HerbnArts

HerbnArts: Sweet Honey... : I had forgotten how wonderful and delicate the sweetness of golden honey can be. A friend asked me to pick up some local honey at the...

      I had forgotten how wonderful and delicate the sweetness of golden honey can be.  A friend asked me to pick up some local honey at the urging of her doctor.  She had been suffering from fall allergies when her doctor recommended that she try eating local honey.  The honey would contain pollen from local plants that could help my friend to become more tolerant to the pollen during the season.  When I found a neighbor up the road from my house who had honey for sale I was thrilled.  The honey he was selling was from spring harvesting from his hives.  Soon he would be harvesting honey from the fall pollen crops.  Due to the copious rains of the season the spring honey was unusually dark.  Usually it is quite light in color, sometimes almost clear.  The beekeeper thought that the fall harvest of honey might be light colored this year.  I am going to check back with him for some of that sweet treat.  He sai...

HerbnArts: Treasures of the Beaver Moon... : Thar she blows! The glorious colors of the autumn leaves are quickly blowing off the trees here in Ohio today. Our fall spectacular of...

    Thar she blows!  The glorious colors of the autumn leaves are quickly blowing off the trees here in Ohio today.  Our fall spectacular of color has been pretty frustrating this year.  The copious rains in Ohio have caused the trees to stay green a bit longer than usual.  Today's high winds are ripping away the long awaited colors as soon as they turn.  But I have found it much easier to photograph people in the golden carpet on the ground.  It's tough to capture an outdoor portrait with the autumn color while the color is all up in the trees.  So, there may be some good photo ops to come.  And then, there is always that occasional spurt of golden sunlight to cause a special photo moment if you're quick.  I still love fall, with all its color and drama.       Last week I was able to make it to Ira Trailhead to view the beaver activity.  I had a fabulous opportunity to capture an image of on...

     It's hard to believe that it is October already.  With all the rainy days we are experiencing here in Ohio I should be able to get some of my herbal craft items ready for the Christmas holidays that will be here all too soon.  A few weeks ago I began making spicy orange pomanders for some of my holiday gifts.  It will take them until Thanksgiving to cure up properly.  It's great to be able to smell the oranges and cloves while I am getting sticky hands from the juices from the oranges.  Definitely smells like fall!  I can hardly wait for the wonderful perfume they create as they cure.  It's wonderful to have a decorative bowl full of the pomanders sitting on a table.  It makes for both a visual treat and an fragrance delight.  I don't know of anyone who doesn't like the smell of cinnamon, cloves and oranges.  I make sure that I add a bit of nutmeg to the spices that I roll the clove encrusted oranges in when I ...