tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42367700939543797892024-03-05T00:57:27.766-05:00domestic scientistThea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-50584355777705935312012-05-21T04:25:00.001-04:002012-05-21T04:42:41.421-04:00Provisions for a Northern Climate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Astonishing as it is, I am now the two-thirds of the way through my MA course, and 30 of 45 weeks have passed. This week our work is being assessed by our tutors and an external examiner, and we will be given a provisional grade.<br />
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Still much left to do. In late March and April I was working intensively on my pieces for <i><a href="http://domestique-scientifique.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/field-dress.html">Field Dress</a>, </i>and I have to admit that my attentions were divided. Back in London after a visit to Canada that was lovely, but not particularly productive work-wise, I needed to refocus. While the intended focus of my MA project is natural dye printing, I have lately found myself seduced by stitching. I am obsessed by embroidery, particularly using knitting yarns to get big, bold marks. I love the effect of dyeing the samples after stitching because of the way different fibres take up the yarn: darkest colours on wool, then followed by silk, then cellulose fibres. I am fascinated by the unpredictable nature of natural dyes - beautiful surprises not expected. Sometimes failures also!<br />
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While working on <i>Field Dress</i>, I discovered that hand-sewing the seams of a garment can be very enjoyable. I sewed an entire outfit by hand, which was quite labour intensive, but also very meditative, and my hand stitching has improved. It is more even and precise, and I am getting faster. Hand sewing has advantages, too: greater ability for easing and fitting difficult seams, like curves. For the collection of stitched and printed garments I plan on producing for my MA exhibition, I may not hand sew all the seams, but I will certainly hand finish all hems and edges. For a sample garment for my collection, I did sew the entire thing by hand. Above shows the garment before dyeing.<br />
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Above and below are samples of embroidery that I later dyed. I am exploring shapes and stitches to render imagery of some of the plants I've been drawing - Queen Anne's Lace, and the mullein (which rather ended up looking like wisteria instead). I do not plan the stitching very much before I begin a piece. I have an idea of the image, but I let the embroidery take form as I go. Many of these pieces are stitched with various tape yarns of cotton, linen, bamboo, silk, and wool, that I purchased at Romni Wool in Toronto. They have a particularly lovely silk tape that I love, which also dyes beautifully. <br />
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My stitching has helped to determine the imagery for printing. My process is quite organic: I spent some weeks drawing plants, then stitching based on the drawings, before moving on to drawings based on the stitching. I had not quite realised that this was my process, but by analysing it because of my MA course, I've become aware of it. <br />
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Mylar, my former favourite drawing surface, does not seem to be available in the UK. In fact, over the last few years it has become more scarce in Canada. While considering sustainability, I should consider whether continuing to draw on a plastic film is suitable. In any case, I have found that the high quality cotton rag vellum is a nice substitute. I do draw on paper in my sketchbook, of course, but I find that by drawing directly on to vellum, I can use any image as a screen positive. <br />
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Above, sketchbooks, technical notes, samples, and drawings compiled for presentation. <i>Provisions for a Northern Climate</i> is the current title of my project brief: <br />
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</style>'Inspired
by the resourcefulness of my ancestors, imagining a world informed by the
ingenuity of the past and the science of the present, where we exist in alchemy
with the wilderness that surrounds us, I intend to create a collection of
garments suitable for living in concert with nature. The climate of Canada is often one of extremes: cold, dry,
snowy winters followed by hot, humid, stormy summers and in the past we relied
on our clothing to help us adapt to these conditions. Modeled after utilitarian
clothing of the past, this collection will include items such as quilted
petticoats and woolen underwear, both printed and stitched, with imagery and
colour to be drawn from the Canadian landscape. The colour palette reflects the forests, gardens and fields
of early Canada: black walnut, butternut, birch and oak, bedstraw, madder, weld
and woad, goldenrod, Queen Anne’s Lace and sumac, and kitchen scraps such as
tea, carrot tops and onion skins.'<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Gathering Seeds</i> <i>Tunic</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This garment is modeled after the Mexican <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huipil">huipil</a>, a very simple top
made of one piece of fabric. The
selvedges are the side seams, a neck hole cut at the fold, with arm holes left
open. Traditionally, the neckline
and sleeves are heavily embroidered, rendering beautiful this utterly simple,
utilitarian garment. My father brought me back two huipils from Mexico at least ten years ago, and they are my very favourite pieces of clothing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">First stitched, then dyed with dried carrot tops
accumulated over this past winter, this shirt will be used as a blue print for
the rest of my collection. I
imagine this tunic to be worn as the summer turns into autumn, walking through
the fields in under the suns of August and September, when seed heads are
heady, just ready to burst. It has ample pockets to allow for collecting seeds, or other treasures gleaned while wandering about.</span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Stitch and Dye Samples</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i>Dyes
and fibres have an alchemical relationship. Certain dyes have particular affinity to specific fibres. I am exploring these alliances through
stitch: first embroidering with
yarns of various fibres, then dyeing, sometimes mordanting, sometimes not. Some dyes, such as cochineal, are pH
sensitive, and therefore respond to after treatments using acids and alkalis
that can dramatically shift colours from cool to warm, for example. The bright pinky coral sample above right, shows cochineal with an acid dip, while in the left corner, with no after treatment. Below right, osage orange dyes are intensely yellow, but merino wool takes up a warmer tone which is almost orange, while cellulose fibres are more lemony yellow.</span></div>
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This week, some more print sampling, and a few sojourns out of London. The weather has been rather grey the last few weeks, but sun is forecast. I have my fingers crossed for a picnic or a day of lying in the grass in a park also.<br />
<br />Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-68012206609941527112012-05-20T13:05:00.000-04:002012-05-21T17:30:43.434-04:00Field Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcJVXLRnvvWVjxeNrMKkyUjlPZ81jl0uQselEVGqbu9rFYAceuiM-zH6NN1SH9ITDtiFBwOQrEQE9foKNdE7qGtKiMKSGXPi2W1RbLKU8pr34dBcVVvscCdms9yuvVcqk73ZMI3uZJAt1/s1600/L1000733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcJVXLRnvvWVjxeNrMKkyUjlPZ81jl0uQselEVGqbu9rFYAceuiM-zH6NN1SH9ITDtiFBwOQrEQE9foKNdE7qGtKiMKSGXPi2W1RbLKU8pr34dBcVVvscCdms9yuvVcqk73ZMI3uZJAt1/s640/L1000733.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last year I was invited by curator Patrick Macauley to be one of five artists to participate in <a href="http://.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/2012/1812-2012-a-contemporary-perspective/"><i>1812-2012: A Contemporary Perspective</i></a> this spring at <a href="http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/">Harbourfront Centre</a>
in Toronto. I was flattered to be asked, because Patrick Macauley is a
wonderful curator who has always been generously supportive of my
work. Each artist was to propose pieces based on their individual
experience and interpretation of the theme, and I was excited because
the premise for the exhibition was right up my alley:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>'Time passes slowly. How we remember and how we understand the past
is always in question. This exhibition invites five contemporary artists
to explore the War of 1812 through its historical complexities and
bring forward a contemporary perspective.'</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
As I've been recently exploring through the lens of natural dyes
how our deeper past can shape the future and as I've always been fascinated
by my own family's history (which is rooted in its immigration to Canada
between 200 and 400 years ago), I was particularly keen. The War of 1812 in particular is an
important part in that story, as several of my ancestors can trace their
settlement in southern Ontario to the period following the war.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIQh8pYlguz-LsqXDCmCoyv5lQr0aC1ha59B0X_OI2skVGbsgmayBhPUXEX9IG9yHEwLcYn1TkefdBx_bSyCMKTx3LEw4BUIPm0VtYCQX5zADkN_sbmNoombGSxWsfTcaW2_qez-aKA2X/s1600/L1000758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIQh8pYlguz-LsqXDCmCoyv5lQr0aC1ha59B0X_OI2skVGbsgmayBhPUXEX9IG9yHEwLcYn1TkefdBx_bSyCMKTx3LEw4BUIPm0VtYCQX5zADkN_sbmNoombGSxWsfTcaW2_qez-aKA2X/s640/L1000758.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We always visited Canadian historical sites as part of our holidays when I was a child, including battle sites like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Plains_of_Abraham">Plains of Abraham</a>, and various forts dotted around the country, especially as my younger brother was fascinated by the stories of Generals <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Brock">Brock</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wolfe">Wolfe</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Joseph_de_Montcalm">Montcalm</a>.
I loved our family trips, but I was never enthralled by the stories of
these historical wars. Perhaps this was because at old forts I could
never see myself in these
places that were the realm of men. Women's contributions were absent
there, or at
least quite behind the scenes. I preferred our visits to historic
homesteads and living museums like <a href="http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/">Upper Canada Village</a>
where everyday life was being reenacted: cooking or dyeing wool over
an open fire, or eating horehound candy sticks from the general store
held much more appeal. However, in the War of 1812,
there was one woman whose story, whether entirely true or not, has
become quite legendary in the history of the formation of Canada: Laura
Secord.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5z6NfErpNz761UdgpQBiyvx1RsgIsPZBk4VQTXmAx2-CJ9DdFrhE8NG_ZiRU4SHjyKIC1wYEq1rypNhEAH0EIPDCqVZA3u5CAZzQOezCzjI0V6ERBdepeJgFlvrbZgs5Bt7K6X91sNHS/s1600/L1000762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5z6NfErpNz761UdgpQBiyvx1RsgIsPZBk4VQTXmAx2-CJ9DdFrhE8NG_ZiRU4SHjyKIC1wYEq1rypNhEAH0EIPDCqVZA3u5CAZzQOezCzjI0V6ERBdepeJgFlvrbZgs5Bt7K6X91sNHS/s640/L1000762.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixr6e8GPDvBVDG6kjqpbMHpG3gOTtESkAJervyCXSIY7BxMwHb_OGSz_7yE_qXoKDh8k9U2TM5ekiDgISnrAalS0KfRg6H2oqggCJiPYjR9h7veC8fFjgsd4wxriBxrVKvfiqYE9jNMIiO/s1600/L1000764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixr6e8GPDvBVDG6kjqpbMHpG3gOTtESkAJervyCXSIY7BxMwHb_OGSz_7yE_qXoKDh8k9U2TM5ekiDgISnrAalS0KfRg6H2oqggCJiPYjR9h7veC8fFjgsd4wxriBxrVKvfiqYE9jNMIiO/s640/L1000764.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn9UM-DhNxfb3zQePJLy7BU3LEp6qshb8cdYzRbU7ezgl_Jf3F-EEcJEf7Ui_BizvdoKTeG1m7cffc3GL4BEGK6fw9HiUfaodg_PqaQ7W09FCjZMIkM4aU7niJz-DUyhL7wQVVbcmu5ij/s1600/L1000763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn9UM-DhNxfb3zQePJLy7BU3LEp6qshb8cdYzRbU7ezgl_Jf3F-EEcJEf7Ui_BizvdoKTeG1m7cffc3GL4BEGK6fw9HiUfaodg_PqaQ7W09FCjZMIkM4aU7niJz-DUyhL7wQVVbcmu5ij/s640/L1000763.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuTuBmF_zplsgjJ0w5SMyhCrTCBiXtQ3zYK2rx6d82TYS0_HShbHvHsim7G8VXJTAKhOMOEfcYbw6kyo-xaSrSITTMRcPKLrslM7KdQyz1pECHOp_fDvTKzz-GRldW_dy9yxPWQxFqktO/s1600/L1000716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuTuBmF_zplsgjJ0w5SMyhCrTCBiXtQ3zYK2rx6d82TYS0_HShbHvHsim7G8VXJTAKhOMOEfcYbw6kyo-xaSrSITTMRcPKLrslM7KdQyz1pECHOp_fDvTKzz-GRldW_dy9yxPWQxFqktO/s640/L1000716.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The story is this: </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">'The Secords had been ordered to billet American soldiers in their home.
On the evening of June 21, 1813, Laura and her husband James overheard
an American plan of an impending attack on British forces. The Americans
were planning an assault against Lt. James Fitzgibbon at Beaverdams.
