Pic Today 9/22/12

GOLDENROD:

BLAMED AND PRAISED

Considered a weed in North America

and prized as a garden plant in Europe,

Goldenrod is a greatly misunderstood plant

(which is widely in bloom this first day of fall.)

Among its fame and reputation, Goldenrod is:

1.  Blamed for causing hay fever.

2.  Held as a sign of good luck and fortune.

3.  A favorite food of butterflies.

4.  A traditional kidney tonic in herbal medicine.

5.  A source of rubber during World War II.*

*The tires on a Model T given to Thomas Edison

  by his friend, Henry Ford, were made from Goldenrod.  

Pic Today 9/21/12

AUTUMN

IS HERE

Days are shorter,

nights are cooler.

Gourds and pumpkins

show the colors of the season.

Tomorrow is the first day of autumn.

Enjoy the harvest.

Pic Today 9/20/12

SWEET ANNIE

I just found a fragrant herb

perfect for holiday wreaths . . .

Sweet Annie (artemisia annua),

also called Sweet Wormwood.

Its sweet, camphor-like scent

smells like the holidays, and

is a natural repellant for moths & insects

(so put some in your closet.)

It has been used for centuries by Chinese herbalists

for malaria and treating fevers.

When I bought a big bunch of Sweet Annie,

the herb lady said it makes a great holiday wreath.

And remains fragrant for years. (years ! ! !)

So I bought some ribbon, and made my own wreath.

It now hangs on my front door,

just in time for fall.

(First day of fall is TWO DAYS AWAY.)

Pic Today 9/19/12

FOLK LIFE ARTS

AT GREENTREE FESTIVAL

Artisans keep alive the handmade ways

of early American crafts and traditions

at this year's GreenTree Festival in Kirkwood.

Passing the tools, talents and art on

from older generations to new.

"Lest we forget."

Pic Today 9/18/12

FLAX TO LINEN

Before cotton or wool clothing,

there was linen . . .

the oldest textile in the world

(8,000 BC).

But before linen was woven and worn,

there was flax,

a fibrous grassy plant with long stems,

one of the first cultivated crops.

In the "fertile crescent", Egyptians harvested flax

for its fibers to make a fine fabric from its fibers.

(Ancient mummies were wrapped in this woven cloth.)

Fact is, flax fabric is linen.

They're one and the same.

(Linum is latin for "flax plant.")

The process is much the same since ancient times:

The stems are dried, and seeds removed.

The stems are crushed or "retted" to form strands,

and then combed and pulled to straighten.

Long, luxurious fibers can reach 12-15" (for finest linen),

which can then be spun into linen yarn.

Depending on grade, the yarn is then woven

into linen fabric and textiles.

Linen is cool in hot weather,

wears like iron, and

even stronger wet than dry.

(Photos taken at Kirkwood's Green Tree Festival,

"Folk Life Artisans" displays)