Bugs

Not a very inspired title, but I couldn't think of anything clever. I'm hoping the beneficial bugs (aka praying mantis) hatch soon. We bought a thing that looks like a cocoon or something made out of crystalized honey sorta, which purports to be a praying mantis egg sack. In theory, after temperatures rise above 75F then in approximately two weeks hundreds of baby mantis spring forth into the world and commence dining upon the banquet the home gardener has so kindly prepared for them. Well, the package didn't say that exactly, but the stinkin' ants have been farming aphids in my greenhouse tomato plants!!!

I may go buy a batch of ladybugs if I can find anyone who still has some. I know they just end up flying away back to wherever they hatched from, but if I let them loose in the greenhouse they can fatten up on my bug banquet first.

As if the bug issue in the greenhouse weren't excitement enough- this evening it finally cooled down enough to be pleasant garden weeding weather. And that's when all the mosquitos that are lurking in the beans decided to come out for a bit of Human Snack.

I decided it's just as easy to put on a hat and weed when it's warmer out, and am now indoors sipping tea and reading Tolkien. Just after I post this that is.

Rainy Days

We have had a cool and rainy spring this year. The summer so far looks to be more of the same. A couple of nice warm days but the forecast is for cooler temperatures (even lows in the 40sF at night, eep!)

This is great weather for transplanting as the baby plants don't have to face the shock of hot dry weather while they're stretching out new roots in all directions. The flip side is that many of them seem to be waiting for the warm sunny weather to really start putting on growth.

At least the columbines I started from seed last year survived the winter and are blooming prolifically!

This is the kind of weather where a person can leave all their windows open day and night, bake pies with abandon, curl up with a good book and a mug of hot tea, and be pleasantly comfortable the entire time. (Not having a need to run either the furnace or the air-conditioning is another advantage to mild weather.)

I'm contemplating whether to take some time for myself and read, or stitch, or start a new knitting or crochet project; or whether to tackle the start of doing an inventory on the bits and bobs I have in my pantry and linen closet and such.

Such terrible decisions, hah!

Mugwort Tinctures

On the 11th May I picked a bunch of fresh mugwort and set about experimenting. I've wanted to try tincturing herbs for a while now and felt that this would be an herb useful to practice with. In part because the resultant tinctures would not be used for ingestion.

It had rained so the mugwort was already free of dust and dirt and I just shook it off well and let it dry a bit in the colander. Then I picked the leaves off the stems and distributed the herbs into three eight ounce jelly jars. The jars were full, but not packed tightly.

I used white vinegar, canola oil, and vodka (not mixed together!!). Filled each jar nearly to the rim, and then capped with a lid and ring and shook them well. The oil filled jar I set on my kitchen windowsill and the other two went into the dark pantry in the basement. They've all been giving a gentle daily shake since then.

Today was "straining day"! Using a handy-dandy glass measuring cup and a fine mesh strainer, I set about opening, straining and re-bottling the tinctures.

First one to open was the vegetable oil tincture. PHEW! Did that ever stink like a half-rotted swamp!! Lesson: when tincturing in oil, next time use DRY herbs. That got dumped out. Total loss.

Then I opened the vinegar tincture. After straining the liquid is a very pale color and the scent while strongly vinegary has a hint of something else. (Duh, mugwort, haha). The vodka tincture is darker in hue and has a mugwort-y scent with a whiff of alcohol to it.

The vodka and vinegar Tinctures of Mugwort are tucked away in my supply area and I am sure I'll find plenty of witchy uses for them.

I think I'll try some culinary or medicinal tinctures next.

The vodka tincture is on the left, the vinegar tincture on the right.