With that position captured, the Americans could control the entire
Niagara Peninsula. Upon hearing the plan, the Secords knew that
Fitzgibbon must be warned. Injured at the Battle of Queenston Heights
the previous October, James could not attempt the journey. Despite the
danger and harsh unsettled country, Laura decided she would go to warn
Fitzgibbon.<br /><br />
'Her journey along a 32 km (20 mile) treacherous route took more than 18
hours to complete. Fearing discovery by American patrols that were in
possession of that part of Niagara, Laura Secord daringly made her way
to DeCew house on the outskirts of Thorold. The dangers of such a
journey were many - wolves, wildcats and rattlesnakes were common in the
peninsula at this time, as were unfriendly Native forces. A woman
walking alone toward enemy lines risked being arrested or even shot.
Overcoming exceedingly hot temperatures and wild, unsettled land, Laura
trekked through thick woods and across unbridged streams, tattering her
slippers and leaving her feet blistered and bleeding.</span>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">'At Beaverdams, Laura encountered Native forces who were allies of the
British. Upon hearing her news, they accompanied her to DeCew house
where she was able to deliver her vital message to Fitzgibbon. As a
result, the Native forces, under the command of John Norton and
Dominique Ducharme, ambushed the invading Americans and defeated them at
the Battle of Beaverdams, June 24, 1813.<br /><br />
'Although Laura was due much of the credit for the victory, her heroism
was soon forgotten. It wasn't until 1860, almost fifty years later, that
Laura received recognition of her act during a visit by Edward, Prince
of Wales. She died in 1868 at the age of 93 and is buried in Drummond
Hill Cemetery. In 2003, the Minister of Canadian Heritage designated
Laura Secord a </span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Person of National Historic Significance</i> for her heroic actions during the War of 1812.'</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(from the <a href="http://www.niagaraparks.com/heritage-trail/laura-secord-homestead-history.html">Laura Secord Homestead </a>page of the Niagara Parks Commission)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_ZwoRHISN1ze5YjNtzipTlBb_Mw_kWgUWJzYWjItBQJ4R9EU0SC19z2e_p2dcTMOzvlVLRNd_RMatTjgG06JdimLSWsTTlDp1_tZjPyk4yTtThsYjxGsSWXEYbew4W1B9987FeIMUkRz/s1600/L1000765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_ZwoRHISN1ze5YjNtzipTlBb_Mw_kWgUWJzYWjItBQJ4R9EU0SC19z2e_p2dcTMOzvlVLRNd_RMatTjgG06JdimLSWsTTlDp1_tZjPyk4yTtThsYjxGsSWXEYbew4W1B9987FeIMUkRz/s640/L1000765.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMOuayPSc3PLK6x_ydODdIcF-lUUYAZlT0AZP4CsNYgobKZaPSnyNF3QjPe-sXzD3ZJTK-jmiPZBVGkFRDrrtqYZEy6A-5EfbOMHgiFVCFKn7GADzqvToWH-qBim9pSC595vw13APs5Pl/s1600/L1000766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMOuayPSc3PLK6x_ydODdIcF-lUUYAZlT0AZP4CsNYgobKZaPSnyNF3QjPe-sXzD3ZJTK-jmiPZBVGkFRDrrtqYZEy6A-5EfbOMHgiFVCFKn7GADzqvToWH-qBim9pSC595vw13APs5Pl/s640/L1000766.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BaPiJEDP9gC5W0uyY7MFXqxXM-W5H6TepBm4wGnnBlIxHpAiRlimmyjT2gHgX1ziKh1eAtB3yzZZ0EtOXY_KLQG9oq250VVpP3_DG76HaiA4EXx7adrx_HsenfUCqIbHZYf1OrAbpoNB/s1600/L1000745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BaPiJEDP9gC5W0uyY7MFXqxXM-W5H6TepBm4wGnnBlIxHpAiRlimmyjT2gHgX1ziKh1eAtB3yzZZ0EtOXY_KLQG9oq250VVpP3_DG76HaiA4EXx7adrx_HsenfUCqIbHZYf1OrAbpoNB/s640/L1000745.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
With the bicentennial of the war, there have been many artists exploring
the story of Laura Secord, not the least of whom is Barbara Klunder,
whose incredibly beautiful exhibition <a href="http://64.34.111.241/%7Edavidk/wordpress/?page_id=111"><i>Laura Secord: The Paper Cuts</i></a>
was shown at David Kaye Gallery last November. Initially this gave me
some reserve in telling my version of the story. However, I persevered.<br />
<br />
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Pondering the blurred lines between historical fact and
fiction, how in the present we interpret the past, romanticize and
embellish it and these narratives that bring the past alive, I decided
to construct a costume for Laura Secord. With this costume, I wanted to
emphasise while the regency period was a
period of relative freedom in women's dress, women still had to contend
with layers of petticoats and undergarments that restricted their
activities, which makes Laura Secord's journey even more remarkable.</div>
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The pieces are based on garment patterns intended for historical interpretation and reenactment from <a href="http://sensibility.com/">Sense & Sensibility</a>
patterns. To remain true to the period, I sewed every stitch of each
piece by hand, learning, in the process, just how laborious
clothes-making was
before the sewing machine. No wonder clothing had so much more value
historically. In my research, I also discovered many fascinating facts
about the history of clothing, the most titillating of which, is that
women did not typically wear any sort of underpants prior to circa
1830-40, just petticoats, sometimes as many as four or five, depending
on the time of year. <br />
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The piece, <i>Field Dress, c.1812</i>, is constructed as an historical artifact, supposing that, Laura Secord's journey was immediately recognised as a historically important contribution, and the clothing she wore to undertake her journey was preserved.<br />
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Artist Statement:<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Field Dress,
c.1812.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>These artefacts comprise the
costume famously worn during one lady’s perilous and circuitous journey made
the 22<sup>nd</sup> of June, 1813, under the heat of the summer sun, over some
twelve miles of wood, swamp and miry road between the village of Queenston and Beaver
Dam, etc.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Grande";">FIELD • </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Semibold";">[noun
] an area on which a battle is fought <i>: a field of battle.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Grande";">DRESS • </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Semibold";">[as
adj. ] denoting military uniform or other clothing used on formal or ceremonial
occasions <i>: a dress suit.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">History is a study subject to interpretation, in which
narratives become scattered and muddied, skewed and biased, altered and
embellished, strewn and gathered, unpicked, and patch-worked back together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The bicentennial of the War of 1812 is in many ways, the
bicentennial of an immigration that shaped my own family’s history. My English
and American ancestors settled in this land, Southern Ontario, and here, we have
remained, for the last two centuries. Some were soldiers during the war, given
land in exchange for their service in the war; others were Englishmen granted
land after the war in order to strengthen and expand the geographical reach of the
Upper Canada. In the early days of
settlement, often wholly unprepared for living in the near wilderness
conditions, settlers endured back-breaking work and laboured to survive in a
harsh climate, with few conveniences at their disposal. <span style="color: black;">Landscape shapes the character
of the people that inhabit it; the land leaves traces upon us as we traverse
it, through fields, woods and rivers.</span></span><br />
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<i>1812-2012: A Contemporary Perspective</i> continues until July 15, 2012 at York Quay Gallery, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen's Quay West, Toronto. <br />
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This work is generously supported by Harbourfront Centre and the City of Toronto Museum Services as part of a citywide programme for the Bicenennial Commemoration of The War of 1812. <b></b><br />
<br />Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-18650164903045972612012-05-20T11:04:00.000-04:002012-05-20T11:04:22.309-04:00China Blue at the V&A<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqd1Ewfqde2NXKFAU_FDFx5ovscX9kzZIuKbrPuKBXC9OYlv4X5SY0rvGMON-gk5ExCKocow52Xjy51lBE9t0FIczQKkZywltT7G5dJMDbdRYXoeRBkTQuK_u6GsIwtKrSd7QtBhBcxUN/s1600/L1000100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqd1Ewfqde2NXKFAU_FDFx5ovscX9kzZIuKbrPuKBXC9OYlv4X5SY0rvGMON-gk5ExCKocow52Xjy51lBE9t0FIczQKkZywltT7G5dJMDbdRYXoeRBkTQuK_u6GsIwtKrSd7QtBhBcxUN/s640/L1000100.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
One of my fondest places on earth is the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/">Victoria and Albert Museum</a>, whose founding principle was to make works
of art available to all, to educate working people and to inspire
British designers and manufacturers, and this 'schoolroom for everyone' continues to uphold this goal to this day. In the study galleries, the wealth and diversity of the V&A's collection is on display, rather than hidden in a storeroom.<br />
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In the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/c/ceramics-galleries/">Ceramics Study Collections</a>, the galleries hold a huge portion of the V&A's collection of ceramics from all over the world, displayed in glass cases that rise from floor to ceiling. The pieces are displayed as such that you can see the tops and bottoms, and front and backs of most objects, allowing you to see the marks of the potteries or potters who made the pieces.<br />
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The pieces are often grouped together by colour and type of object, and organised by geographical region and date. This wonderful collection makes it easy to see the many variations of one object, from tea cup to jug to sauce boat to sugar bowl. I adore the manner the V&A shows these objects, and today I am sharing a selection of their blue wares. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wedgwood Jasperware cameos, medallions and snuff bottles.</td></tr>
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This large bowl with a ship painted inside had to be photographed from top and bottom to see the extent of the detail within.<br />
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Finally, the work of V&A artist in residence <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/people-pages/clare-twomey/">Clare Twomey</a>, whose piece, <i>Trophy</i>, was originally made up of 4000 blue birds made of Wedgwood Jasperware (a stoneware stained with cobalt oxide). The piece was displayed at the V&A for just one day in September 2006, and visitors were invited to take a bird as a gift. The birds you see below are the twenty that remain of the four thousand. <br />
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<br /></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-67055762595348287462012-05-02T17:35:00.001-04:002012-05-02T22:00:50.199-04:00Hometown loveliness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was recently home for an extended visit, and there is much to
share, much of it relatively mundane. However, those who know me, know
that I find the mundane delightful. While I am happily not homesick
living in London, there are so many things I do miss about home, and
Hamilton, not the least of which are friends and family. It is a bit of
an old chestnut, but it<i> is</i> the little things you miss most, such as checking on the progress of the vegetable garden in spring - where in my mother's garden, the cherry tree is in bloom, and rhubarb is ready for picking, and making into little galettes!<br />
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The rhubarb tarts were my contribution to a lovely gathering with friends which served as farewell party to Jenna, a member of the <a href="http://www.beehivecraftcollective.ca/">Beehive</a> who is leaving us for an exciting life in the country. Inevitably, we always end up eating a lot of cheese at such gatherings, but no one ever complains about this. We were hoping for a picnic, and though the weather did not favour us, I think we did pretty well indoors! A particular highlight: manchego cheese paired with Hollie's preserved apricots!</div>
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I was happy to be able to drop by craft night at <a href="http://www.iloveneedlework.com/">Needlework</a>, two of my dear fellow Bees new business venture, a sew-by-the-hour fabric shop. With the place was buzzing all evening long, with people working on their projects, Needlework is fast becoming the nerve centre of the Hamilton DIY community! It gave me a chance to catch up, and shall I say, even conspire, with a few friends on future projects.</div>
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My dear friend Georgie's mother, who keeps chickens at her
Greensville home, was kind enough to drop by with two dozen of the most
beautiful eggs I have ever seen. One of the very special things about
Edwina's eggs, besides their flavour and wonderful colour is how she
marks each egg in pencil with the date she collected them - so you know
which eggs to use first. Simple brilliance. The
blue/green shells of some of the eggs were too beautiful to put on the
compost heap, so I have saved them, and begun collecting them in jars.
