My love of #Aprons

My father-in-law recently sent me the following e-mail.  OK, I skipped printing the part that said to pass it on and a few other silly comments but, it really did bring me back and make me think about my aprons. 

"I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few.

It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material.

But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids..

And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love"

I don't remember my Grandma wearing an apron but I do remember my Auntie wearing hers (she still does) whenever she was in the kitchen.  And I can tell you like me it's a lot.  It protected her clothes and gave her a spot to wipe her hands.  I think her love of cooking landed right in my heart.

I have a few aprons of my own.  The first I made in Girl Scouts.  It was for our sewing badge -a reversible patchwork apron.  We learned basting, pinning, hand and machine sewing.  But most of all I learned I HATED sewing.  I will sew a button back on but other than that safety pins and duct tape work wonders.  Having someone take pity on me for using safety pins worked a few times as well.  But, my smartest move was to marry handsome hubby who loves to sew.  But, I digress.

My apron - sewing project 1970 something

The second apron I bought two decades ago.  I was in a cute little kitchen shop on Cape Cod with my boyfriend at the time.  It was beautiful - floral, heavy material and pockets.  It hung in my kitchen for years.  And then one day, many years later, I realized that maybe it would work better if I put it on.  That realization  came with having kids and making supper as soon as I came home from  work.  When I was single I could come home, change my clothes and putter before making dinner.  A little splash here, some grease there didn't matter to my comfy clothes.  But, it did to my work clothes.  This is the apron you will see me walking around my studio in.  It has served me well.  And I still think it's beautiful - even with a few stains and a small rip in it.  I love the pockets for stashing things in and the heavy material that nothing soaks through.

My blue floral apron

I also have two aprons at home that I use regularly when cooking.  One a present from my hubby - a little herby, witchy vibe and the other has a raven on it and says Ravenous.  As you can see they are well used.  And now that I have learned the appeal of my Auntie's apron I have to stop myself from collecting a few more.

 

My well used home aprons

Whiting Mills #Historic Building

Whiting Mills - View from Holabird Ave. Parking Lot

      Winsted, settled in 1750, was formed at the junction of the Mad River and the Still River.  Winsted is part of the town of Winchester and derived it's name from the towns of Winchester and Barkhamsted when the congregational church moved from the hill to the valley forming the the First Congregational Church of Winsted.  The beautiful stone church is still located near the Winsted green.  Winsted is one of the first mill towns in Connecticut. 
      The Winsted Hosiery Company, founded in 1882, was a small manufacturer of men’s hosiery and occupied two red brick industrial buildings and a stone building on Whiting Street. The company later expanded its products and by 1936 became the largest hosiery manufacturer in Connecticut. The company’s red-brick industrial complex exemplifies the Italianate and Renaissance Revival design influences on manufacturing facilities around the turn of the century. The designers of the Winsted Hosiery buildings developed pragmatic solutions to the needs of a large manufacturing facility, maximizing natural lighting through open plans and continuous rows of windows. 
     On a tour of the building my childhood neighbor told me how her grandmother worked at the mill.  She would take home scraps of wool, dye them and braid them into rugs for her home.  
    In June of 2004, Whiting Mills, LLC was established when Jean Paul and Eva Blachere purchased the 135,000 sq ft complex. The historic Whiting Mills building was turned into artist studios. There are now more than fifty studio spaces occupied by herbalists, master artists, photographers, wood workers, cabinet makers, craftspeople and a railroad hobby store.   The majority of which are on the third and fourth floors.

Sign at entrance in back parking lot

    The Mill is set up a little quirky but that is the charm of it as well. The four floor building is built into the side of a hill and has a ground level entrance on each floor.  It can make it a little confusing for first time visitors.  If you enter from the main parking lot behind the building you are on the third floor.  These studios are numbered in the three hundreds.  The old freight elevator is located across from Tina's Baskets & Woven Art. If you take the stairs located next to this you will see a sign that says this way to the second floor.  Don't be confused - you are actually going to the fourth floor.  The studios her are numbered in the four and five hundreds.  That's right, the five hundred series of studios is on the fourth floor.  

