Author Archives: maryjane

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Today’s Recipe: Old-Fashioned Cream Candy

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Bumble Buzz

The natural world is abuzz with beauty as flowers begin blooming

and bees begin …

well, buzzing.

You know the sound, right?

It stirs thoughts of lush gardens on warm summer afternoons …

Photo by Counselling via Pixabay

But did you know that some bees’ vivacious vibrations are more than simply the beating of wings as they move from flower to flower?

Yup. When it comes to the big, beautiful bumble bee, “buzz” is the sound of pollination in progress.

Photo by P7r7 via Wikimedia Commons

This is yet another little bit of magic that happens right under our noses, and the Smithsonian Channel managed to capture some fabulous bee’s-eye footage of the bumble at work:

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Edible Cutlery

Behind the scenes of the culinary world, a revolution is stewing … er, baking.

Literally.

What’s in the oven?

Cutlery.

That’s right—baked, edible utensils.

Specifically, spoons.

Indian eco-preneur Narayana Peesapaty devised the idea in order to provide an environmentally responsible alternative to “disposable” plastic cutlery. He calls his spoons (and his company) Bakeys.

“Our Edible Cutlery is meant to be eaten after use. If you do not want to eat it, simply throw it away. Insects and stray animals will eat them up or they will degrade naturally in less than three days,” Peesapaty explains on the Bakeys website. “These are made of flours. The flours are kneaded with plain water—no additional chemicals and not even preservatives.”

A delicious idea, indeed.

Bakeys even come in three flavors: sweet, savory, and plain.

Until Bakeys are readily available around the world, you may just want to consider making your own edible cutlery (if nothing else, the kids will get a kick out of eating their cereal spoons).

Yuka Yoneda at Inhabitat.com tinkered around in the kitchen and came up with a recipe for spoons that will last for three hours after contact with food before getting gooey. “I was just as mesmerized by Peesapaty’s idea … and I wanted to see if I could make my own edible spoons, knives, and forks at home,” she says.

Knives and forks, it turns out, are not so simple. But she did master the spoon, and you can too. Watch and learn her technique:

 

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Cyrie Wilson!!!

Cyrie Wilson (Pixiedustdevil, #6941) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner Level Grow Where You’re Planted Merit Badge!

“Ever since I was little, if I saw a flower I liked, I would take it home and press it. I still do it to this day. My favorite flower to press is the forget-me-not, which is the one in the frame.

My recent collection (not all pictured) consists of more forget-me-nots, red clover, two 4-leaf clovers (found on the same day!), honeysuckle, scarlet pimpernel, speedwell, and common daisies. Rhododendrons are very common here, but I don’t like them because the flowers are sticky!

One of the rarest plants in my area is the Myrtlewood tree. It takes 10 years to germinate and 100 years to grow to commercial size. They only grow in a small area in Oregon, and anything made of Myrtle is VERY expensive.

The hardest part is identifying the flowers, I have a few that are nameless.”

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lessons from Audrey

Speaking of May flowers …

(really, who doesn’t have May flowers on her mind?)

Photo by Soorelis via Pixabay

… here’s a perennial blossom worth celebrating:

Photo by Hans Gerber via Wikimedia Commons

Yup, the lovely Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 (in Belgium, by the way, for you trivia buffs).

We remember her as an icon of style and sophistication, a selfless humanitarian, and one of those enviable ladies who seem to maintain a heart full of youth throughout her life.

Photo from Roman Holiday movie via Wikimedia Commons

So, I thought you might find this little tidbit as inspiring as I did:

“Hepburn never skipped breakfast, usually choosing two eggs, whole-wheat toast, and coffee with milk. Once a month, she would have a ‘detox day’ during which she kept herself well hydrated and ate only fresh fruit, vegetables, and yogurt,” recounts blogger Jessica Reidy. “She preferred to eat organic, and the only exercise she liked was to take was walks in the fresh air. Hepburn believed that her care and attention to a healthy diet gave her the energy she needed for her demanding schedule as an actress, activist, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.”

Just a little something to keep in mind as we move into the season of rejuvenation.

In the words of Audrey herself, “Nothing is impossible—the word itself says ‘I’m possible.’”

May flowers, here we come!