They will keep my small collection of bird's nests company. <br />
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While in Toronto, installing my work at Harbourfront Centre, I visited my favourite lakeside spot. I used to spend my lunch hours here during my residency in the craft studio. I love this vantage point of Toronto Island at all times of year, but winter time might be my preferred season, when the shore is at its most quiet.<br />
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My last day before returning to London could not have been lovelier (aside from packing anxiety) as my friend Michelle treated me to a lovely walk at the arboretum of <a href="http://www.rbg.ca/">Royal Botanical Gardens</a> and through the trails leading to Cootes Paradise. These trails form part of the <a href="http://brucetrail.org/">Bruce Trail</a>, Canada's oldest and longest footpath, which traces the length of the Niagara Escarpment.<br />
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The woods in spring were brimming with life: redbud trees in bloom, may apples, and trilliums. We passed by beaver lodges, and this adorable little chipmunk. Sometimes I need a reminder that we in Hamilton are living in the midst of real paradise. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEezHbM67nNkNPlWxE6YuJGtlm3ORyQAgt-RsRvb-15ATL7nZ1f39v4OoaUPNxt2MltY6kY4bDZZyIKU_CbliXZWUEM77xkzbddOC1d2gSZ1PysxF9-3AmJYgFgfRPzBIVgcsSMqYvRG7/s1600/L1000880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEezHbM67nNkNPlWxE6YuJGtlm3ORyQAgt-RsRvb-15ATL7nZ1f39v4OoaUPNxt2MltY6kY4bDZZyIKU_CbliXZWUEM77xkzbddOC1d2gSZ1PysxF9-3AmJYgFgfRPzBIVgcsSMqYvRG7/s640/L1000880.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-66515043387317246862012-04-09T03:19:00.001-04:002012-04-09T03:26:04.686-04:00Dinner to Dye For<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11GTJS41R6u6JPe0-0hkZkP8Fx_lrOvm55PzZY0wTrdkn1TM6ercqREDGjFwE20vNXTKqQ5L1IH1LYVAL7KhGGbc-dPdlYapkOhw5XEND065sgaqOltkUnbWh-0HR7PCViqPgxYkfr4RD/s1600/L1000569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11GTJS41R6u6JPe0-0hkZkP8Fx_lrOvm55PzZY0wTrdkn1TM6ercqREDGjFwE20vNXTKqQ5L1IH1LYVAL7KhGGbc-dPdlYapkOhw5XEND065sgaqOltkUnbWh-0HR7PCViqPgxYkfr4RD/s640/L1000569.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Two weeks ago, on a beautiful spring Sunday, along with some charming ladies from Chelsea, I attended the spring edition of a <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1861569099">Dinner to Dye For</a>, a workshop hosted by <a href="http://heretodayheretomorrowblog.wordpress.com/about/">Here Today Here Tomorrow</a>, a London-based a collaborative and experimental shop/studio showcasing sustainable fashion and accessories. Dinner to Dye For is a project of the <a href="http://www.permacouture.org/about.html">Permacouture Institute</a>, a San Fransisco and London-based educational organisation for regenerative design in fashion and Textiles. The workshop was hosted by the lovely <a href="http://www.katelyntothfejel.com/">Katelyn Toth-Fejel</a>, <a href="http://heretodayheretomorrowblog.wordpress.com/about/">Emma Rigby</a> and <a href="http://heretodayheretomorrowblog.wordpress.com/about/">Anna-Maria Hesse</a>.<br />
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The workshop took place in the gardens of H<a href="http://hackneycityfarm.co.uk/about/history">ackney City Farm</a>, a bucolic oasis in east London. Dinner to Dye For is part dye workshop, part celebratory meal, both based on seasonal foraged plants. The dyes used were dock (sorrel) root, nettle and onions skins, and rhubarb leaves, used as a mordant. We made shibori bundles of strips of silk and wool using shaped wooden blocks. It was truly lovely to share an afternoon of good company and getting one's hands dirty.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The part of the day I enjoyed most was the meal, which was delicious and fresh: rosehip fizz cocktails, stinging nettle and sussex slipcote cheese crostini with sorrel butter, beet with red onions, mint and horseradish cream, nettle spaetzle with chickpea fritters, and for desert lemon pots with poached rhubarb - a spring feast!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8peY1RSM9EFFcwNiC6Tg5lkkmER3guQWQp0BG7mhbCAo1yOzqVmcs2pgSPLp6JdtOT9gpKoPJ8xJ0fPXgEWwXM7r7LF_R2N1JwC-8d6ddbdmot4Fb27JgPkbjQgnrOEc0BdaWoiVXfI_/s1600/L1000586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8peY1RSM9EFFcwNiC6Tg5lkkmER3guQWQp0BG7mhbCAo1yOzqVmcs2pgSPLp6JdtOT9gpKoPJ8xJ0fPXgEWwXM7r7LF_R2N1JwC-8d6ddbdmot4Fb27JgPkbjQgnrOEc0BdaWoiVXfI_/s640/L1000586.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_fx0KIpcH4DuiBC8qp32HGTPhppevDoekgYQmuxkb_AtoFCWoPmuQU8TrhdlEl7dEQUB9lYKhAc1h9k8aDVfS1qEWWUl3Uki6f4my5M1OBruV6oVdCc3M0vZz9oXudnARlxAO-JZgwHQ/s1600/L1000584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_fx0KIpcH4DuiBC8qp32HGTPhppevDoekgYQmuxkb_AtoFCWoPmuQU8TrhdlEl7dEQUB9lYKhAc1h9k8aDVfS1qEWWUl3Uki6f4my5M1OBruV6oVdCc3M0vZz9oXudnARlxAO-JZgwHQ/s640/L1000584.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4m8LGAIQj2a2gVVp1ReJQ9MY3os7Xp2PmVxKvyuAwA2pQU-6sD660R_6ARtYJyxakXFQaLCb25lcBAUnFy1RlaA-K2bUBJqcYcAsJYt67V-SYUgPXHoDhlDMJst6JEt-LDHXRijmWRjy/s1600/L1000585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4m8LGAIQj2a2gVVp1ReJQ9MY3os7Xp2PmVxKvyuAwA2pQU-6sD660R_6ARtYJyxakXFQaLCb25lcBAUnFy1RlaA-K2bUBJqcYcAsJYt67V-SYUgPXHoDhlDMJst6JEt-LDHXRijmWRjy/s640/L1000585.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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All the food was amazing, and made me think back to childhood suppers at my grandparents farm, where we often ate foraged foods - spring salads of dandelion leaves, fiddleheads and sorrel. Stinging nettle grows in abundance at their farm, and as children, we definitely had painful brushes with it, but I do not recall eating it. I will now! The rosehip fizz cocktail, in particular was a revelation which I cannot quite describe, but suffice to say, I will be attempting to recreate it for myself.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GYZa0Aygef7d-MGiMhya9I3HMPHuq0ap55b1kfeRWjo2lU0jHUnnoIfha2pzNI7i0GDvBTeusE6SXcg7sdV1vbei0RK5Prd9zycEel7FJi-oIxWOZwUNhyphenhyphenK8QL_yQnqoHWc_4eNUfV7W/s1600/L1000573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GYZa0Aygef7d-MGiMhya9I3HMPHuq0ap55b1kfeRWjo2lU0jHUnnoIfha2pzNI7i0GDvBTeusE6SXcg7sdV1vbei0RK5Prd9zycEel7FJi-oIxWOZwUNhyphenhyphenK8QL_yQnqoHWc_4eNUfV7W/s640/L1000573.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-46346268745395620252012-04-04T09:06:00.001-04:002012-04-06T09:19:51.618-04:00Stitching and Drawing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QD1HNkGKY6EPIEcI0rAUwYUIBOp4_3jiZSuzigOPYc5qso7mn5bVVXNElr3AlsexKPaBaZcofFtzKWVLjBxgf4agjgcCpA9fBpczgpXroDH5Uh_JTbDctbw4rkyuWCoPsv4K5cSthJaC/s1600/L1000552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QD1HNkGKY6EPIEcI0rAUwYUIBOp4_3jiZSuzigOPYc5qso7mn5bVVXNElr3AlsexKPaBaZcofFtzKWVLjBxgf4agjgcCpA9fBpczgpXroDH5Uh_JTbDctbw4rkyuWCoPsv4K5cSthJaC/s640/L1000552.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
My natural dye research is deeply based in the extraordinary power of plants. In my research I have noted there is a clear link between plants historically used medicinally and those cultivated and gathered for dyes. Many plants that can be used for dyes can also be used as herbs, flavourings and natural treatments. Inspired by the beauty of these plants, I decided to use them as the imagery for my print and stitch based work for my MA project. Some of the sources I am consulting are the online archives of various university collections of botanical herbaria - collections of preserved plant specimens, and the several excellent <a href="p://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Flowers-Britain-Photographic-Identification/dp/033025183X/ref=pd_sim_b_3">books</a> of Roger Phillips and Martin Rix. <br />
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I've used these photographic sources as the basis for both embroidered and drawn imagery that will be later translated into prints and stitched embellishment for my final collection of garments I plan on creating for my MA exhibition. I like to stitch freehand, using a variety of mostly knitting yarns in different fibres, textures and weights, stitching first white on white, and afterward dyeing them. Cellulose (cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo) and protein (wool, silk, milk) fibres take the colour from the dyes differently, creating a lovely monochrome palette.<br />
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As well as drawings of from plants, I have been making drawings based on my embroideries for development into screenprint imagery. I feel the drawing take on a looser quality this way. <i> </i><br />
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<i>BELOW:</i> scattered seeds embroidery of french knots, chain and cross stitches on 100% hemp, then dyed with madder, accompanied by the drawing based on the stitching. <br />
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<i>ABOVE: </i>Queen Anne's Lace seedhead embroidery with wool on linen, and floating seeds embroidery with silk and linen on wool dyed in goldenrod, with accompanying drawings. <br />
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<i>BELOW: </i>Leaves and asters embroidery with various yarns on cotton gauze, dyed in marigold with iron.<br />
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<i>BELOW: </i>drawings of weld, goldenrod and foxglove with india ink on vellum, ready to be exposed to screen, and underneath, the resulting print with iron paste on linen. Next step, sample printing in colour!<br />
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My life has undergone quite a sea change since I last wrote. First, I left reasonably stable employment as a studio technician and teacher to go back to school. Second, and slightly more dramatically, after a mad summer of dyeing, knitting, canning, pickling, gardening, farming and craft-fairing, I left my friends, family and ninety-nine percent of my possessions behind and moved to London, England, to begin a master's degree in textiles at Chelsea College of Art and Design. This venture had been contemplated for some long time, and pondered with my typical amount of vacillation, hesitation and constant what-ifs. Now here, I sometimes question how this could be my life - living in London - but I consider myself very fortunate to be given the opportunity to devote this kind of focused time to my studio practice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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I have always been seduced and bewitched by colour, how it is made and its significance to human culture and history. The origin of colour and how it is used is endlessly fascinating to me. So while the focus of my MA project is actualy natural dye printing and unlocking the secrets to its processes, at the heart of my research is colour. After many years of experimenting with using natural dyes for immersion dyeing, I had only been trying to find the time to try printing with them. As a printer I love working with dyes because of their luminosity and transparency - they work on the cloth like watercolour - but recently I have become increasingly concerned about the adverse health and environmental effects of working with synthetic chemical dyes over many years. Further, the more I work with natural dyes, the more I find myself favouring their colour palette. <br />
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Over the next six months I will be sharing my MA research here and I hope this documentation of my process will serve to show that natural dyes can be used in ways very similar to those used with fibre-reactive or acid dyes for textile printing. One of the lofty aims of my project is to foster the use of natural dyes as an alternative to conventional dyes in craft production.<br />
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I shall explore varied ways of applying the colour to the cloth, via different print pastes, pre-treatments, mordants and assistants, as well as attempting to discover all the possible permutations of colour by adding colour-shifting acids, alkalis and mordants to the dyes. In the meantime, I am doing lots of reading into the rich history of our relationship with plants, particularly those used for dye, and sharing some of the cultural history of those dyestuffs here. I am also researching how natural dyes were used in industrial production prior to the discovery of synthetic colour in the mid 19th century, and how the move to synthetic dyes changed the world - <i>this is not a melodramatic statement</i> - this shift was at the very crux of the Industrial Revolution. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">colour swatches in progress</td></tr>
