Category Archives: handmade/homemade

How to make Violet Syrup

Posted on by

violet syrup-3

When the violets are out and blooming, make sure to gather some for your kitchen. These edible flowers can be used in many ways. You can sprinkle them in salads to add a splash of color, you can freeze them in ice cubes to put in fancy drinks, you can crystallize them (although I have never done that), and you can make violet syrup.

violet syrup-2

I looked at various recipes for violet syrup and they were all various combinations of violets, water and sugar. I decided to wing it a bit and the results came out well.

First, gather as many violets as you can. It seems as though the flowers will be their sweetest before they are in full sun. So early day or early evening works best. You can use your hand like a rake to catch the flowers between your fingers. This makes it quicker. Recruiting small children works well. My daughter loved picking flowers with me.

Rinse off the flowers and pluck off the stems. I wasn’t clear whether I needed to remove the green bit on the end of the flower as well. The first batch (photo below) I went crazy OCD and removed them. My second batch, I didn’t. I couldn’t tell any difference, so save yourself a lot of work and leave the green ends on.

violet syrup-4

My recipe based on how many flowers I gathered..

  • 1/2 quart of violet flowers in a heat-proof jar with lid
  • Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Let this sit 24 hours.
  • Strain the violets out of the water and press as much liquid as you can from them.
  • Combine 3 cups of sugar to the liquid and heat in a pan until the sugar dissolves.
  • Stand back and look at the gorgeous liquid and start planning how you are going to use it.

violet syrup-5

violet syrup-1

We tried it in cocktails, but I thought the subtle violet flavor was lost and only tasted the sugar. We have made soda by adding some seltzer. It is like the European fruit syrups used to flavor fizzy water. And we have poured it over waffles. It’s really lovely.

Interestingly enough, violets were used as a kind of litmus paper. If you add an acid like lemon juice, the liquid will change to a magenta color. I believe it turns green with a base, although I’ve not tried that.

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare

Autograph Hankies

Posted on by

IMG_3308This past weekend Lindsay, my friend Eve and I took a free class at the NY Public Library. It was another installment of their crafternoon series. This one was making embroidered silk hankies.

One of the instructors, Rebecca Ringquist, brought quotes she pulled from her grandmother’s autograph album. This album was autographed by friends during middle school years. The quotes were funny and sweet and gave us inspiration for words to embroider on our hankies.

IMG_3307This was the quote I chose. Lindsay is working on this one, which when finished will say, “Roses may be red, violets may be blue, but there aint no maybe, about what I think of you”

IMG_3309

Some others that were fun were:

I love you little, I love you big, I love you like a little pig

Don’t make love under the garden gate. Love is blind but the neighbors aint. If in Heaven we do not meet, hand in hand we’ll stand the heat.

Pigs love pumpkins, cows love squash, I love you, I do by gosh

If I were a head of lettuce, and scattered my leaves apart, I’d give all my neighbors the outside and leave for you my heart

 

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare

Beaded Crochet

Posted on by

This Saturday I took a beaded crochet class at the New York Public Library. It was a part of their free crafternoon series. The teachers were a mother-daughter team Bert and Dana Freed and they taught us the basics of adding beads to a decorative cord to make jewelry.

It was pretty basic, but fun nonetheless. It reminded me of necklaces I saw a few years ago of beads and seashells that I liked, but never really considered how they were strung. Here are a couple of things I made after the class.

IMG_3172 IMG_3173I definitely like the colored cord with glass beads better and will explore some more options with that. Hope you all had nice weekends!

 

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare

Making Butter

Posted on by

Making Butter from Martha Lazar on Vimeo.

On one of Lindsay’s school field trips, they visited The Old Stone House, which was an old Dutch farmhouse here in Brooklyn. On that trip they made butter and Lindsay has mentioned from time to time that she’s wanted to make some at home. You probably know by now that this request warms my little pioneer heart.

She recently brought it up again, so while Neil was out shopping, he picked up some heavy cream for her. We placed it in a large mason jar and started shaking it. And shaking it. I think it’s funny how she can look so badass while churning butter.

Eventually (and not before she lost interest and hopped in the bath), the cream separated into butter and buttermilk. We washed the  butter in cold water and Lindsay formed it into one of her bowls.

 

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare

Finished Teacher’s Shawls

Posted on by

Finally getting around to posting photos of the 2 shawls I made my daughter’s teachers. I gave them their shawls at an end of the year party in June. The white shawl will be worn with her wedding dress. The other shawl is a very pale peach color, which doesn’t show well in the photos.

So remember this lumpy pile?

Here it is all blocked.

Here’s the other shawl, which is really a loop. It can be worn as a wrap or as a long loop scarf.

Have you ever seen such sweet teachers?

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare

Teacher Gifts

Posted on by

Every year I like to knit something for Lindsay’s teachers to show my appreciation of all the love and care and amazing work they do. I usually surprise them, but this year BOTH of Lindsay’s teachers are getting married. I asked them if they would like me to knit them a shawn for their wedding (or not). One of the teachers asked for a shawl to go with her wedding dress and the other asked for a casual summer shawl. I wanted to get started on the shawl for the wedding as there was a real deadline. The wedding is in August, but I don’t like cutting things close.

This is a pattern that is aptly named Trousseau. I am using Malabrigo sock yarn, which is fun and springy and making this an absolute pleasure to knit. I’ll post photos of the finished and blocked shawl soon.

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare

My Mother’s Day

Posted on by

Sunday was a beautiful Mother’s Day. I woke up to bacon pancakes and this beautiful card from Lindsay.

After breakfast, Lindsay and I went into Manhattan to take a sewing class at City Quilter on how to make stuffies. We were asked to bring a couple of drawings, which we would then turn into stuffed felt creatures.

Lindsay made these two drawings:

After a few hours, she made them (with very little help from me) into these:

That evening Neil took us out to The Farm on Adderly, which specializes in seasonal, local and wild edibles. It was delicious!

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare

Raised Bed Herb Garden

Posted on by

 

If you’ve spent time reading this blog, you will know that the soil in my garden isn’t great. The term to describe it is “rubble.” I don’t really trust growing food items directly in it. Besides the sunniest area of my garden is paved, so that limits my options. This has lead me to trying raised beds. I have a mish-mosh of containers that I hope are creative and fun and not reminiscent of the set of Sanford and Son.

These are the wine crates I salvaged last year. They are holding up well.

This year I’m not going to grow beans or try and coax tomatoes to grow in a partly sunny garden. I’m going to stick to herbs, which do very well in my yard. I love mixing flowers, herbs and vegetables together.

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare

School Fundraiser

Posted on by

I’ve been organizing a fundraiser at my daughter’s school in conjunction with Earth Day. We are selling oyster mushroom growing kits through Back To The Roots. If you order one, Back To The Roots shares a portion of the profits with my daughter’s school in Brooklyn.

My husband gave me one of their kits for Christmas and they are really fun. C’mon, you know you want to try this! Just make sure to enter “PS58” in the coupon code for the school to get credit. The offer expires on 4/20, which is our school’s Earth Day celebration.

FacebookTwitterGoogle+StumbleUponShare