Natural History Museum Assignment

This past weekend we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC.  While there we managed to check out part of the Natural History Museum.  What possible better place is there to learn about Earth's history?  Naturally we used this as an opportunity to teach some basics.  We decided to focus on the the 4 Major eras of Earth's living history Precambrian (not a real era), Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.  For each era each child picked one animal to write about.  Each Era and animal served as a separate creative assignment during the week.  We kept the projects pretty simple with the goal to see how life has evolved over the hundreds of millions of years.

On the way home (about a 3 hour drive with traffic) we had each child reiterate the eras in order as well as spell them.  We also talked about how long humans have been on the planet in comparison to the age of the Earth, how long reptiles and dinosaurs roamed, mass extinctions and some basic animal anatomy/physiology.  For this trip we focused mostly on how teeth are different among carnivores versus herbivores and how those teeth are used respectively.

It was a very good trip, and for anyone visiting DC, make sure your kids get the full effect.  DC can be a science lesson, History lesson, government/civics and almost anything else.  It is truly a wonderful place.

Link to Mackenson's Project

Link To Marie's Project

 

EASTER EGGS VIA STRING AND SUGAR

There was an early art project I remember doing in about 3rd grade around Easter time.  Thanks to my excellent memory (but mostly google) we were able to recreate this project for our kids just in time for Easter.  Also, we try to make everything we do into a learning activity, so there are some science as well as art aspects to the project.

EASTER EGG MADE FROM STRING:

Materials needed:

Party balloons (in the shape of an egg)
String or yarn - a thinner yarn works better, but any should work.
Table sugar
Water

Directions:

1.  Inflate the balloons to the desired size and tie them off.  This will be the size of your future Easter egg.

2.  Wrap sting/yarn around the balloon, trying to keep the string as tight as possible.  To make it easier to get started you may want to tie the end of the string to the mouth of the balloon.  How much string you wrap around the balloon is up to you.  My daughter went a little overboard, but the result is still nice.

Note:  it is best to leave a little extra string tied off at the top of the balloon to serve as a way to hang it up while drying and eventual display.

3.  In a large mixing bowl mix 2 parts sugar to 1 part warm/hot water.  We used 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water (heated in the tea kettle).  This amount was nearly perfect for our three (3) eggs.

4.  Soak each wrapped balloon in the sugar solution making sure all of the string/yarn is moist to wet.

5.  Hang to let dry.  Remember that this will drip the sugary solution on whatever is below, so you may want to pre-place some newspaper or a towel or whatever below...THIS IS HOW WE GET ANTS.

 6.  Once dry, decorate however your child's mind wishes.  We plan on cutting a hole in the side and putting some Easter type flotsam inside the egg.   


LESSONS:

Science - chemistry:
Discuss how a solution is formed and what it is.
 -discuss how 2 cups of sugar can go into 1 cup of water and the result is not 3 cups of solution.  Right now we are keeping this concept very elementary.

Art: 
Creativity at it's best.

Happy Birthday! Cake in a Cast Iron Skillet

 As an expression of my love for my wonderful husband on his birthday I baked a cake for him.  I love him so much, it was a chocolate cake.  Baking a birthday cake from scratch is something we have done for each other since we were first married.  A custom Joe started, as he lovingly reminds me. 

This year I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes so the kitchen would be clean for cake baking.  Joe walked into the kitchen as I was scraping the cast iron skillet (we had scrambled eggs with veggies that morning).  He asked if I was going to bake a cake in the skillet.  I laughed, then realized he was serious.  A second later I was intrigued with the idea.  We love our cast iron skillet.  It is amazing!  We use it on the stove top for egg dishes, curried onions, sauteed vegetables, breakfast sausages, etc., and Joe uses it to bake cornbread in the oven.  Well, I thought, why not bake a cake in it.  I felt I had to know if I really could bake a cake in our cast iron skillet.