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To begin, I am testing the variety of colours that can be obtained from the various commercial extracts easily available from several suppliers. I have begun by working with those from <a href="http://www.pure-tinctoria.com/">Pure Tinctoria</a> and the partnership between <a href="http://www.maiwa.com/">Maiwa</a> & <a href="http://www.couleurs-de-plantes.com/index_uk.html">Couleurs des Plantes</a>. Extracts are powdered dyestuffs that are soluble in water - the colour has already been extracted from the plant source. To make a print paste, I add thickener to my solution of water and extract. I will discuss the exact process in future dispatches. I intend to use my print pastes for screen printing, but at the moment, I am only sampling small swatches of colour, so I am applying the colour by stencil instead. I have chosen to work on linen, hemp and wool fabrics, as these are the historical fibres of Europe, and the dyes should react differently to cellulose and protein fibres.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">applying the extracts to both mordanted and unmordanted wool</td></tr>
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Above are some colour samples before steaming - these colours will be very much brighter and lighter once steamed and washed. Shown below are the very beginnings of my colour tests, recently steam-set and washed, to see if the colour would hold, and it did. In a momentary lapse of planning, I did not photograph these samples before steaming, only after steaming, before and after washing. Before steaming, the colours are more subdued and less vibrant than you see them here. The chemical reaction that releases the colourants and bonds them to the fibre does not occur until steaming, as heat is required for the reaction to happen. Happily upon washing, while the print paste, which has a slightly yellowish cast, washes away, leaving behind beautiful, brilliant colour.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">after steaming, prior to washing</td></tr>
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Now that I am deep into my research, I see everything through a the lens of colour, plants and history - I am truly a nerd about it! I promise to also share selected adventures of lovely things in London, like my frequent pilgrimages to the V&A, weekly walks along the Regent's Canal and other discoveries while I'm abroad. I hope to hear from kindred spirits as I go along, so please do comment and/or contact me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JUuCGqwIXSlh2l2ZLEsNiX0jclmqH4CuD5lc3YPOOMmyUBU2r7Bs99bZrp4GYQLXBcfKdExbbxMAi0nx5Db0cpGGgGMh3HJNvs-2TZ5YrzIoZh2GyDVLDeOvEBsEgDcpQw473vM9I938/s1600/L1000437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JUuCGqwIXSlh2l2ZLEsNiX0jclmqH4CuD5lc3YPOOMmyUBU2r7Bs99bZrp4GYQLXBcfKdExbbxMAi0nx5Db0cpGGgGMh3HJNvs-2TZ5YrzIoZh2GyDVLDeOvEBsEgDcpQw473vM9I938/s640/L1000437.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> after steaming and washing: vibrant hues from annatto, madder and coreopsis<br />
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</tbody></table>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-19624137634847208512011-05-25T07:30:00.003-04:002011-05-25T09:15:44.102-04:00Obsession: Rhubarb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGGDwXQC5YUQa6QuDJm5ceMvwWRI252APpLnIr699xDZEw6WxoRiXjVjWcPIrpa4phWzKmSIcN4Xc3vb92KEBldcP0hCyXdpYVNQOvRRuClMkinEoq4YYKdBzPZIf76dOHf2iW2-MuQ6f/s1600/DSC_0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGGDwXQC5YUQa6QuDJm5ceMvwWRI252APpLnIr699xDZEw6WxoRiXjVjWcPIrpa4phWzKmSIcN4Xc3vb92KEBldcP0hCyXdpYVNQOvRRuClMkinEoq4YYKdBzPZIf76dOHf2iW2-MuQ6f/s640/DSC_0088.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
My Obsession for the Month of May is Rhubarb. It is such a beautiful vegetable. Perhaps one cannot really call it a fruit, but it is the first true fruit of spring. I currently have about five plants going, which seems like quite a few, since rhubarb plants are large, but if you are canning or preserving the rhubarb, it is easy to dispatch with what five plants can produce. Putting down, or putting up the rhubarb is the task I address today.<br />
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The simplest, and very fast method for preserving rhubarb is to wash, chop, measure, and then freeze the stalks. Simply throw them in bags in the freezer. I always measure it first, and then label the bag with the amount inside. This simplifies things later when you go to use it.<br />
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First, both with my beautiful forced rhubarb, and my regular rhubarb crop, I made rhubarb compote, using the recipe from Alice Water's <i>Chez Panisse Fruit</i>: <br />
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<i>1 lb of rhubarb</i><br />
<i>zest of 1 orange (valencia or other juice orange)</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup white sugar</i><br />
<i>3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice</i><br />
<i> </i><br />
<i>Combine ingredients together in an ungreased baking dish. Bake covered for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cover and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until rhubarb is soft, but still in pieces. </i><br />
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This compote is lovely on ice cream, creme fraiche or yogurt, or eaten on its own. It would also be nice with meat. I find it best if you leave it for several days before eating so that the flavours can really meld. <i> </i><br />
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The orange zest beautifully tempers the tartness of the rhubarb. The first batch of compote that I made with the forced rhubarb was eaten fairly immediately - 1 and 3/4 jars full. There they are, in the refrigerator beside last year's dill pickles. It is a beautiful bright pink colour. <br />
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For the second batch, I multiplied the recipe six times to make enough to preserve in jars. I harvested six pounds of rhubarb! I applied the same method as above, but after placing the compote in jars, I processed the compote for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. This ensured that my jars would properly seal. Six pounds of rhubarb yielded 4 quart jars.<br />
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Notice that the compote made with this rhubarb is different in colour, made up of of the red and green parts of the rhubarb stalk. To achieve a pink colour, you can exclude the green parts of the stalk, using only the red, but I do not like to waste any part of a good stalk of rhubarb. I like the odd green colour of the the compote.<br />
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Second, I made rhubarb jam, which is something I have never tried. I always make strawberry-rhubarb jam, but this year I was inspired by my newest culinary obsession, <a href="http://shop.bluechairfruit.com/products/the-blue-chair-jam-cookbook"><i>The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook</i></a>, a birthday gift from my dear mother. The book's author, and proprietor of the <a href="http://bluechairfruit.com/">Blue Chair Jam Company</a>, Rachel Saunders, praises the purity of flavour of plain rhubarb jam:<br />
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"One thing that always mystifies me is the difficulty of finding rhubarb cooked on its own; we always seem to succumb to the temptation to combine it with something else. Yet rhubarb's unique flavour and texture set it apart from other early summer ingredients, and a really perfect rhubarb jam is hard to beat."<br />
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The recipe contains only rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice. Lemon juice brings out the flavour of the fruit. It is an ingredient in all of Rachel Saunders Blue Chair jams. The jam was everything promised in this beautiful cookbook - intense fruit flavour, tart and wonderful. I ate it for breakfast this morning. <br />
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Recently, while reacquainting myself with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAEQNevd5tM&NR=1"><i>The Victorian Kitchen Garden</i></a>, I learned not only of the technique of growing rhubarb in a forcing pot, as I did this year, but also of raising it in a heated, darkened forcing shed to bring on the growth of rhubarb in the winter. In the north of England, they once had whole buildings devoted to this purpose. Rhubarb forcing factories! Now that I've seen that, I wondered if it is possible do so in one's basement. My suspicion was confirmed by Dick Raymond of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Ways-Gardening-Dick-Raymond/dp/0882663194">Garden Ways Joy of Gardening</a>. </i>This is possible. More on this later!<br />
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Perhaps we are tired of hearing all about rhubarb, but this will not be the last you hear of it from me. I have yet to extoll its virtues as a useful natural dye plant and mordant!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-M6Sb7trKa7oC1bhtM_oVVH1zggnxik-stpr_7M12JzOlhK5xZhCYiZ25tVrLa_KNTKbHP0M4LzfR80jyt09w88ox8LTekRsc7ZFsYsZA9a8x1GQA_tUcMcuxLGTNEYacdfPsQ0y0luE/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-M6Sb7trKa7oC1bhtM_oVVH1zggnxik-stpr_7M12JzOlhK5xZhCYiZ25tVrLa_KNTKbHP0M4LzfR80jyt09w88ox8LTekRsc7ZFsYsZA9a8x1GQA_tUcMcuxLGTNEYacdfPsQ0y0luE/s640/DSC_0009.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-27968066286239485702011-05-18T07:00:00.002-04:002011-05-18T08:34:23.281-04:00Accidental Collections: Needles and Threads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ez6yhmkjj8oqBboWN7MYZQuNhkAatERbSZ6vqUBZN68ux2ob1ewZOAgJzXrd9fZ54T8a76J9eEkSFMK0DaogwWTKlMLI4IxdKlaeIXg3l8Su6MS_Wbh1_3bYK798VH8yTHUshfSrjr2U/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ez6yhmkjj8oqBboWN7MYZQuNhkAatERbSZ6vqUBZN68ux2ob1ewZOAgJzXrd9fZ54T8a76J9eEkSFMK0DaogwWTKlMLI4IxdKlaeIXg3l8Su6MS_Wbh1_3bYK798VH8yTHUshfSrjr2U/s640/DSC_0011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Another collection of haberdashery related objects I inherited is this collection of assorted needles, spools of thread and empty spools. These needles are as they were left by my grandmother, who kept them all in an old cheese cracker tin. I am certain that some of the needle packets and the fancier threads were rescued from the sewing rooms of the two great houses she worked in later in her life. My grandmother was a strictly utilitarian seamstress. <br />
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The box of darning needles is an old cardboard package of hypodermic needles, that likely belonged to one of my great-grandmothers, who was a diabetic. In the days before disposable needles, she sterilized and reused the needles she used to inject herself with insulin. <br />
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Many of these empty spools are from thread companies and stores long gone by, such as Belding and Eaton's - the spool above must be from when Eaton's still had a haberdashery department. There are also spools from Zeller's, Corticelli, Peerless, Trimtex and J & P Coats (the only company that I believe is still in operation). If you look carefully at the labels you will notice that some of the spools say <i>Made in Canada</i>. I love some of the labels - <i>Dewhurst's Sylko "Three Shells" Machine Twist</i>. And yes, that is Butler's unwaxed dental floss, on a wooden spool!<br />
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There is an array of different types of thread: darning silk, silk-like nylons, mercerized cotton, and the dreaded 1950s invention, polyester. Below is an array of coloured threads in varying weights for machine sewing, darning silk, button-hole twist, rayon thread, embroidery and crochet cotton and silk.<br />
