26Jul 2023 by catbird
Galaxy Smoothie Bowl for the Wolf Moon

Galaxy Smoothie Bowl for the Wolf Moon

Full Moon, Recipes, Winter, Wolf Moon
The January full moon is most commonly known as the Wolf Moon. Various North American tribes have different names for it, but names for this moon largely evoke coldness or lean times. The Algonquin people call it the "Sun has Not Strength to Thaw Moon, the Arapaho refer to the "When Snow Blows like Spirits in the Wind Moon, and the Lakota people use the most concise "Hard Moon." The only direct wolf reference I could find was from the Sioux people who call this moon the "Wolves Run Together Moon. Interestingly, the Farmer's Almanac doesn't cite any sources for the Wolf Moon name, it just refers to wolves howling this time of year. My favorite interpretation of the name relates it to the Wolf Trail or Road—a traditional Blackfoot name for…
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24Jul 2023 by catbird
Corn Husk Candles

Corn Husk Candles

Craft Project, First Harvest, Green Corn Moon, Nature Art, Summer
The "corn' that most Western Europeans refer to around First Harvest (also called Lammas or Lughnasadh) is actually just old fashioned slang for "grain" and most often refers wheat. As a North American on the other hand, corn as in maize, is having its moment this time of year. Some Southeastern American Indian tribes celebrate a Green Corn Festival in early August to celebrate the corn harvest. “Green corn” is of course not corn that is the color green (although there is green colored corn), but simply sweet corn—that is, corn that is eaten fresh as opposed to mature corn that is dried and ground up. It’s the same reason we call green beans green– it’s not because they are the color green, but because they are eaten in an…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird
Full Moon Names & Phenology

Full Moon Names & Phenology

Full Moon, Full Moon Names, Learning
If you were to look up names for the thirteen full moons in a year, you would almost certainly discover a fairly standardized list. The source of this list is almost always the Farmers’ Almanac, which popularized its “full moon names” in the 1930s. In turn, the most likely original source for the Almanac’s list is an earlier list entitled “Indian Month Names,” which was published in 1918 by Daniel Carter Beard in his The American Boys’ Book of Signs, Signals, and Symbols, for use by the Boy Scouts of America. Nearly every list of full moon names you find will have a vague description of the origin of the names as “American Indian,” with little or no explanation. (To their credit, the Farmers’ Almanac has recently updated their descriptions…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird
Bake Bread & Cook with Grains

Bake Bread & Cook with Grains

First Harvest, Garden, Summer
August 1st is known as First Harvest, Lammas or Lughnasadh in various traditions. First Harvest is midway between the Summer Solstice (the official start of summer) and the Autumnal Equinox (the official start of fall) You can see then why it is a time that straddles between summer and fall. I think of it as peak summer- everything is ripening in the garden and there is almost more to harvest than there is time. There are berries and mushrooms to forage in the wood and a general sense of abundance. At the same time we are creeping closer to fall and I start to notice subtle little cues here and there. Historically, in Celtic tradition First Harvest marks the start of the harvest season. Ritual games took place and there…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird
Tomato Harvest

Tomato Harvest

First Harvest, Garden, Summer
First Harvest (also known as Lammas or Lughnasadh) is frequently associated with grain and grain harvests. For me, early August is prime tomato harvest season though! This is the time of year that tomatoes taste their best, fresh from the vine and warm from the sun. No need for a recipe because they don't need much of anything to taste delicious. So go harvest some tomatoes-- either from your garden or from the farmer's market and just enjoy!
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23Jul 2023 by catbird
Wild Mushroom Hike

Wild Mushroom Hike

First Harvest, Foraging, Hike Ideas, Recipes, Summer
We absolutely always enjoy searching for mushrooms while hiking, in fact I have promised my children badges for all the different types of mushrooms they've spotted on multiple occasions (and still not delivered...) but perhaps my favorite time to go is at the end of July right before First Harvest. This is when we (knock on wood) always find delicious chanterelles. I like added chanterelles to the list of things we harvest this time of year! Whether or not you want to forage mushrooms to harvest and eat, this is a fun hike to take with kids. (And I find they are often superior at spotting mushrooms!) Bring a magnifying glass, a mesh bag if you plan to collect anything and a guidebook. A nature journal is also a great…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird
Wildcrafting Tea

Wildcrafting Tea

First Harvest, Foraging, Garden, Play, Recipes, Summer
The first harvest is all about, well, harvesting. Many people associate this day with grains and bread, but there are lots of other things that are at their peak and ripe for harvesting this time of year too. One of our favorites that you might not immediately think about is herbal tea. We harvest wild plants and plants from our garden, dry them and make a new tea blend each year. (Naming them is obviously part of the fun...) Past names have included "summer thunderstorm tea" and "firefly tea." Herbs to Harvest for Tea Try collecting a variety of herbs and then let children smell them and decide which ones they like together. Wash and dry everything and then crush them up in a mortar and pestle. (This step is…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird
Strawberry Moon Cake

Strawberry Moon Cake

Full Moon, Recipes, Strawberry Moon, Summer
In many places June is the transition into summer. In much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, it’s high strawberry season, and this traditional name is shared among the Dakota, Chippewa, and Ojibwe peoples. Similarly, the Haida call this the Berries Ripen Moon, the Lakota refer to the When Berries Are Good Moon, and the Mohawk have Ripening Time Moon. For many, this is the start of summer abundance. Picking and eating strawberries is the perfect way to celebrate! Strawberry, Rose & Mint Garden Cake I recently learned that garden centers in the UK often have cafes and serve cake and tea and it kind of blew my mind. There seems to be a general association between cake and gardens there that just doesn't exist in the US– but I fully…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird
Flower Moon Dried Flower Art

Flower Moon Dried Flower Art

Craft Project, Flower Moon, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Spring
In my part of the world, May is the height of spring and flowers are starting to bloom in earnest. A fun and easy way to celebrate the Flower Moon is by making some dried flower artwork. We used flowers that we had pressed last summer for this project, but you could also collect spring flowers that are blooming now and press them under some heavy books for a week or so. Materials: dried pressed flowers heavy paper (like watercolor paper or cardstock) glue Method: Cut out your paper in a circle shape, trace a plate or other round object to help you get a perfect circle. Arrange the flowers until you like the way they look. Try experimenting with radial symmetry, which mean that there is symmetry around a central…
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