Making

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Nocino

A few weeks ago, while noshing on a salad at the New Season’s deli, I read an article in MIX magazine about a couple who throw a Nocino making party every summer.  I felt a pang of envy as they described it – bringing friends together to have a barbecue and shake the backyard walnut tree to gather the green pods before mixing it all together to make the beginnings of a delicious liqueur.

Frankly, it made me wish we had kept looking for a country home, one where we would have enough room for a walnut, hazelnut, another apple, another cherry, as well as more blueberries, raspberries, and whatever else my heart wants to grow.  I know I like city life too much for that, but if I could find a way to squeeze in a couple of nut trees, I’d be one happy camper, and not just so I could make booze.  As much as I’ve written about it lately, I’m no lush.  Maybe there are dwarf varieties?  I need to do some research.

Anyhoo, to the nocino.   It sounds like it is right up my alley – highly flavorful, a little sweet, always good, like the  tawny port, sherry, Galliano, and Absinthe I adore.  I enjoy having a very small glass (the hubster teases me about this), sipping it over the course of an hour.  I let the liquid sit on my tongue, imbuing my mouth with goodness before it warms by throat and belly.  I am also big on making Kir, a white wine (or the Royale with champagne) and liqueur mixture very popular in France.  Practically every restaurant and bar serves it, and we’ve had many varieties – the typical black currant, as well as raspberry, peach, and chestnut.  Oh so delicious and summery.

So when we had the rather good fortune of coming upon a walnut tree at a park on our adventure this weekend, I was tickled pink.  I wouldn’t be able to have a party on such short notice, but at least I could give the liqueur a try.  We picked what we needed and bought the necessary supplies on the way home.

40 green walnuts, picked early enough so they are easily cut with a knife

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

zest of one and a half lemons

2 1/2 cups sugar

1.75 liter bottle of vodka

Rinse and pat dry the walnuts.  Apparently the juice of the walnut makes a permanent dark stain, even though the juice is clear initially.  I wore gloves and grubby clothes and used the underside of my cutting board, just in case.  Cut the walnuts into quarters with a sharp knife or cleaver.  Be careful, especially if you picked them a tad late, like me, as some of them will be a little hard and shoot across the cutting board.  The Italians recommend picking the nuts on June 24th – a magic night before San Giovanni when medicinals are at their peak.

Put walnuts, spices, zest, sugar, and vodka into a large glass container, covering the walnuts.  Cover and shake well.  Store for six to eight weeks, shaking every few days.  It will get darker as the days go by.  Mine is already much darker than when I started on Saturday (it was almost clear).

When you are ready to bottle, remove the walnuts and solids with a slotted spoon, remembering that the liquid will stain.  Strain through cheese cloth or coffee filters into glass bottles.  Cap or cork tightly, and allow to sit for another month or two.  Apparently, if you’ve got the patience to let it sit another year, or two, or even three, it is something quite special.  I think I’ll make my batch to have now and later.

Variations – some call for the combination of orange and lemon zest, orange on its own, the addition of star anise, and vanilla.  The amount of sugar also varies.  I didn’t want mine too syrupy, so I used half a cup less than the average recipe and a little more vodka.  Finally, some recipes say the mixture should be left in a sunny spot, others a cool, dark one.  I opted for cool and dark, so the cats can’t knock it over.  I think it is as diverse and special as the people who make it.  I sure hope so…

Green Dress

I made this.

Hello friends!

I hope everyone has had as wonderful a weekend as I have.  Goodness gracious the weather is lovely, especially for this time of year.  Normally, we’d be experiencing a bit of rain with occasional sunny days, but it looks like we’re being spoiled and quite royally – sun is expected through next weekend.

As we are no fools, we’ve done all we can to take full advantage.  The first photo is of yesterday’s adventure, biking and walking our fair city.  After seeing Portland City Walks recommended on one of my favorite blogs, Posie Gets Cosy, we thought we’d try it, too.  We’ve ventured out on two of the twenty walks (I’ll post photos of the first one later) and have really enjoyed them.  Normally this would not be our thing, as it seems silly to walk around like a tourist in our own city, but the author, Laura O. Foster, writes a lot about local history and has interesting little tidbits and “secrets” unknown to us, even though we’ve lived here for eleven years.  The book also inspires us to venture outside our usual zone of influence, taking the bikes, parking them, and walking less traveled destinations, all good.

These first two photos are of the Rose City Golf Course.  Now I am not a golfer by any stretch of the imagination, but it looks like a nice place to play.  The hill in the second photo is Mount Tabor.  It is nice to have a different perspective of it.

A neat garden structure we encountered along the way.

The view from the stairs descending Alameda Ridge.  We actually stumbled upon these last summer.  “Buddy, look!  It seems like this is a public path between the houses.  Let’s see where it goes!”  It is a marvelous treat to discover.

We’re back on the home turf now.  These are two of the peonies I planted last summer.  I am over the moon at how pretty they are.  This first photo is Coral Charm opening on Sunday.

How she looks today…

Buckeye Belle – apparently she is a bit more shy, as she hasn’t opened all the way.  No matter, she’s still quite lovely!

Another little project out of the way.  Greg put this bench together yesterday evening.  I bought the backless variety so we can have the option of lying prostrate, looking at the little vegetable plot (tomatoes and cucumbers, and a volunteer rose), or the cutting garden.  I love variety!

I’m sitting on the bench looking toward where I sat for the photos on this post.  I know I’ve said this before, but I just love to see clothes hanging on the line.  This peony is doing quite well, too.  I don’t know what its name is, however, as it was inherited from someone else’s garden.

Looking from the bench to the cutting garden.  I love having a new perspective on the yard.