chocolate cake cooling in the skillet

I made the cake as usual, following the directions for devil's food cake in the Better Homes and Gardens Baking cookbook that is on our cookbook shelf (instead of all-purpose flour I used whole wheat pastry flour).  While I was beating the cake batter together I set the skillet in the oven as it preheated.  I put a pat of butter in the skillet to give the outside edges of the cake a crunchy texture.  After the minimum baking time a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake didn't come away clean...10 minutes more were needed for this particular recipe and pan.  When the cake was done (clean toothpick), the pan was cooled on the stove top for 10 minutes.  By holding a cooling rack on top of the skillet like a lid, then flipping the whole thing over, I was able to remove the cake from the skillet.  I should have cooled it a bit longer; a small piece in the center stuck.  It was easily removed with a spatula and replaced.  That was the extent of sticking in the pan.  After the cake cooled completely on the wire rack it was flipped onto a cake stand and frosted with peanut butter frosting.

removed from the skillet to a cake stand

Mackenson put the candles on the cake, we lit them and sang Happy Birthday!

So...how does a cake baked in a cast iron skillet taste?  Delicious!  It was chocolaty, soft, moist and with a bit more texture because of the whole wheat flour (that's a good thing).  I highly recommend baking your favorite cake recipe in a cast iron skillet. 

Next I think I'll try pie in the cast iron skillet...                 

CPT SCARE

For this year's scarecrow we decided to go with a slightly different theme.  Last year was the first year we made our family scarecrow for Halloween and Thanksgiving (see post).  We went with the traditional coveralls and flannel shirt.  This year the kids found a set of my old Army uniforms and suggested an Army theme.  My old BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) was still on the hanger, perfectly pressed and starched.  In other words, it was in perfect shape to be stuffed with straw and thrown out into the elements.  The kids suggested the name CPT Scare.  We had a lot of fun putting CPT Scare together.  He now proudly stands in our front yard with his right hand in a pseudo salute to the passers by.

HOMEMADE PIZZA ON FRIDAY, AN EGGERS' FAMILY TRADITION

THIN CRUST WITH CHICKEN OF THE WOODS, BROCCOLI, ONION & BELL PEPPER

For the past five years we have had a tradition in our house of homemade pizza on Friday.

One of the more memorable pizza nights for me was on a Christmas Eve that had us snowed in at home.  That evening we had bread sticks dyed and twisted to look like candy canes along with the pizza.  It was a very cozy evening filled with love, smiles and warm comfort food. 

There have only been a handful of times when we have wavered from this custom.  Those occasions were always while we were far from home and were often met with stern discontent, especially on the kids' end.

We have made a fair amount of pizza and our recipe has developed into something we love to share with friends and extended family (even on non-Fridays!).  Typically we do not use the standard pizza toppings like pepperoni, black olive slices, etc., though if we have those things they go on there too.  A lot of leftovers are cut up and used as toppings.


Here are a few topping ideas:

NO NEED TO SHRED THE CHEESE

-bacon from Sunday brunch roughly chopped
-bits from leftover stew, strained a bit so it doesn't make the pizza dough soggy
-wild foraged mushrooms sauteed in onion and garlic
-fresh vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, halved cherry tomatoes, green beans, whatever is in the garden!
-meat ends bought from local deli (the ends of the lunch meat loaves that you can have sliced for you - check in the deli section where you shop, they may be sold for a reduced price!)
-cheese ends (same deal as meat ends)  they don't need to be shredded, just chop or tear them into bits

THE ABOVE PIZZA AFTER BAKING

-homemade tomato sauce...so easy and so good.
-pesto as sauce                
-precooked or canned beans
-chopped spinach or swiss chard
-cut up bratwurst and sauerkraut

PRETTY MUCH ANY LEFTOVER CAN BE USED TO MAKE GARBAGE PIZZA!