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I use these threads quite sparingly. I keep them in glass jars in my studio organised according to colour because I just like to look at them. The thread seems so special when it is wound around a wooden spool. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-75305759980124360812011-05-10T23:20:00.001-04:002011-05-17T23:50:39.784-04:00Weekend Whirlwind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmuezXV0W3p_wQD9qGQUv61euV_2FQkIhyexdC591cxqaRIHtrnm-ypCiSQkXK8tbNxkhkU1NDFiJSqSeqF08DKFkKZgSkoFgYrtaM_vo0_2meIuswWA5Zgy_xwwrWr55S-zfLrFi-qDV/s1600/DSC_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmuezXV0W3p_wQD9qGQUv61euV_2FQkIhyexdC591cxqaRIHtrnm-ypCiSQkXK8tbNxkhkU1NDFiJSqSeqF08DKFkKZgSkoFgYrtaM_vo0_2meIuswWA5Zgy_xwwrWr55S-zfLrFi-qDV/s640/DSC_0054.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
It was a beautiful weekend full of activity. Saturday afternoon, <a href="http://katethehunter.blogspot.com/">Kate</a>, Erick and I attended some Doors Open Hamilton locations - <a href="http://www.hamilton.ca/CultureandRecreation/Arts_Culture_And_Museums/HamiltonCivicMuseums/Dundurn/">Dundurn National Historic Site</a> - specifically the William Reid Cottage, and the Kitchen Garden, as well as the Mohawk Trail School House (but I'll save that for later!). We would have liked to go inside the Castle but the line up extended out the door and around the corner. We were impatient and did not want to queue. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Allan MacNab's very own cock-fighting pit. </td></tr>
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Dundurn, the home of <span id="RadEditorPlaceHolderControl0">Sir Allan Napier MacNab (one of Canada's first premiers),</span> was one of my favourite historic sites to visit as a child. Our family vacations were always educational, comprised of trips to museums, historic homes, forts, archaeological sites, natural wonders and pioneer villages, but Dundurn Castle was my hometown historical house and I am so familiar with it that I could probably give a guided tour of it myself. My favourite part of the house as a child was upstairs with all its finery, but I am now more interested in the below stairs part of the house, with its kitchen, laundry, scullery and food stores. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dormant, not yet in bloom, hedge of lavender.</td></tr>
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In recent years, there has been an exciting addition to Dundurn as they have begun to restore the Kitchen Garden, and there are plans to begin restoration on the home of the head gardener, William Reid. The garden is a wonderful place to visit at almost any time of year, because it is always in continuous state of growth and flux. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The garden pump.</td></tr>
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They have been carefully recreating the garden based on historical research, and populating it with heirloom and historical plants. Last fall when I visited the garden, I was surprised to discover that the Victorians were growing such diverse foods such as ground cherry and tomatillo. Exciting things were happening this spring. The Victorians preferred to eat their asparagus white, and would blanch them under specially-woven baskets stuffed with straw. <br />
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The Victorians did as much as they could to extend the growing season for fresh produce, employing cold frames and greenhouses. They built hothouses where they grew cucumbers, peaches and pineapples indoors. Many years ago, I remember watching a series on TVOntario, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkqJP2H4_II"><i>The Victorian Kitchen Garden</i></a>, that documented the recreation of an English Victorian estate garden, and the astounding measures that gardeners undertook to put food on the tables of the great houses. It was an era when a gardener could be dismissed for sending an unripe melon to the dining room!<br />
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I am increasingly interested in historic practices of housekeeping and gardening and how these activities can contrast with contemporary approaches. There is so much to be learned from how things were done, with such ingenuity, in days long ago. I will be posting further here, and on the <a href="http://www.beehivecraftcollective.blogspot.com/">Beehive</a>, about the Kitchen Garden, and the activities below stairs at Dundurn.<br />
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From Doors Open to our very own gardening venture, up at the Buttrum farm. It was Kate and Erick's first time up to the farm, and they plunged right in. We worked hard for a few hours, finishing Gabby and Courtney's work planting strawberries, and then planting 150 rhubarb plants. Rhubarb and strawberries are both perennials, and will take at least a season to get established before we can begin harvesting. Strawberry rhubarb pie and jam will have to wait a while.<br />
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Planting the tiny strawberry plants involves making a hole in the earth with your hand, tucking in the plant and gently but firmly, closing in the soil around the strawberry's roots. This was made easy, as the soil at the Buttrum's farm is sandy, loamy and very soft, perfect for growing vegetables!<br />
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I took a few rhubarb roots home with me, where I will add them to my backyard patch. Rhubarb roots are bizarre looking, but a very useful part of the plant. Rhubarb leaves and roots are rich in oxalic acid, which is poisonous, but also a good mordant and dye for natural dyeing! You can also use oxalic acid to make your own cleaning solutions...<br />
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We spent Sunday at the farm planting onion sets for bunching onions, and I also finally harvested my forced rhubarb and made a lovely stewed rhubarb for Mother's day dessert, which I will post about tomorrow!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-49614990456747068832011-05-05T20:09:00.001-04:002011-05-05T20:11:00.483-04:00Accidental Collections: Belt Buckles and Other Closures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakGHSvinSYPFkhRnsI-Ic7Nh83RjdEKZOqIso6CWi8bqIPwXY9KqBEQmRkhQPnIm1QfTfb3ghJnEKNJld848T5Y1IgM3f1BBXxXAbEcOTyAggg_f4b-zUKfPU2_LysSZBH0We4QjNSvSz/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakGHSvinSYPFkhRnsI-Ic7Nh83RjdEKZOqIso6CWi8bqIPwXY9KqBEQmRkhQPnIm1QfTfb3ghJnEKNJld848T5Y1IgM3f1BBXxXAbEcOTyAggg_f4b-zUKfPU2_LysSZBH0We4QjNSvSz/s640/DSC_0014.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Another collection inherited from Grandma Blanche: an assortment of celluloid, metal, mother-of-pearl and plastic belt buckles. These were saved from garments long since gone. Grandma kept these in wooden box. I would say these are from a time period ranging from the 1920s to the 1970s. One of these, the very tarnished, possibly silver-plated, rectangular buckle in the centre is a man's belt buckle monogrammed with the letter 'E'. It must have belonged to my grandfather, Edgar, known as Ed. <br />
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I do not have an array of stories or eloquent things to say about these objects; I simply wanted to share these photographs of these beautiful things.<br />
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The colours of these old celluloid buckles are lovely - so rich and fruity. There is a depth and translucency to the colours that you do not find in today's plastics. The red prism shaped piece on the bottom left has a hook on the back that would fit into the belt holes.<br />
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The large circular blue piece on the top right is actually a button, but I liked this composition of blues. On the top left is a sort of bar closure, perhaps for a sweater or jacket.<br />
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Two very elegant leafy buckles. The bottom buckle is brass. The top buckle is quite exquisite - it is brass, and carved wood.<br />
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This black and white floral celluloid buckle, of perhaps poppies, was always one of my very favourite buckles. It hooks together, though the mechanism is not visible in the photograph. It must have come from the belt of a dress or coat; there is also a set of matching buttons.Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-80626189366174899962011-05-03T12:03:00.000-04:002011-05-03T12:03:02.672-04:00Accidental Collections: Knitting Needles <br />
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After last night's election, I feel the need to focus on light, pragmatic things. Vacuuming. Cleaning the bathroom. Making a pot of soup. So today, a new feature post for Domestic Scientist: Accidental Collections.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shuttles and yarn holders.</td></tr>
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I have collections of many things, mostly domestic objects. While I might easily be accused of being a pack rat, I defend myself on that charge in that I have inherited most of these things from my Grandma Blanche. As I've mentioned before, she kept everything. She worked as a domestic servant in two households for elderly people, seeing these people through the end of their lives. When the estates were being dispersed, the children of my grandmother's employers saw little value in the wares of the kitchen or the sewing room, so my grandmother was permitted to take whatever she liked. I believe that this is the primary source of her stash of especially sewing notions and haberdashery.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiple, mostly unopened packages of double-pointed knitting pins. I love the graphic paper packaging.</td></tr>
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There is such worth in these practical, useful objects. Many of these items are so well made that they have truly stood the test of time. They now represent to me a new era where we are slowly beginning to understand again the value of ordinary things as we revisit once again working with our hands. Think of these tools and how they relate to the work we do, and the work that was done with them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blanche's knitting needles.</td></tr>
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Today I share some images of knitting needles and related tools. I adore the colours and shapes of these cellulose knitting needles so much, that I have added to my collection. Who will love these objects if not me?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwy9iduCslylsUrSRnkBrR4zCWb5F1hx-Ot5t3vGjhDfCp86ZTdNFAhin7hLLzRFgTa3_GGEDmcYFuWqeQp3t5RAa4_MDb-RbTd7OmZt5gd7JIGS3FbjiQKZCqrfp2RFaVX13O7zywgSde/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwy9iduCslylsUrSRnkBrR4zCWb5F1hx-Ot5t3vGjhDfCp86ZTdNFAhin7hLLzRFgTa3_GGEDmcYFuWqeQp3t5RAa4_MDb-RbTd7OmZt5gd7JIGS3FbjiQKZCqrfp2RFaVX13O7zywgSde/s640/DSC_0010.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Needle gauges.</td></tr>
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When I was little I used love to take all these objects out of their boxes and look at them - beautiful colours, shapes and textures. I think I can trace my love of textiles, colour and vintage objects back to these treasures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK6mxMRyQME4mK50zrb54LQYZXLljrhT4F5_NtglY29ZkfXlL4Ib71gsTU2u_vq7tCO1DgsRykcbhgs96FEottUwiZIt18M2oTNu_UgUXLq9sMUIUYctP3Cyvn4qAMGkgYsgFoNiTHnQD/s1600/knitting+needles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK6mxMRyQME4mK50zrb54LQYZXLljrhT4F5_NtglY29ZkfXlL4Ib71gsTU2u_vq7tCO1DgsRykcbhgs96FEottUwiZIt18M2oTNu_UgUXLq9sMUIUYctP3Cyvn4qAMGkgYsgFoNiTHnQD/s640/knitting+needles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found this collection of knitting needles at a thrift shop. If I hadn't rescued them, they might have languished there forever, gathering dust. Better that they come home with me, where they are appreciated!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-45635921049371561982011-05-02T12:52:00.002-04:002011-05-02T18:09:45.253-04:00Rainy Days, Silver Linings<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1Tf6DChyphenhyphengoBRGL926PbMo2xqnT1w2uMJPHULv11Bdm4BfzHaPnmOUp68PP2JmN8Os6WeGJyjqMGCnencFnlW8TYyuDmJY0mF7RkrY1QRrUi4fJUc3V3bZIxRAOB-UlbY6LrpOu_OF4gx/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1Tf6DChyphenhyphengoBRGL926PbMo2xqnT1w2uMJPHULv11Bdm4BfzHaPnmOUp68PP2JmN8Os6WeGJyjqMGCnencFnlW8TYyuDmJY0mF7RkrY1QRrUi4fJUc3V3bZIxRAOB-UlbY6LrpOu_OF4gx/s640/DSC_0006.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mud puddle that is my vegetable garden. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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I have been so dismayed with our weather of late. It seems every rare sunny day lands during my work week. It has been raining so much that even when it we do have a dry day, it has been too wet to work in the garden. All this spring rain means farmers are delayed in planting their crops, and so too am I.<br />