If you’re wondering what the funny looking structure against the house is – here is a close up.  Still funny looking, isn’t it?  This was our final project of the weekend, a house for our bee friends.  I’ve learned that most bees are quite solitary and make their homes either in the ground or in holes made by borers or woodpeckers.  We’ve done the job for them and included our old license plate from Colorado as the roof.  It’s good I kept it in the garage for the last eleven years.  Hey Bridget, sometimes I do hold on to things!

As soon as I’m finished with this post, I’m joining the cats.  They’ve got the right idea…

Welcome

I believe it is the Shakers that have the saying, “Own nothing that is neither beautiful nor useful.”  I would like to make an addendum to that: Or doesn’t have a wonderful story behind it.   I love how nearly every object in my home has a story.  Walk around each room and I will tell you about when we took a photograph, or the fun day we had when I bought a particular trinket, painting, or piece of furniture.

Take this glass.  Isn’t it pretty?  Many of you have already seen it as it adorns our front door, and for those of you who haven’t, welcome!  As you can see, the opening is rather large, and I never liked the idea of total strangers, or even people I do know being able to look right into the house when I have the door closed.

So, for many years, I had some maple leaves I collected ironed between two sheets of wax paper and scotch taped to the glass.  Oh yes, very classy!  Finally, after knowing there had to be a better way, my friend Sarah took me to Kurumi’s, a local glass artist, and I made this, as well as some sun catchers and necklaces, in her studio.  Then the hubster installed it to perfection.

I love it!  The flowers are like poppies, one of my favorites!  As well, it lets in light rather gorgeously and has the little cutout for a peep hole, so I can eye you before deciding whether or not to open the door.  I usually do; stop by and see for yourself…

Yes, I am a crazy person.  I’ve got that look in my eye.  However, I am not crazy with junk sticking out of my head.  That is just the door hinge in my very unprofessional office/photo studio.  Anyhoo.  Back when it was sunny and warm outside, I wrote this Concoctions post that told you about my DIY proclivities.  Well, I’ve got an update for you, along with a couple recipes for new goodness you can try at home.

To start, the Queen of Hungary water is awesome.  It really does make my skin feel super tight and smooth as a baby’s bum, with one caveat.  It smells like vinegar, so I have to dilute it with water or I smell as crazy as I look in the above photo.

Angry Chicken’s deodorant has been terrific for the hubster, but after about a month, it made my pits get a rash, so I stopped using it.  I am now deodorant free, and it isn’t as scary as I thought it would be, even Gregory agrees.  I am guessing the fact that I shave is the reason for the rash.  So, if you don’t shave, I think you are golden with this stuff.  Maybe try it without the baking soda, too.  Just a thought.  Also, I did use her suggestion for glycerin to make it softer.  I used a couple tablespoons, and the consistency is quite nice.

Kombucha – still going strong!  I love it!  If you are a local yokel and want to try it, give me a holler and we’ll hook you up with a SCOBY.

Birch Water – my original intention with this was to replace shampoo.  Initially this was great, but then, even though I had just washed my hair, it looked, well, dirty, mostly oily.  So now I use it as a body wash and am super happy with it.  You can’t beat the smell of rum in the shower.

So you might be wondering if I returned to the shampoo.  Nope.  I have, since September, been cleaning up with baking soda and Queen of Hungary Water.  Here’s the “recipe”:

Mix about a teaspoon of baking soda in about a quarter cup of hot water.  Swirl around until the water is clear.  Pour the water over your head, concentrating on the scalp.  Close your eyes, too.  This stuff burns a little.  Once you’ve gotten all of it on, give yourself a nice scalp massage.  Let it sit for a minute or two, or comb through it.  Rinse very well.  Seriously, very well.  Even though you’ve only used a little, it will dull your hair if you don’t get it all out.

Next, take about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, or even better, Queen of Hungary Water, and mix it with about a quart of water.  Pour this over your head, comb through, and rinse, rinse, rinse!  Nobody wants to smell a vinegary head, nobody.  I am speaking from experience.

Finally, the reason for the title and the kooky photo above.  I recently made lip balm and it turned out really well – like well enough to surprise everyone who’s used it, including me.  I got the ingredients from a few places, but this awesome website (Mountain Rose Herbs) has it all, and most of it is certified organic.  Yippee!

Pucker-Up!

12 teaspoons castor oil

9 teaspoons grated beeswax (pack this and the cocoa butter into the measuring spoon)

9 teaspoons grated cocoa butter

9 teaspoons sweet almond oil

9 teaspoons jojoba oil

9 teaspoons glycerin

1 teaspoon vitamin e oil

Essentail oils – I used spearmint (10 drops), rosemary (8 drops), and peppermint (6 drops).

15-20 1/2 ounce metal tins – I used 20 but didn’t fill them all the way.  I didn’t know how much the mix would expand as it cools – not very much, so I’d use 15 next time.

Place all ingredients in a heat proof glass measuring cup.  Place that in a pot of hot water over low heat, and stir, stir, stir, until melted.  It takes a while, but I read that melting it too quickly could cause everything to be grainy.  Nobody wants grainy lip balm.

This turned out medium firm, I’d say.  If you like it really soft, more like lip gloss, change the ratio of castor oil (more) to beeswax and cocoa butter (less).  Do the reverse if you like it a bit more firm.  You can also use any combination of essential oils.  Lavender, orange, or lemon would be nice, too!  Finally, if you want it tinted, add some lipstick or food coloring at the end.  It will look much darker in the tin than it does on your lips.

**I forgot to tell you that I filled my tins with a turkey baster.  Just be sure to get it really clean because it will smell like your lip balm or get a baster to dedicate to unusual home projects.

Have fun, and if you do try something, let me know how it goes.  I’d be eager to hear.

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