INGREDIENTS for PIZZA DOUGH:
(makes two pizzas)

1 packet or 1 Tablespoon yeast (technically one packet is 2 1/4 teaspoons but I eyeball and approximate)
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whey or water, lukewarm
2-4 cups flour (to get correct dough consistency)

METHOD:

-If using whey that is stored in the refrigerator, heat it up to lukewarm for faster rising dough.  I put it in the microwave for one minute.
-Put all ingredients but NOT FLOUR into a food processor, stand mixer or bowl.  I use a food processor; use what you have and it will work!
-Slowly add flour, 1/2 cup at a time until the right consistency is reached.  When using the food processor I add flour until the dough turns around in a ball.  I flour my hands, remove the dough and test if it is too sticky or right on.*
-Turn off the food processor, flour your hands (to prevent sticking), remove the dough and form a ball.  Flour the outside and drop it back into the food processor for the first rise.
-Once your dough has risen (double in size is the standard) turn on your food processor to "punch it down" or reform a ball.
-Remove the dough, divide into two balls, dust the outer surface of each with flour and spread onto two oiled pizza pans.  Use your hands or a mini rolling pin to spread the dough.
-Allow the dough to rise again (can be used now if you are in a hurry).
-Top the pizzas.
-Bake 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes (longer if you used toppings that are more wet).  I like to bake the first pizza 10 minutes, remove it and bake the second pizza for 10 minutes.  Then I reset the timer for 5 minutes and bake both pizzas together.  That way they are both warm and done at the same time.

 *This is the part, in my opinion, that really makes a difference in the finished crust.  Learning to identify when when the dough has the right amount of flour will be easier with practice.  The dough should be pliable, sort of rubbery.  If the dough is very sticky it needs more flour, if it is hard or flaky it has too much.  It is easier to add more flour than to fix dough that has too much flour, so add SLOWLY until you can ID your dough with confidence.

TONIGHT'S PIZZA with MEAT & CHEESE ENDS, GREEN BEAN, CARROT, BELL PEPPER & CHERRY TOMATO

Mother Earth News Fair

In September we attended the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA.  This is our second year attending the fair.  For those of you unfamiliar with Mother Earth News, it is a publication focused on simple living and includes many articles on gardening, homesteading, animal production, hobby farms and much more.  The “Fair” is actually a three day conference with displays, notable speakers, notable authors and many vendors.  During last year’s conference we were introduced to the concepts of biochar, vermicomposting, home fermentation as well as expanding our knowledge of wild foraging, soap making, and gardening.  Temple Grandin, a very notable animal behaviorist, spoke last year concerning large animal behavior and how natural behaviors can influence your farm’s design.  This year’s conference was some of the same, but also increased our knowledge about cool weather gardening, home remedies with natural herbs, home-made cosmetics and the current food rights battle between large agribusiness and the remaining small market niche farmers.  Ed Begley Jr., who is a well known actor and environmentalist, spoke this year about energy consumption.  It would be nearly impossible to relay every lesson and new concept in this blog, but for anyone with an interest in living a more basic and enriched life, the magazine and the annual conferences are highly recommended.  Stay tuned to our blog as many of the upcoming posts will relate back to the conference we attended.

Goodbye to a family member

On Saturday 28 SEP 2013 the Eggers' family lost one of our own.  Ferris passed away in the morning after we discovered he was bleeding internally-likely due to a ruptured spleen.  He lost his energy and drive very suddenly, and from a basic physical we had a pretty bad feeling of what was going on.  Radiographs showed a mass in the area of the spleen.  Though we elected not to perform a necropsy, he likely had a hemangiosarcoma (a cancer normally found in the spleen and heart).  It has been a difficult weekend and we are still coming to terms with a seemingly very empty house.  Ferris filled our hearts with joy and love for over 11 years and had moved with us all over the world.  He was truly a canine of the world having lived in Iowa, Germany, Kentucky, Minnesota, Texas and Pennsylvania.  He was one of the two dogs that Marie and Mackenson first met when arriving into our home.  Ferris' loss has been especially difficult for the kids.  Though he is now gone, our very fond memories of him continue.  He touched a lot of hearts outside of his immediate family also, and for all of you who knew him we grieve with you. 