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When I awoke this morning I was so disappointed to find it was raining again; I felt like staying in bed. I decided to get up and go outside to check on the progress of a few things, to remind myself that despite the weather things are happening out there...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSagDgqv2qADN3E82Bn5doJY0icVjCYVe1cT_ciOLsV7eP6AaEMCs4mRYnr_sUQ30njV3qew-HEZFyqDC2pb9X2IAfSC4Jj8MR10a2aktZ2sUOha5dtWBBkbIlwhPQFTCZXdW_yNo2xqDk/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSagDgqv2qADN3E82Bn5doJY0icVjCYVe1cT_ciOLsV7eP6AaEMCs4mRYnr_sUQ30njV3qew-HEZFyqDC2pb9X2IAfSC4Jj8MR10a2aktZ2sUOha5dtWBBkbIlwhPQFTCZXdW_yNo2xqDk/s640/DSC_0002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGSsyDdNMwtNSa1QLXvl30uMcNrd9LRDU1g634Ig3-8Nqv8YlYTkhtOdNfuT8VicMzJUt8OxlnN2wR2FtIAcYTyTZk7pa1BK-vJoh8K4XBgfFWWAkN4l9BOSxe4MWrfo0FE2nLD1XjGIk/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGSsyDdNMwtNSa1QLXvl30uMcNrd9LRDU1g634Ig3-8Nqv8YlYTkhtOdNfuT8VicMzJUt8OxlnN2wR2FtIAcYTyTZk7pa1BK-vJoh8K4XBgfFWWAkN4l9BOSxe4MWrfo0FE2nLD1XjGIk/s640/DSC_0004.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Outside on the porch, the plants I planted for the <a href="http://www.loveitalot.com/search/label/farm">farm</a>'s new dye garden are starting to come up. This year, as part of our co-operative farming venture, we have decided to plant a dye garden. I have my own dye garden out at my family farm, but I hardly have the chance to get out to it. The farm garden will be a lot closer, and we'll have more hands to care for it. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I ordered seed from <a href="http://www.richters.com/">Richter's Herbs </a>and finally planted them last Sunday - and some of the plants, especially the safflower, are already quite big! We'll have Goldenrod, Dyer's Broom, Lady's Bedstraw, Marigold, Tansy, Dahlia, Zinnia, Coreopsis, and Weld. We're also trying out Indigo and Woad, which yield beautiful blue dyes. I'll transplant down from my farm some Madder plants. Madder is historically one of the most important dye plants in the world. Madder root can produce colours ranging from orange to rust, brown to pure red.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be posting more the dye garden here, and on our <a href="http://www.beehivecraftcollective.blogspot.com/">Beehive</a> blog, all summer. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9pqLHkPtWkOZVwf3WtZARLjEpVQ1sV6RKYrTb_XO4UbwgYOUApN0gLFMJXygEfcYJUOTX7YmahBcqrUt6FoTlh4RKSvopMqb7QNsmi1vsbTJjt_pr_K26M-FGyuA-s9593ojcJ0B7EDY/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9pqLHkPtWkOZVwf3WtZARLjEpVQ1sV6RKYrTb_XO4UbwgYOUApN0gLFMJXygEfcYJUOTX7YmahBcqrUt6FoTlh4RKSvopMqb7QNsmi1vsbTJjt_pr_K26M-FGyuA-s9593ojcJ0B7EDY/s640/DSC_0016.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Last Saturday, I direct sowed some vegetable seed in the garden: lettuce, spinach, arugula, mâche, beets, turnips and radishes. It has rained so much this week I was worried that maybe my seeds would be washed away, but here they are, tiny arugula and turnip leaves.<br />
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The wire you see over top of the seed bed is to protect my vegetable from the rabbit who has been visiting my yard all winter. Last year he ate all my bean plants!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4_do_Sw7TJ3lLKYw-74w4jNGO2NTIDt5xaq2tbpJtZEO0G-c4RKDCId6xSdlIooFCpVvgm9rmLjnwwa0JJ53A-V69fJjO8zgIJ3iZzPr3_JGLQxBOY50NJusTgueL3LwE7UGT1N5KW3L/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4_do_Sw7TJ3lLKYw-74w4jNGO2NTIDt5xaq2tbpJtZEO0G-c4RKDCId6xSdlIooFCpVvgm9rmLjnwwa0JJ53A-V69fJjO8zgIJ3iZzPr3_JGLQxBOY50NJusTgueL3LwE7UGT1N5KW3L/s640/DSC_0015.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-NnRMz0HcnIth1hMOXPsWQQiPvQD2fCRBISZhJCNfMPn7AGa5aWRlZ_hOUXHg6GlRpQc0bdyh2Cx8BDWSI7Lgsp57DyYaLQD5hk_2_mdEPJ955afAZdqplTUuJYERN8RhRUC19lhjCm-/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-NnRMz0HcnIth1hMOXPsWQQiPvQD2fCRBISZhJCNfMPn7AGa5aWRlZ_hOUXHg6GlRpQc0bdyh2Cx8BDWSI7Lgsp57DyYaLQD5hk_2_mdEPJ955afAZdqplTUuJYERN8RhRUC19lhjCm-/s640/DSC_0007.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Under the cold frame, my eggplant and tomato plants are suffering a little from lack of sun, but the forget-me-nots in the frame are pretty content.<br />
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Asparagus spears are poking up their heads as well. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQREuiQlVbAgUfEAGaR3R8xxPBAxNucQBkncFih-J3T7E1lyYbTGEH8WcBLR9EBE2UHTc89X6m-_yIjB7yh7nTQXMApABjBnKMOiTZFEFgDJoEZt4xeMJUDFPPVJt2WmziCJmuMJk3ygE/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQREuiQlVbAgUfEAGaR3R8xxPBAxNucQBkncFih-J3T7E1lyYbTGEH8WcBLR9EBE2UHTc89X6m-_yIjB7yh7nTQXMApABjBnKMOiTZFEFgDJoEZt4xeMJUDFPPVJt2WmziCJmuMJk3ygE/s640/DSC_0008.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kz_OYgvTLyZPmB6lpmcMRMPcFL-4ajnPsTG0RNJLdBTxfBvmcFC2f0N9Qdj_pN1q9AyqFwM5tAD_eLSEFgLqTNOf2RD93Scqhzho7zbOhS8ho2897wuj8myddEqwAxX8XOs54kBq9yq_/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kz_OYgvTLyZPmB6lpmcMRMPcFL-4ajnPsTG0RNJLdBTxfBvmcFC2f0N9Qdj_pN1q9AyqFwM5tAD_eLSEFgLqTNOf2RD93Scqhzho7zbOhS8ho2897wuj8myddEqwAxX8XOs54kBq9yq_/s640/DSC_0009.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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My rhubarb is pretty happy with this cool, wet weather. So there are many things to be cheerful for. But perhaps most exciting of all is what grows hidden beneath this large upturned planter.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3awd4myFkW7gfs-kmfywzrItg_NMrjTvOhkulExK2UU8r4Uz2dDppHNETVfFSqytba9ykHRTGzyD4n4JSsk2Oy523oM2J2pfrFMYYQQvpLJIlRZi0tVJRAy9qEnBEHVVfgqfFfOc_b5IB/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3awd4myFkW7gfs-kmfywzrItg_NMrjTvOhkulExK2UU8r4Uz2dDppHNETVfFSqytba9ykHRTGzyD4n4JSsk2Oy523oM2J2pfrFMYYQQvpLJIlRZi0tVJRAy9qEnBEHVVfgqfFfOc_b5IB/s640/DSC_0010.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Several weeks ago, when the rhubarb was just beginning to come up, I put this large black fibreglass pot overtop of the emerging shoots. Traditional rhubarb forcing pots are made of terracotta, but any large pot will do - this one is very large, about 24 inches tall, by 18 inches in diameter. The small hole in the bottom of the pot allows a little light inside, and the pot creates a warm little house to bring the rhubarb on more quickly. The stalks will reach toward the light, growing tall and straight, keeping the whole stalk bright red.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_ZmsOMzeLJ7-nrRfnteI_7pjIO478Wg899uU2r3B6uFuVddMO9zEvLlLph_R6hePm-ujPCB4A-EogcU7zfSHgVDqRDJ949YoqSnJbGYFoTZ4TNssBI5skoIMDquDptACONyiDdAyVCt9/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_ZmsOMzeLJ7-nrRfnteI_7pjIO478Wg899uU2r3B6uFuVddMO9zEvLlLph_R6hePm-ujPCB4A-EogcU7zfSHgVDqRDJ949YoqSnJbGYFoTZ4TNssBI5skoIMDquDptACONyiDdAyVCt9/s640/DSC_0012.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3y9-LdmuUMjLEM0mk4RxgiTbM03fWnKL8Jb2eZlXrTPW6Q3f5G4jsAj3Rga4Z-tDAwHZk9YcE0ePqJufyaVt0IwHEzJSSdX-QkX3w_j4_g79nRPfG9VtMnto-CFsBLGYmFxIBRj8AXt_/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3y9-LdmuUMjLEM0mk4RxgiTbM03fWnKL8Jb2eZlXrTPW6Q3f5G4jsAj3Rga4Z-tDAwHZk9YcE0ePqJufyaVt0IwHEzJSSdX-QkX3w_j4_g79nRPfG9VtMnto-CFsBLGYmFxIBRj8AXt_/s640/DSC_0013.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Is it not just beautiful? I'll pull some of this lovely rhubarb soon. The rain has stopped, the sky is brightening, and the birds are chirping. It's election day, and it's time to go vote!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Sg9GWqsl-gZT9629qHO9n12OmSP2FRANR8pQsx4a8mGH0yzTCz3SAdPXay5NGLzYlgAxa7gffYG4MCOAitp-5FOgT5uDwOTpOVIzyiXO07ilg2vBhWmrQebbokuqxdDLXf_5ahDx7nRG/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Sg9GWqsl-gZT9629qHO9n12OmSP2FRANR8pQsx4a8mGH0yzTCz3SAdPXay5NGLzYlgAxa7gffYG4MCOAitp-5FOgT5uDwOTpOVIzyiXO07ilg2vBhWmrQebbokuqxdDLXf_5ahDx7nRG/s640/DSC_0019.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are some creatures who love this wet weather! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-59982822571043188492011-04-28T08:44:00.000-04:002011-04-28T08:44:44.353-04:00Signs of Spring: Rhubarb Custard Meringue Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> I adore rhubarb.<br />
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My rhubarb plants are coming along nicely outside in the garden. I have a huge planter tipped upside down over one of the plants to force it (more on this soon), and it is going to be beautiful. In the meantime, I decided it was time to clean out the freezer - so I decided to thaw out the two remaining bags of rhubarb I froze last spring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8CbJZu4z9b3IRlgbOgWsze0GW8LhgnMbSUNGr37FtA7dmSRybZ1a6cQ3sdbfAXMDHUIFLwI7iZqkWwW4d9JJ7auaMi6LijNoSLr53uUN75mVEXkuA3FPrdM4spNJ7NORnk_RyUh256Gh/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8CbJZu4z9b3IRlgbOgWsze0GW8LhgnMbSUNGr37FtA7dmSRybZ1a6cQ3sdbfAXMDHUIFLwI7iZqkWwW4d9JJ7auaMi6LijNoSLr53uUN75mVEXkuA3FPrdM4spNJ7NORnk_RyUh256Gh/s640/DSC_0002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
If you are lucky enough to have outdoor space, and fortunate enough to have your own rhubarb plants, freezing it for later is easy. Simply pull the stems and discard the leaves, then was the stems, chop into 1" pieces and throw into freezer bags. I had very little time last spring to process much of the rhubarb in the backyard, so instead, I have been able to enjoy it all winter. Frozen rhubarb is easy to use in cobbler, pie, stewed or baked. It is best to allow it to thaw completely if you are going to bake with it.<br />
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I let the rhubarb thaw in a colander placed over a large bowl to catch the all the juices as the rhubarb melts. This is a combination of juice and water, but it is tasty to reserve for later use in jello, if mixed with other fruit juice.<br />
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I decided to make a recipe from one of my longtime favourite cookbooks, <i>Classic Canadian Cooking</i>, by Elizabeth Baird - Rhubarb Custard Meringue Pie. If you ever see this book at a garage sale, I highly recommend you pick it up, as this book is out of print. I particularly like this book because it is organised according to the seasons, and has lovely menus for different occasions, and many recipes are based on historic or traditional Upper Canadian cooking.<br />
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While the rhubarb thawed, I prepared my pie crust. You need only a bottom crust for this pie. Mix the rhubarb with the flour and sugar mixture. This recipe has a little bit of mace in it, which is a lovely, but unusual flavouring. Separate your eggs, reserving the whites. Whisk together yolks, cream and melted butter. Spread the rhubarb mixture in the prepared pie crust. Pour the egg mixture over top, and place pie in 450 degree oven. Reduce heat to 350 after 10 minutes. Bake 35- 40 minutes, or until custard is set.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> While the pie is baking, whip the egg whites with vinegar and salt until they form stiff peaks. Add sugar and vanilla. Elizabeth Baird's recipe uses three egg whites, but I only used two as to not have a leftover yolk (her meringue would be higher than mine). Spread meringue over pie. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for another 4 minutes at 425 degrees until golden brown.<br />
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Et voila. Allow to cool, and serve as soon as possible. Meringue does not like to be kept waiting! It gets weepy if you're late for dinner. <br />
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<i>Rhubarb Custard Pie, adapted from Classic Canadian Cooking: Menus for the Seasons, </i><i>by Elizabeth Baird, </i><i>published 1974 by James Lorimer & Company.</i><br />
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<i>Filling:</i><br />
