Garden – Page 2 – Wineberry Wood Press

23Jul 2023 by catbird No Comments

Bake Bread & Cook with Grains

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…

23Jul 2023 by catbird 1 Comment

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!

23Jul 2023 by catbird No Comments

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…

22Jul 2023 by catbird No Comments

Green Corn Moon Microgreens

Craft Project, Full Moon, Garden, Green Corn Moon, Nature Art

The August full moon is frequently called the Sturgeon Moon. This is because sturgeon were often caught in the late summer in the Great Lakes. I don’t live in the Great Lakes area however, and sadly I have never seen this cool fish. Instead I prefer to call this moon the Green Corn Moon because it better reflects what’s happening around me in August. Fields of corn are everywhere, and I can't seem to eat enough of it. This name mirrors traditional names used by several tribes: (Green) Corn Moon is used by the Algonquin and Ojibwe, Harvest Moon is used by the Dakota, and Ricing Moon is used by some Anishinaabeg. All of these names make reference to gathering maturing crops. Several tribes in the southeast have Green Corn…

18Jun 2023 by catbird No Comments

Summer Solstice Fire Wheel

Campfire, Craft Project, Garden, Nature Art, Summer Portfolio, Summer Solstice

One of my favorite things to do is to sort through traditional observances from all around the world and find things that resonate for me and my family. My own celebration of the wheel of the year is generally secular, but I enjoy drawing on these ancient practices that have been celebrated for as long as we have records. This turn of the wheel I was struck by a Germanic/Slavic tradition of lighting an actual wheel on fire and rolling through town into a river. I initially discounted this for being ridiculously dangerous, but I kept thinking about it. I was then reading that people spread the ashes from their solstice fire on their gardens to make them extra healthy and productive. I have been having a pretty terrible garden…

30May 2023 by catbird 2 Comments

Summer Solstice Flower Crowns

Garden, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Play, Summer Portfolio, Summer Solstice

One of our favorite traditions on the Summer Solstice is to make and wear flower crowns! In our part of the world this is when flowers really start to bloom and show off. You can weave crowns with the same technique we used to make May Day Garlands here, but this is best done with things that have long stems like dandelions. Our preferred method is to make a wreath from honeysuckle or other vine and then embellish with other flowers. That way you can use things with shorter stems and it's a bit simpler. Weaving Flower Crowns Materials: flexible vines-- we always use honeysuckle flowers Method: Loop a few vines into a circle that fits on your head. You'll want 3-4 loops and can use more than one vine…

16Apr 2023 by catbird No Comments

A “Cake” for the Earth

Earth Day, Garden, Play

I cannot claim credit for this project, it was my son's idea several years ago. When I asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate Earth Day he said he wanted to make a cake for the trees. (He is very cake focused.. lol) We decided that the type of cake a tree would like would be made out of compost and things that trees like with a little decoration. He was and continues to be a champion mud pie maker, so we just adapted his usual process slightly by using compost. You can add coffee grounds, eggshells, comfrey leaves (or any leaf that will decompose and me nutritious) or even scraps from your compost bin. Arrange the layers of your cake in a bowl or tin and make…

22Mar 2023 by catbird 2 Comments

Recycled Can Garden Markers

Craft Project, Earth Day, Garden, Recycled Materials, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice

Here is a fun and easy way to make plant markers for your garden out of recycled materials. I use really utilitarian markers for the most part, but my kids always want to make some for their garden and I have been trying to think of a way to make markers that are both beautiful to look at and simple to make. These check all the boxes, they are simple enough for kids to make, they look amazing--almost like enamel I think--and they use repurposed seltzer cans. Kids don't need to be able to write letters to make them, although they work with words as well. (You just have to write them backwards... more on that below.) This is a great project for early spring when there is lots of…

16Mar 2023 by catbird 1 Comment

Botanical Cascarilla Cascarones

Craft Project, Garden, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio

There used to be a lady in my neighborhood who made hundreds of cascarones every year for the neighborhood egg hunt. I have no idea how she pulled it off-- but it was always magical. She retired and moved away and while I’m not ready to take up the charge for the whole neighborhood I knew I wanted to make some for Spring Equinox and take them to the next level. Eggs are a classic symbol is spring— they start out hard and lifeless as a rock, then almost without warning they burst open with life. There is a clear parallel to winter, dead and gray and then suddenly there is green popping up everywhere and life explodes. These eggs are dyed with cabbage (blue) and turmeric and cabbage (green)…

25Feb 2023 by catbird 1 Comment

Moss Gardening

Garden, Nature Collection, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio

Moss is one of my favorite signs of spring- its some of the first real green we see. It's always there, it doesn't die back like herbaceous plants, but warmer temperatures and spring rains seem to make it come to life in the spring. Moss is a fascinating ancient organism. It belongs to a group of plants called bryophytes, which are non-vascular and flowerless. Non-vascular means that they lack the channels that other plants have to transport water and nutrients to various parts of the plants. They are small and form dense clumps or mats, often in damp or shady places. The leaves are only one cell thick. The first plant on earth, moss began to grow on land 470 million years ago. It absorbs carbon dioxide from the air…

Category: Garden