GIRLS' NIGHT IN

Joe and Mack are off gallivanting together tonight.  Marie and I are at home, but far from sulking at being left behind!  This goofy Daughter/Mama duo is going to spend a Tuesday evening and bond in the most perfect way.  With chocolate.  Chocolate face masks, in fact.  There is a second part to our oh-so-carefully crafted plan; that is Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (on Amazon Prime).

 It is hard keeping the dogs away from licking our faces because the mask smells so good, like cookies!  Since it contains cocoa, it is very important to keep our dogs away!  After using the mask our faces were soft and very clean feeling.  There was more than enough for both Marie and I.  I am storing the leftover in the refrigerator.  We will use it for our next "Girl Night"!  

Chocolate Face Mask

Mint, Oats, Cocoa & Clay

Mask Ready to Use!

1 Tablespoon dried mint

2 Tablespoons oatmeal

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon cosmetic clay

1 Tablespoon honey

1/4 cup plain yogurt

Grind mint and oats in a coffee grinder.  I have one that I only use for herbs and such, not coffee.  Add cocoa and clay and stir well.  I found that a small egg beater works well.  Add honey and yogurt, stir carefully to mix thoroughly.  You may need to add more or less yogurt to get the consistency you desire (we used homemade Greek style yogurt).  Smear it on your face; a small spatula works well.  Let the mask dry, 15 minutes is the standard for face masks.  I don't time it, but wait until it is completely dry.  If you feel pain or discomfort, wash mask off right away.  When you are ready to rinse, wet a washcloth and hold it over your face to loosen the mask.  Wash with warm water and washcloth until all the mask is gone.  Make sure to check your ears! 

Storm Cookies

While Hurricane Sandy moved inland and rocked our neighborhood, we stayed safely indoors and made cookies.  We shelled enough walnuts for a batch (with a little extra) and added them to chocolate chip dough.

After cleaning up the yard, bottling tap water and filling the freezers with ice in preparation we hunkered down to wait out the storm.  Some of the things we did to pass the time and not focus on the blowing wind and pelting rain (in between weather news updates):

• board games, Monopoly and Catan Jr.
• clarinet
• bagpipe
• bongo
• guitar
• shell black walnuts
• read The Magic Tree House
• watch the movies "Babe" and "How to Train Your Dragon"

 We all made it through the storm in one piece.  There was no structural damage or flooding, the power and water stayed on - though internet was lost for a while - but all in all we were very lucky.  Plus we had great cookies and lots of time together. 

Dinner at Our House

For the past 4 years, Friday nights have been homemade pizza nights at our house.  Our most recent pizza was topped with wild-foraged mushrooms, cheese and meat ends from our local corner grocer, homemade tomato sauce,and as always homemade crust.  With the pizza we also had our homemade applesauce.    

Scarecrow or ScareDOG?

Yesterday our family made a scarecrow to decorate the front yard.  We leaned on tradition and stuffed a pair of striped overalls and flannel shirt with leaves. The leaves were collected curbside from a neighbor.  Joe anchored an old clothesline post, Marie donated her hat and Mackenson drew the face.  The kids each stuffed a glove with leaves and I stapled our funny little man to the post.  We all danced around and laughed, enjoying our happy harvest creation.  Isn't he friendly?  See, he's waving! 

Some time later as I was hanging Halloween decorations insides I heard a deep rumbling sound.  Our usually goofy Labrador, Anabaena, was on alert to the front door, posture low and stiff with hackles raised and growling.  She had seen the paper mummy I taped to the front door.  After unsuccessfully assuring her it was safe, I opened the door so she would pass and see it wasn't someone lurking outside.  She ran out, still barking at the door.  Ferris followed her; the prospect of a trip to the front yard his only care.  Ferris trotted around in the sunshine innocently but Anabaena's attention immediately went from the lesser threat on the door to the giant Scarecrow just outside.  She lunged and attacked, biting at the poor Scarecrow's leg and retreating to bark and growl her warning.  Evidently he didn't look so friendly through Anabaena's eyes.  She eventually stopped barking but remained suspicious, not relaxing until we were all safely indoors.

