Wild Berry Picking!

Today, I went berry picking with a few friends. The forecast called for severe thunderstorms but luckily, they held off. We plan to make jam, preserve them whole and make colonial wine. The majority of our haul was wine-berries (Rubus phoenicolasius) but we also found a few ripe blackberries. We saw unripe wild grapes, patches of unripe blackberries, tons of walnuts and hickory nuts and even some mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum.)

Wineberry is a species of raspberry which originated in Asia and has since become invasive. This particular type of raspberry was introduced into the U.S. in 1889 and now grows in practically every state in the eastern U.S. They were originally planted for their berries but were later valued for their ornamental use.

Once off the bush, the berries are indistinguishable from older strains of raspberry so we can use them for our colonial treats. In Colonial times, raspberries were used for wines, pies and deserts.
 
Sometimes the plants would be cultivated but frequently, many plants were propagated wildly by birds. The wild berries were harvested by locals, used in the home or taken to market for city dwellers who could not grow their own. 

In her 1837 book, The American Frugal Housewife, Lydia Marie Child recommends that children make themselves useful by picking wild berries for sale in town.

 








We gathered a lot of berries. It is definitely a task that is a lot easier with a lot of helping hands. The plants are prickly so you have to be careful not to get pricked.

Homework!?

Map from http://www.oasisafrica.com/Maps.html

Today I opened up my school e-mail (to let the months fly out) and I was deleting the normal spam mail and came across a piece of mail from June 1st. I opened it up, it was from one of my teachers that I will have in the fall. I read through it, noted some important textbook information, and opened the attached message. Turns out that that book is summer reading and I have large project already! Goodness! I was given the topic "Southern Africa."

I may be a month behind, but I hope I can catch up before school starts again. I have a lot of reading and research to do! I admit, I am very behind in my African history: I only know it from a European perspective. The professor's goal was to assign us a region of the world that we might be "weak" in so we all can improve. I am excited for the chance to study regions and cultures that I wouldn't have chosen myself--so far I've been North America, Europe and Asia centered in my studies.

Beach Vacation, Warning: Photo Heavy!

Last week, my family and I went to the beach. We went up in the Cape May lighthouse, which was built in the 1860s, took a ferry ride, walked the board walks, and collected seashells on the beach. We all had a lot of fun, it's been a really long time since we've gone somewhere as a family.

Me at the beach.

Beach Bunnies. Two different species.

Scattered storms came and went all day.

Andy and I went up in the Cape May Lighthouse.

Andy getting over his fear of heights.

Me at the top of the lighthouse.

View from the top.

Beach near the lighthouse which is home to a lot of wildlife.

My family and Andy going to visit a WWII bunker. We never made it. A thunderstorm struck right at this moment and we had to leave the beach. (Good thing we were down from the lighthouse!)

Stuff on the beach. Looks like a movie set, doesn't it?

Me on the ferry ride.

Birds in the wake of the ferry. I had thought that maybe the ships propellers were leaving behind a trail of freshly minced sushi but Andy told me that the seagulls did that even before propellers were used on boats. Turns out that the ships make an airflow that the seagulls like to fly in. The pull from the boat might also "streamline" seafood into the general area making it easy for them to catch it.

 

Jellyfish at night off of a fishing boat dock.

Remember, if you are going to win your girlfriend a large stuffed toy on the boardwalk, make sure it fits in the car.

Sailboat on the beach

We normally find seashells on the beach and paint them ourselves as souvenirs of out trips. My little sister painted all of these. I especially love the whale.

Shippensburg Reenactment 2011

Last weekend was the Shippensburg Reenactment's 10th anniversary. Known as "March to Destiny" the Shippensburg reenactment is held by the Shippensburg Area Civil War Round Table to highlight the town's Civil War history.

The reenactment is unique in that the whole town is involved. Businesses participate by placing red ribbons on the doors of their establishments indicating to soldiers that they are welcome to forage for goodies on the premises. Saturday's battle takes place on the town's main street and many locals watch from their front steps and windows.The small town has 19th century charm although 21st century items are everywhere.

Sunday's battle takes place on the town's fairgrounds. This makes the battles interesting because Sunday's battle is very different in style and setting to Saturday's battle.

The reenactment is small but enjoyable. There is many things for spectators and civilians to do. This year there were short lectures on mourning customs and food of the Civil War Era. Other activities included an ice cream social, ball, carriage rides, foraging and a parade.

Because the reenactment takes place in the town, the reenactors are free to patronize local businesses. A trip to Shippensburg would not be complete without visiting "Pizza 'N Stuff," an Italian restaurant located on King Street. The food is delicious and the owner and servers are very generous to the reenactors.

We had a great time even though half of our regiment could not attend. The event was fun and relaxing (as relaxing as sleeping on the ground can be.)

Bread-Baking

I have been having the hardest time learning to bake bread. I don't know if my yeast was bad or if my flour wasn't right or if I was killing the yeast or I wasn't kneading it enough but it has never come out right.

Jodi at Curious Acorn,graciously showed me how to bake bread properly and it came out lovely!

Bread-making Tips:

- Keep your yeast in the refrigerator or freezer to prolong its life.

- Always use a small measuring cup and another cup to fill it. That way you get a better measurement as the flour won't compact as much.

- Knead for the duration that the recipe calls for, it is necessary. 

- A regular lamp is enough heat for the dough to rise near.

- Put a warm, moist towel over the bowl to help it rise.

-Putting a metal tray of water in the oven while baking bread helps develop a darker crust.

-Baking on a baking stone helps the bread form a good crust.

It tuned out nice. We used a recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking. It is a different style dough than normal bread but Jodi showed me how to make normal breads too and the difference between regular dough and "no knead dough." 

We also looked at a colonial recipe that I am hoping to reduce soon and try to bake. The original recipe calls for a peck of flour (about 225 or so cups) and to bake the dough in five pound loaves!