Sign directing you to the stairs that lead to the 4th floor

     

Sign in stairwell pointing to the 4th floor

If you enter the building from the Holabird Avenue side of the building (the parking lot next to the firehouse) you can enter on three different floors.  Entrance 210B towards the bottom of the hill will bring you in at the second floor and the Northeast Farrier Supply.  You can take the stairs from here to the third and fourth floor.  Going up the hill entrance 210A is a small section of the third floor and hosts several artists.  There is no way to get to other parts of the building from here so to continue your tour you must exit the building and enter another way.  At the "top" of the hill you enter the five hundred series on the fourth floor.  The four hundred series of studios is just down the hall.
   I am located in studio 418. My large windows face the west and I receive tons of afternoon sun. I was told that people might have a hard time finding me around the corner in a hallway with two other artists but follow your nose.  The latest soap creation wafts through the halls and will lead the way.  

A view of my windows before moving in

My studio (418) with the windows in the background

Women Healers #Bookreview

     I am an herbalist. I am a bookaholic.  The two seem to go hand in hand.  I love to read.  A few novels here and there, biographies more so and books that I read with a highlighter in one hand the most.  I have a mini library in my house.  The books I save are mostly what I would call reference books.  A shelf filled with poetry and some of my favorite novels on another.  My herbal books are my prized books.  Many of them are signed.  This thrills me to no end.
     I am usually reading multiple books at once.  Put one down and digest the information while I start on another.  I actually do finish most of what I start.  It just may take a while.  This summer I finished multiple books.  Yeah me. One was Women Healers of the World: The Traditions, History, and Geography of Herbal Medicine by Holly Bellebuono.

 
     The book is beautiful with lots of pictures.  It is an oversize coffee table book that you actually read. She introduces one type of healing modality at a time and then references women in this area of expertise.  Some are contemporary and she was able to interview them for the book.  Others are from the past - recent and ancient - and oh so relevant.  The book includes stories(histories, facts) about Hildegard von Bingen to Rosemary Gladstar, from Western herbal traditions to native nations, folk, shamanism and so much more.  She ends the book with recipes for basic herbal remedies.  I thoroughly loved the book.  I learned about my herbal heroes, I got to know some of my herbal sisters in a new light and I was introduced to women I hadn't heard of before.  There are many sidebars that explain the etymology of words, and go into detail about different herbs and places.  It is chock full of information.
     Holly taught at the New England Women's Herbal Conference this year.  She also had a booth in the emporium with her books and herbal treats.  And..... I was able to have my book signed.  Swoon!

Souper #Workshop

     I have taught soap making classes many times.  I am comfortable there but, it is time to stretch my wings.  Slowly moving towards sharing all I have learned about the plant world.  I continue to learn and grow and sometimes feel stuck in the mire of never knowing enough.  But, this year at the International Herb Symposium I looked around and thought I have arrived (not at a final destination but at a point in time). After ten years of study I feel like I know something, more than a little something and it is time to pass it on to more than just my family.
    I'm starting with my first love - cooking.  I am making a big pot of chicken soup. It is after all the what soothes all ailments, right?  I will have it for my students to enjoy while we talk about the ingredients I use to boost the immune system and add that extra something.  Class is Sunday, October 25, from noon until 2.  Sign up at my facebook  event or message me here.
     I will provide the recipe or the bones of my recipe for everyone to take home.  I can honestly say I have never made my chicken soup exactly the same way twice.  But, the base is the same; a good free range chicken, organic vegetables and lots of herbs.  From there the possibilities are endless.

Chicken Potato Soup

     My chicken potato soup started after my daughter's open house at the high school.  She is taking culinary this year and they were doing a baked potato fund raiser.  I was gifted a pile of baked potatoes.  I scooped out the insides for the soup and make potato skins for an appetizer.  As the week went on the soup morphed as I added the leftover vegetables from dinner to the pot.  A little sauteed squash here, some chopped green beans there  and it just became more delicious as time went on.