Sulfur Shelf Doner, a Family Meal

So we've been mushroom hunting.  We have found a lot of mushrooms, tried them (no ill effects), and preserved them.  Now what?  How do you go from picking something out of the woods that looks like this...

Sulfur Shelf Mushroom aka Chicken of the Woods

to something that actually looks like food?  More importantly, to something that tastes good?  

Sauteing mushrooms with carrot, onion and garlic

Here's how I prepared this evening's meal using a portion of the above sulfur shelf mushroom. To a large cast iron skillet I added olive oil, chopped red onion and chopped carrot.  It cooked until the onions were translucent at which point I added the previously sauteed and frozen mushrooms (Joe did that the other day).  Once the mushrooms were warm I added chopped fresh brussel sprouts, about 1 tablespoon of curry powder and a little salt.

Frying flatbread

 While the mushroom mixture sizzled on one side of the stove-top, flatbread was cooking on the other.  For the flatbread, I added 1 cup of flour, 1/2 tablespoon yeast, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 cups of flour to the food processor (with dough attachment).  I added more flour slowly until the correct dough consistency was reached (the dough should be stretchy and not sticky; it will form a ball in the food processor).  I pinched off a golf ball-sized piece of dough and placed it on a cast iron tortilla skillet.  If you are lucky enough to have one of these beauties it is a wonderful way to make flatbread.  Any frying pan will work though.  I used a mini rolling pin to flatten the dough but a spatula could be used to press it flat.  Press it thin and cook one at a time.  I flipped the bread to cook evenly and kept the finished ones warm in the oven set to 200 degrees F.  It's kind of like a huge pancake.   

Flatbread sandwich made with wild-foraged mushroom

The kids, Joe and I topped our flatbread with the mushroom filling and rolled it like a doner or taco.  It took us a few bites to realize we were missing a sauce.  So we spooned some homemade plain yogurt over the mushrooms.  Perfect.

A continual mealtime activity for the kids is to name each part of the meal and tell where it came from.  Tonight was no exception.

Dinner was amazing.  It's a good feeling to cook something new that everyone likes.  It's a great feeling when that meal involves something we all worked for, foraged for in the woods.  Dinner was more than a good meal; it was the enjoyment of our labor, a reminiscence of a beautiful autumn day spent hiking in the woods together.  More evening should be shared this way.               

AUTUMN CHICKENS (Sulfur Shelf)

     The foraging adventure continued yesterday (20 OCT).  While on our way to a local apple farm we noticed a parking lot chock full of black walnuts.  We stopped, exited the Jeep Liberty, put on some blue rubber gloves and picked away.  For anyone who doesn't know, black walnut hulls leave a rather dark and semi-permanent stain on your skin.  Bottom line is that if you go after these delicacies, it is best to wear some kind of glove to keep your hands from being stained brown.  That ugly brown stain on your hands could last for up to two weeks giving friends and co-workers a rather negative opinion of your personal hygiene habits.  In the case of walnut stain, no amount of soap and water will clean your skin.  At any rate after gloving up, all of us (including Mack and Marie) were able to gather three rather large bags full of walnuts in about 15 minutes.  I would estimate about 50+ pounds.  Of course they will weigh significantly less after being de-hulled and dried.
     After filling three bags full of walnuts we continued on our way to the apple farm and made our purchase of well over 20 lbs of apples.  Applesauce will abound from our kitchen over the next week, and I'm sure there will be further posts on this subject.
    On the way home we stopped at a rather large county park I had noticed on the map and researched on the Internet earlier in the week.  It has a stream running straight through the park, and was said to have great scenic views.  When we arrived we were not disappointed.  Huge granite rock formations line the stream, and the tulip, oak, maple trees and lower shrubs are in full fall color with red, orange and yellow beauty.  The maples are beginning to lose most of their leaves, as well as some other trees, but overall the scene is very picturesque.