2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb<br />
1 cup white sugar (I used about 3/4 cup)<br />
2 tablespoon flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon mace<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
1/2 cup light cream or milk<br />
1/4 melted butter<br />
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<i>Meringue:</i><br />
3 egg whites<br />
<i> </i>1/2 teaspoon vinegar<br />
1/8 teaspoon salt<br />
6 tablespoons white sugar (I used about 3 teaspoons)<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 teaspoon white sugar (to sprinkle on top of meringue)Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-732757450299776152011-04-17T10:36:00.001-04:002011-04-17T17:53:47.849-04:00Family Recipes: Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMt86UtNw_oOr0snhBXK5yofORv5-ZEz9-jTrv4tkIUYSG6fJIO64b8ho22It2pSsfmK8XlG0_cIjhDghtSx9WTzwOHsBr-isa_8I-d_blwa4dbBHbVTNIJqzLUj3mFVTaOC5fzKince-N/s1600/cheesetoast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMt86UtNw_oOr0snhBXK5yofORv5-ZEz9-jTrv4tkIUYSG6fJIO64b8ho22It2pSsfmK8XlG0_cIjhDghtSx9WTzwOHsBr-isa_8I-d_blwa4dbBHbVTNIJqzLUj3mFVTaOC5fzKince-N/s640/cheesetoast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
In a second series of embroidered pieces containing family recipes, I used yet more recipes from my Grandma Blanche's recipe books. Some of the recipes are odd; who would need a recipe for making cheese toast? Here again, I translated all the marks on the page onto the cloth, all punctuation, underlines and page breaks, but I made each piece the size of a recipe card. Each recipe is then approximately life size.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30Fgb7zjTJ4HR3bk-FCF9_xKZpICm7SQ4I5gQI_LxMRgUDfAIVgPiIMYsIBEqQu43L_0xZhOns66hckovn_mcyTUaKtN7fkUoJCSinGkiO05Xx5X2bGL8l_0zLfZflvkndfm-UjXSpXvW/s1600/01.doughnuts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30Fgb7zjTJ4HR3bk-FCF9_xKZpICm7SQ4I5gQI_LxMRgUDfAIVgPiIMYsIBEqQu43L_0xZhOns66hckovn_mcyTUaKtN7fkUoJCSinGkiO05Xx5X2bGL8l_0zLfZflvkndfm-UjXSpXvW/s640/01.doughnuts.JPG" width="640" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With this second series, I embroidered the pieces on two layers of discharge silkscreen printed cotton organdy. (Discharge being a printing paste containing a chemical that strips the colour from the cloth). Of course you can barely see the print on the pale yellow organdy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtgSmOJc2eOvUiJtFr5-j8E49FGlHeDyEhJok-wG2dE_htnydSiyRiutLi-BQXy6iXVaKyNJJazElUO0vQWzk2BaIDLKOwtAqKLGKT4rL-wmNNDppyvevmuZsjCiIxVnoLV-vLb4Ax6fr/s1600/DSC_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtgSmOJc2eOvUiJtFr5-j8E49FGlHeDyEhJok-wG2dE_htnydSiyRiutLi-BQXy6iXVaKyNJJazElUO0vQWzk2BaIDLKOwtAqKLGKT4rL-wmNNDppyvevmuZsjCiIxVnoLV-vLb4Ax6fr/s640/DSC_0002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My Grandma Jean was not a domestic doyenne, though she had five children and ran an efficient household. She was much more interested in the outdoors and intellectual pursuits. She prefered extremely simple cooking. I remember once she had made Date Surprise Muffins - the surprise being, she said, "I was too lazy to chop the dates, so I poked a date into the middle of each muffin. Be careful of the pits". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, she did have a small repertoire of famous baked goods - waffles, molasses cookies and square bales in particular. See above her recipe for molasses cookies written in her perfect school teacher script. These are a drop cookie, soft, cakey and chewy. Molasses was a favourite of my grandfather - he liked to put blackstrap on his oatmeal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEnvG9OXYfEbvEc-g6lz_RsqJbx2wlsKgHzX47HB_s96xknC5RadV_xqPONxIm79CjEbBgFbZp9DMpTmc3ltw4XlzCd29dx26b6ukSoxzdz15QVnfhAkfLdPOfOkuwIf2CGMHxajCyjAM/s1600/DSC_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEnvG9OXYfEbvEc-g6lz_RsqJbx2wlsKgHzX47HB_s96xknC5RadV_xqPONxIm79CjEbBgFbZp9DMpTmc3ltw4XlzCd29dx26b6ukSoxzdz15QVnfhAkfLdPOfOkuwIf2CGMHxajCyjAM/s640/DSC_0030.JPG" width="640" /> </a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Grandma Jean liked to give imaginative names to different foods - perhaps a way of convincing my father, his two sisters and two brothers to eat their meals. Cream of wheat was <i>Snow Porridge</i>, cornmeal porridge was <i>Sun Porridge</i>. Square Bales were simply brown sugar oat squares, but living in the rural setting of our family farm, where hay and straw were taken off the fields every year, the name <i>Square Bales</i> seems more romantic and appropriate. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHCCbZmgRRQTm9bzt3EkL7IMaCrauoS8j78fF-w7EB8hKNUsdwfvPMGNRT5Vj8KHPjDGpwv2rqq_DjpAqRnY3f1khylmUTDoODreaPVLkqrjmpS62lI1VgkZNZFLK7nrZ31VkRD08Xu-M/s1600/02.square+bales.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHCCbZmgRRQTm9bzt3EkL7IMaCrauoS8j78fF-w7EB8hKNUsdwfvPMGNRT5Vj8KHPjDGpwv2rqq_DjpAqRnY3f1khylmUTDoODreaPVLkqrjmpS62lI1VgkZNZFLK7nrZ31VkRD08Xu-M/s640/02.square+bales.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-91650468422197437232011-04-10T11:20:00.000-04:002011-04-10T11:20:29.989-04:00Cherry Tarts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vJMQRX10CX2ZFdt5f1d66o3SeMNdpLk0AQQx_JA_LSQz35ns2e88G1FFib78KZcouA2umtEO3lGo3XDyD6oaweGnfDBRs4Eisf3-c72tctB2-B8472X5Yd_KZ-Bn4upkQB0fA9-issIO/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vJMQRX10CX2ZFdt5f1d66o3SeMNdpLk0AQQx_JA_LSQz35ns2e88G1FFib78KZcouA2umtEO3lGo3XDyD6oaweGnfDBRs4Eisf3-c72tctB2-B8472X5Yd_KZ-Bn4upkQB0fA9-issIO/s640/DSC_0035.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Yesterday was a sunny, perfect, spring day. I dried some washing on the clothes line for the first time, and put my little tomatoes and eggplants outside in the sun. They'll now be going outside everyday. I also put a large forcing pot over one of my rhubarb plants - more on that later.<br />
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Last night was a going away party for a friend and we had a potluck dinner. Predictably, I usually bring dessert. It was nice to have an excuse to make some fancy tarts. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxlf7ClxNsxXlLqewNC34whjll1AuLPCo3k477-ruv28I1UkiJdbdIzIYOWlmB4fdYBJ8AVp3XSANf4CFq4YwvTuUcYMA8-TF9fSleLMGw-0jwMD_qdemZ7qWm8hyphenhyphenp5osUshdBRDZ5PH8/s1600/pie+crust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxlf7ClxNsxXlLqewNC34whjll1AuLPCo3k477-ruv28I1UkiJdbdIzIYOWlmB4fdYBJ8AVp3XSANf4CFq4YwvTuUcYMA8-TF9fSleLMGw-0jwMD_qdemZ7qWm8hyphenhyphenp5osUshdBRDZ5PH8/s640/pie+crust.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pie crust recipe written in the back of an old edition of the joy of cooking in my mother's handwriting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Sometimes I use other pastry recipes - like pâte sucrée, pâte brisée or sourcream pastry, but usually I use Grandma Blanche's 'No Fail' pastry recipe. I think it is pretty common pastry recipe, so perhaps it's your grandmother's recipe too. Her recipe calls for 1 lb. of lard, but I use butter instead. I have made the recipe successfully with lard as well, which makes for a much flakier pastry, or half lard and half butter. I like butter pastry best.<br />
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This recipe makes enough for 2 generous two-crust pies. Start with your dry ingredients in a large bowl:<br />
5 cups of all purpose flour<br />
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar<br />
1 teaspoon of salt (or use salted butter)<br />
Mix with a fork.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wlFgqbgg3MaUYGSoZW3-wPIBR3tJU9cIvD9QGWr-cRviyfkybAGy5AWPF3MWpJrqB2y8NlBWu0iux0G6ESVPc2NsMaIatvk0qxvaco81lYCJrwjGautQV_43QhlVwr0M0kJw-YI7kYyd/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wlFgqbgg3MaUYGSoZW3-wPIBR3tJU9cIvD9QGWr-cRviyfkybAGy5AWPF3MWpJrqB2y8NlBWu0iux0G6ESVPc2NsMaIatvk0qxvaco81lYCJrwjGautQV_43QhlVwr0M0kJw-YI7kYyd/s640/DSC_0008.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Then add 1 lb. of cold butter. You need to cut the butter into small (1cm) pieces with a sharp knife, and then cut it into the flour with a pastry blender. If you don't have a pastry blender, or if you want to save time, grate the butter into the flour with a cheese grater using the large holes. This is a trick I picked up when I was working at a tea room where I had to make large quantities of pastry everyday.<br />
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If you grate the butter, you do not need to cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender. The pieces of butter are already small enough - just mix to incorporate with your hands. You might want to break apart any large chunks, but leave the butter in pea-sized pieces. The pieces of butter will melt when your pastry is baking, creating airholes and a flaky pastry.<br />
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It should look chunky like this.<br />
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Next, add your wet ingredients. In a measuring cup, place:<br />
1 beaten egg<br />
1 tablespoon vinegar (or just a splodge, don't ask why, but the acidity helps balance the pastry)<br />
1 cup cold water (if the weather is hot, you can add ice cubes to make it very cold)<br />
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Add the wet ingredients to the flour, but do not add it all at once. Depending on the humidity of the air, you will need more or less liquid. Use your hands to incorporate, adding just enough liquid to moisten the flour, but not as much liquid as to make the pastry sticky. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour. When it starts to come together, knead the pastry in the bowl to create a smooth dough. The key is not to handle it too much, making the pastry tough.<br />
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Divide dough in half, or quarters with a knife and flatten into discs. Wrap in wax paper and put it in the refrigerator to rest, and chill about 1 hour.<br />
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For these cherry tarts, I used 2 quart jars of the cherries I canned last summer. To use fresh cherries, I would have to wait until July! To use canned cherries, I strained off all the liquid (I'll save this an make jello - yum). To use frozen cherries, allow to thaw completely, and strain off liquid.<br />
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Since the canned cherries were already sweetened, I did not add sugar, but I added 6 tablespoons of flour per quart of fruit, and 1 teaspoon of almond extract. Mix well to coat fruit with flour. The flour will help thicken the fruit juice. If the cherries were fresh or frozen, I would add approximately the same quantity of sugar as flour.<br />
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Next, I rolled out the dough and cut it into 4-inch rounds. Then I fitted the rounds into 3-inch fluted tart tins and filled each tart shell with the cherry mixture. Since the tart tins I have are various sizes, some shallow, some deep, I eyeball the amount. Some of the tins are really quite old - they belonged to my great grandmother - but they're excellent tins. Better than new.<br />
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Then I cut out oak leaves to place on the top of each tart. Any shaped pastry will do, or you could choose to put on a full top, like miniature pies, but that is much more fiddly. I scored each leaf with a knife, to make them look pretty. <br />
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Ready to go into the oven. The cherries will plump up as they bake. Canned cherries always look a little deflated.<br />
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Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes (this will crisp the pastry, allowing it to hold its shape). Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown, and fruit is beginning to bubble.<br />
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Once done, remove from oven. Allow to cool slightly. If you want to remove the tarts from their tins, it is easiest done while they are hot, but be careful not to burn yourself! (I have given myself severe fingertip burns from molten butter tart filling). With the help of a butter knife, gently and ginerly, lift tarts from tins. Cool on a rack.<br />
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I like to sprinkle them with a bit of white sugar. <br />