#Goldenrod

I just love having this golden beauty growing in my flower bed.  Sunshine in autumn that brings a smile to my heart.  Goldenrod or Solidago, is good medicine as well.  Before the flowers are spent, preferably as they just start to bloom harvest them.  Make them into a tea.  Dry them for a winter tea that brings back some of that golden energy.  Make them into a tincture.  I combine this with tinctures of elder flower and catnip for our family decongestant.

Many think they are allergic to this beauty.  It is not so...  She waves her gorgeous flowers high and proud but to breath in her pollen you would need to stick your nose into the blossoms and breath deeply.  It is the rag weed that often hides behind goldenrod's beauty that flings her pollen in the air and causes itchy watery eyes and a runny nose.  Sip some goldenrod tea to alleviate the symptoms.

She is also used for kidney disorders and stuck chi (energy).  I invite you to take some time to get to know her.

Here and Away

August, that amazing month of time way that moves like a speeding train.  I spent a wonderful, rejuvenating week in Hilton Head, SC with my hubby and daughter.  I arrived home to my son visiting for two weeks.  He is on leave from the Marine's before being deployed.  I spent a day with my daughter shopping for school and turning her deep brown locks of hair into electric lizard green.  You need to pick your battles and I figure this is a rather harmless rebellion.  And though I am home physically I'm not sure I have fully arrived.  And then we are off again.  Well, my daughter and I are off to the New England Women's Herbal Conference.
It has become an annual pilgrimage.  My beloved teacher introduced me to the conference ten years ago.  The following year I brought my oldest daughter.  When my youngest was old enough that I didn't need to watch her every second I included her as well.  The girls enjoyed one conference together before my oldest flew the nest.  This will be my youngest's sixth conference.  It has been inspiring to watch her grow at this event.

This conference feeds my soul in ways I just can't fully describe.  I am surrounded by women interested in herbs that I can talk with, share with and learn from.  I get to take class after class with teachers from around the world.  I can meet the authors of the books I devoured.  I get to see that they are as human as I am.  I play and explore and come home with a renewed fire inside.  I reconnect with friends I have made over this past decade.  And I truly mean friends not just acquaintances.  The music, the dancing, the shopping, the learning, the connecting, the laughter, the tears...  the bathroom parties, the long dinner lines visiting, the million little things, the sharing all of this with my daughter...  all of these and more nourish me on a deep level.
The conference also signals the end of summer break.  School has started, the schedule slows a little and I will be drinking in the autumn abundance before the winter hibernation.  I will be in my studio more often.  Regular Sunday hours will be back.  Classes will be scheduled.  New ideas will make manifest. Ashe, Ashe!

Traveling Muffins #Recipe

August is a PTO month for me - Personal Time Off.  I have done some work and will do a little more before the month is done but in between will  be some much needed time away with family.  I started the month at the Health, Wealth and Home Expo.  It was a beautiful week end, I met some amazing people and left feeling grateful.
Today I cleaned the house from top to bottom while hubby detailed the car.  Then I made a batch of traveling muffins before heading to the spa.  Nothing like a good massage to start a vacation off right. I made the first version of these muffins many years ago for something to munch on in the wee hours of the morning before stopping for breakfast. And by wee hours I mean the middle of the night to most people.  They were a big hit and now are part of our family's traveling tradition.
I have tweaked the recipe a little here and there but this is the version I made this morning.

Traveling Muffins

Blueberry Coconut Muffins

AKA Traveling Muffins

Note:  all the ingredients I use are organic.  And my FIL loved these even though he claims to hate coconut.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup cane sugar
4 tsp lemon zest
2/3 cup raw milk (or heavy cream)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins or use cupcake papers.

Beat butter, sugars and zest until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time; beating after each addition.   Add milk and mix.  Add flour and beat until just combined.  Stir in coconut and gently fold in blueberries.  Using a large kitchen scoop (ice cream scoop) fill muffin tin.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Makes 24 muffins.