Chicken of the Woods or Sulfur Shelf Mushroom

   While walking we noticed a few little treats along the way.  We found a small patch of oyster mushroom, but more significantly we found a large orange fruiting mushroom growing in a shelf-like pattern on a downed rotting tree.  After Sara pointed it out to me we both came to the same conclusion, "I think this is the sulfur shelf.".  This processor of decaying wood is also known as "chicken of the woods" reportedly because the taste and texture is similar to white meat chicken after it is cooked properly.  We harvested it off of the downed tree which was well into what I would estimate its 4th or 5th year of decay.  Most of the trees around it were tulip trees and oak so we suspected that this was one of these hardwoods as well.  As with harvesting anything from the wild we left about a 1/3 of it growing and cut the rest off of the stump and put it in our "collection bag".  Of course being the extreme amateurs we are, we reserved positive identification for the follow up research.

Older Chicken of the Woods

  We walked a little further and noticed another large fungal growth of about the same size also growing in a shelf-like pattern on a downed tree.  This one was growing in more of a coniferous stand of trees.  The trees around this log in its 2nd or 3rd year of decay were what I think white pine.  This rotting log seemed to resemble its still alive brethren in regards to what the bark looked like.  The difference with the mushroom fruiting here was a significantly lighter color and only slight hints of orange.  It looked familiar, but I was not sure what it was.  I was sure that it was a polypore mushroom, which literature states this family of mushrooms are generally safe to consume.  After some debate we remained unsure, but harvested 2/3 of it and continued on our walk through the park still taking in the scenery.

Joe with Chicken of the Woods

  We left the park with no more finds and identified our shrooms.  It turns out that both of our finds are indeed Laetiporus sulphureus otherwise known as sulfur shelf or chicken mushrooms.  Evidently when sulfur shelf ages it loses its bright orange color and begins to fade to white.  We also found out that even though it grows on deciduous and conifer trees it may not be 100% edible.  There are some experts who say when it grows on honey locust, hemlock or conifers it has the potential to have toxic properties, primarily related to GI upset though reports are mixed.  Also up 1 in 10 people may have allergic response to this mushroom such as GI upset or even mild swelling of the lips.  There is also discussion that there are actually different species of sulphur shelf...one that grows on deciduous trees and one on conifers.  Whatever the case, we wound up rejecting our second find of the pale sulphur shelf as it is always better to err on the side of caution especially with mushrooms.  That second find is now in our compost.
   Sara and I each tried a sampling of sauteed sulphur shelf last night.  It is the most flavorful mushroom we have found so far.  As far its namesake "Chicken of the Woods"?  Well I would not say it tastes exactly like chicken.  I would say it tastes more similar to the "Tofurky" turkey substitute that appears on our table during the holidays.  Very good flavor with a similar consistency to white meat poultry, but not quite the same.  Nonetheless, a very very good mushroom, and since our sampling of it last night.....no GI upset so I think we have another winner in our mushroom hunting adventure.

WE ARE BACK

So the Eggers' have been away from this blog for sometime, but with a little work we hope to regroup and revamp.  Since our last blog postings we have relocated to the Philadelphia area.  The Army moves me around every couple of years and with each new location come new opportunities for family entertainment and adventure. Some of the items in store will be posts about our new found hobby of foraging and all things related to culinary uses of "urban foraged" foods.  Of course ongoing hobbies of wood-working, soap making, gardening and other crafts will continue as well as some family life events of raising children.  Since being away from the blog our musical talents have also increased with Joe recently starting bagpipe lessons, Sara becoming proficient with the guitar, and Marie learning guitar and soon starting the school band (perhaps clarinet?).  More to follow about all of these topics.

Written by Joe