaves. Alright, now we are ready to add just enough water to cover and simmer. So...when your berries are soft, pour them into an unsoiled jelly bag and allow the mixture to drip overnight.

In the morning, you are going to add the sugar at the precise rate of 12 ounces per pint of juice. Now when you have completed that task, you will stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar, than bring it to a rapid boil. Continue boiling until the jelly sheets on the spoon.

Now remember,
you must skim off any skin that may form a top. Then just pour into some toasty sterilized jars and seal!

And a very Happy Jelling to All!

O' Those Japanese Beetles!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

With this year’s hot, dry summer, the beetle population is starting to be out of control, and my sweet roses are a steady diet to these hungry little buggers. Now, I heard through the grapevine that chickens could helpful in controling the Japanese Beetle invasion... However, I've also heard that if you hang one of those scented lure bags for the beetles in your garden, and when the bags are filled up with the beetle, you can put them in the freezer for about a day to chill them. Then feed the beetles to the fish in your pond.  The catfish can eat a dozens of them in a mouthful and the bluegill love them, too!


Hmmm, what to do?  Well,  if you do not desire to own chicken, and/ or, do not have a pond, maybe, you can just pick them off one by one!