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Share with friends, or eat every single tart yourself. If you don't tell anyone, no one will know.Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-37124270213280332132011-04-04T23:33:00.000-04:002011-04-04T23:33:46.896-04:00Family Recipes: Part I<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDXJHyrNa_2AYgR9TlfseELlb2sq4LaHmuLWKOQjcwVEfzqA_7f6nnzWYwnD8k483Ly_5J-94CvSZ18Zz_jCRTzG2dnN04UvG_YscZ6KEXrweRA5l4Lc2vl-O61g_7iEmF57Malaf8BrG/s1600/raggedrobbins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDXJHyrNa_2AYgR9TlfseELlb2sq4LaHmuLWKOQjcwVEfzqA_7f6nnzWYwnD8k483Ly_5J-94CvSZ18Zz_jCRTzG2dnN04UvG_YscZ6KEXrweRA5l4Lc2vl-O61g_7iEmF57Malaf8BrG/s640/raggedrobbins.jpg" width="442" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This recipe for drop-cookies is from Grandma's neighbour, Mrs. Myrtle Allwell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>These embroideries are part of an on-going series of work based on my collection of recipes belonging to my grandmothers. I have original recipe books from both my maternal grandmother and her mother, and copies and scans my aunt made me of my paternal grandmother, her mother, and mother-in-law. Some are recipes I have made myself, or tasted as a child. Others, I've never tried, but just like the sound of them, or not at all. <br />
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These three embroideries are from Grandma Blanche's notebooks. She traded recipes with friends and neighbours, and sometimes the name of the lady who gave the recipe is written on the page. Some are written in Grandma's hand, others have been given in the hand-writing of the friend. I love the scrawl of old handwriting, and it was important to me to translate the handwriting and punctuation exactly. I embroidered the handwritten text onto pieces of old tea-towels and tablecloths.<br />
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In another series of embroidered pieces, <i>Family Albums</i>, I created portraits of family members I had never met, but only knew through photographs or stories told to me as child. In one piece, I used my great-grandmother May's recipe for doughnuts as her portrait. My mother remembers eating these delicious doughnuts. <br />
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I have a scrap of paper on which May wrote the recipe in pencil. Someday I would like to try making these doughnuts, but Grandma's recipe does not provide any instructions - only ingredients, and even then, there is the vague direction for the amount of flour - "flour as for cookies".<br />
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More variations on the recipe series to follow. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqFEc2aFgFe4Bj86yoc0xMXcII5efClZs85ZR1lEPcq4nZwHeDt9_xrVwrqsWk8UVQsq-66532meZPSMSm269zGHh-7H3y94Jn9XJMK0NJ3K6Zi2FMI6Th15_tqlr3tyzNNxMuVrLTwKA/s1600/05.may.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqFEc2aFgFe4Bj86yoc0xMXcII5efClZs85ZR1lEPcq4nZwHeDt9_xrVwrqsWk8UVQsq-66532meZPSMSm269zGHh-7H3y94Jn9XJMK0NJ3K6Zi2FMI6Th15_tqlr3tyzNNxMuVrLTwKA/s640/05.may.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embroidered on a piece of an old apron with the pocket still attached.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4bGrsPQboulHlfaCl_C6X3EaGrmy7I95P6oCLb5JVpuFLSHVp1nVJOB0FkyWDdlOgz4bYo4_V7-6Rf0DAuypG5S3-5IT5rognmlEbt8716lSCScc3mJ13YuEjQeVytwY-v-Mg7ddMbaE/s1600/05.may%2528detail%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4bGrsPQboulHlfaCl_C6X3EaGrmy7I95P6oCLb5JVpuFLSHVp1nVJOB0FkyWDdlOgz4bYo4_V7-6Rf0DAuypG5S3-5IT5rognmlEbt8716lSCScc3mJ13YuEjQeVytwY-v-Mg7ddMbaE/s640/05.may%2528detail%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of my great-grandmother's signature. I love the holes and stains in the fabric.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-82548365410654132011-03-31T21:05:00.000-04:002011-03-31T21:05:16.516-04:00Grandes Dames: Grandma Blanche<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD6d3FS26NkULDWWqlDDiVI11BhLkA4M9DLgAVn4gojMjd6IbC9wrf6M-8_BElek4CR6h0NLgHcIlXCl3BAXqZ-k-KH9AWSuXQPh_Q7Y3z_xknD99zaHrS2gdVuaAEilRG2SsQCMyDQJf/s1600/DSC_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD6d3FS26NkULDWWqlDDiVI11BhLkA4M9DLgAVn4gojMjd6IbC9wrf6M-8_BElek4CR6h0NLgHcIlXCl3BAXqZ-k-KH9AWSuXQPh_Q7Y3z_xknD99zaHrS2gdVuaAEilRG2SsQCMyDQJf/s640/DSC_0001.jpg" width="515" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Circa 1930s, in front of the perennial border.</td></tr>
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This is the first in a new series of entries about the ladies and men who have played a formative role in shaping my thoughts on domestic activities. There is no greater influence in my life in this regard than my maternal grandmother, Blanche.<br />
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Born in 1904, she grew up on a farm near Lynden, Ontario, where one of her designated chores was to hold the chicken still while her brother chopped off its head. Her father's farm was typical old-fashioned mixed use farm. My great grandfather Frank grew a variety of vegetables and other crops, raised animals, made his own sausage and sauerkraut, and grew his own fruit. He was also an amateur photographer and he processed his own film and photographs. (More on him later).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBiTlP28bdWTt83LeRBprswCk7UJ02b45nr33vSYeuBX3ONCbXVlubiI4XFcUkYmbL-C40hJq7Gd1XBa3_Rme-mzhqxQkCXhpCrfr1GLb27uCMVyhv19fw-cmstKc-xwIzlqTEpbmBflF/s1600/leo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBiTlP28bdWTt83LeRBprswCk7UJ02b45nr33vSYeuBX3ONCbXVlubiI4XFcUkYmbL-C40hJq7Gd1XBa3_Rme-mzhqxQkCXhpCrfr1GLb27uCMVyhv19fw-cmstKc-xwIzlqTEpbmBflF/s640/leo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images of early life: the old farm house, Blanche's brothers, Leo and Frank, and a favourite photo of mine, my grandmother and her sister Winnie, peeling potatoes - at work from an early age.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBXdd04COsKWQktymzOSgeqP1IKQwYkvY-JN7yinjchwOrdS_AQHrrwzdb5EHNJYmf-CdiSEQ-sx5lQVEtJZXblPGwfL0vUOufmfGo0be5o4vFqwK1HwauQnEyfdPw9GMnwq0RXfdO9rA/s1600/portdover2%252B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBXdd04COsKWQktymzOSgeqP1IKQwYkvY-JN7yinjchwOrdS_AQHrrwzdb5EHNJYmf-CdiSEQ-sx5lQVEtJZXblPGwfL0vUOufmfGo0be5o4vFqwK1HwauQnEyfdPw9GMnwq0RXfdO9rA/s640/portdover2%252B.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blanche and Winnie on the beach at Port Dover. 'MBM' is how my grandmother referred to herself: Mabel Blanche Mannen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdwMcnxo0sIZy5cYkfwiaPsPFZl3SUXz2dLgm1V1JZFO1GEhM80yun0BhW591SQwDWexu7DeU8CLNyEtW4p4d3AWsOOyfTHwcqRluFLJiz2OL-Bv2E86T-bGV7bGpjHOMqA0u4gfD8hUY/s1600/portdover%252B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdwMcnxo0sIZy5cYkfwiaPsPFZl3SUXz2dLgm1V1JZFO1GEhM80yun0BhW591SQwDWexu7DeU8CLNyEtW4p4d3AWsOOyfTHwcqRluFLJiz2OL-Bv2E86T-bGV7bGpjHOMqA0u4gfD8hUY/s640/portdover%252B.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love these old photographs of family and leisure life. The family at the beach. The photo on the bottom left shows Blanche and Winnie again.</td></tr>
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Blanche was the third of four children spaced four years apart, two boys and two girls. My grandmother had only a ninth grade education because her parents could only afford to board her at Brantford to attend high school for one year. She spent much of her life working hard, in ways that I can only imagine, as a domestic servant, maid, store clerk, housekeeper, waitress. She worked upstairs and downstairs in grand houses. She worked in the dining room at Ridley College in St. Catherines. She worked at Eaton's department store. She worked at the Majestic Restaurant in downtown Hamilton. She worked hard, and she was pragmatic and sensible.<br />
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She was the sort whose hands must always be busy, never sitting down. When she did, she liked to watch tennis on television. She read murder mysteries and crime fiction. But she was usually busy - cooking, cleaning, gardening, tending to hundreds of houseplants (African violets were a particular favourite), sewing, baking, canning, pickling. She was happiest when she was busy.<br />
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Perhaps typical of her generation, she saved everything. Scraps of cloth. Lengths of string. Thread. Yarn. Bits of paper. Buttons. Postcards. Hardware. Nails. Screws. All of these things carefully organised into envelopes, tins, jars, and boxes, all carefully repurposed. Much of which, I have inherited.<br />
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She baked mean pie crust, and made amazing lemon meringue pie. She was also a clotheshorse. More to follow on Blanche, her collections and her pie crust, in the weeks to come.Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-26991862887842735642011-03-29T21:13:00.004-04:002011-03-31T20:03:50.197-04:00Spring Forward.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKG8ZWVJzH1u69HznBsFej4hGcGt0xnFbEh2AAnrNOtpcPIPzdDksod42vMntM3V87b8Qz2u8dAJg5A_QT0EVqFVhdq5Jstuz-5fDA3V5ejkUskvuAzzeiTCDOnySIAri0Md7DSqD7W9C/s1600/DSC_0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKG8ZWVJzH1u69HznBsFej4hGcGt0xnFbEh2AAnrNOtpcPIPzdDksod42vMntM3V87b8Qz2u8dAJg5A_QT0EVqFVhdq5Jstuz-5fDA3V5ejkUskvuAzzeiTCDOnySIAri0Md7DSqD7W9C/s640/DSC_0039.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggplants with their seed leaves.</td></tr>
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In winter, I hibernate. Hence the long silence from yours truly. In spring, my energy returns, and so does my enthusiasm for things domestic. Last week, it snowed. Nevertheless, now is the time when I begin to plan for outdoor activities later in the spring. Namely, beginning the garden, which starts with seeds.<br />
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Back in February, I made a trip to <a href="http://www.oscseeds.com/history/index.php">Tregunno Seed Co</a>. on Catherine Street North to pick up potting soil and pots. I ordered my tomato and eggplant seeds online, from <a href="http://www.cottagegardener.com/">The Cottage Gardener</a> and <a href="http://www.cooksgarden.com/">The Cook's Garden</a>. The Cottage Gardener is a family owned nursery near Port Hope, Ontario, that specialises in rare heirloom varieties of tomato. They have a vast selection of tomatoes, but also grow many other heritage and unusual varieties of other vegetables. The Cook's Garden is an American seed company. They have a few varieties of tomato and eggplant that I like and have not found anywhere else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1sI5gdrdof_y933YJQbl4ktTqGSCNijViy3K52ruGVdxdxOp3FwXSzRAJ8W3Uc9MsJdvZbtUzYNmo_i6zgbbs43sdPJ9MsFMS1Xdf5cNeSxwCscNPgI6tzWEoa1dbqnDGhvrMIAyOlHc/s1600/DSC_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1sI5gdrdof_y933YJQbl4ktTqGSCNijViy3K52ruGVdxdxOp3FwXSzRAJ8W3Uc9MsJdvZbtUzYNmo_i6zgbbs43sdPJ9MsFMS1Xdf5cNeSxwCscNPgI6tzWEoa1dbqnDGhvrMIAyOlHc/s640/DSC_0045.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seed Packets.</td></tr>
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Every year, I like to try a few new varieties of tomato, along with my favourites. I love tomatoes, and in summer time, I eat several tomatoes everyday. I also like to can whole and stewed tomatoes to eat plain and to cook with - <i>San Marzano.</i> Last year I also grew a variety called <i>Principe Borghese</i>, an Italian variety grown for sun-drying. These are repeat for this year. My ultimate standby is the powerhouse tomato <i>Brandywine</i>, a huge, beautiful, flavourful red fruit. Wonderful for eating fresh, cooking and preserving. <br />
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This year, I may have slightly lost my mind as I decided to grow 11 different varieties. 2 varieties will be for preserving - canning and drying. The rest will be for eating fresh, and canning as well.<br />
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This season's other players are a multi-hued cast ranging from white (<i>White Queen) </i>to yellow-orange (<i>Jaune Flammee, Nebraska Wedding</i> and <i>Valencia</i>), to multi-coloured (<i>Big Rainbow</i>), to red (<i>Rose de Berne </i>and <i>Bloody Butcher</i>) to purple (<i>Black Krim</i>).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirl4YfSTKF6k7pn3SfOV2kc8Xwp9Mz1kQpNTsXvZFs-o0j3_Oysby6E7aZLBlUFMEn3zkUlw932KTtkoPipuwTZH2mz5Ru0M8JbCK704C4QHlVxJ4KZ96A_hjs04u89l1mx-dE4anWNRxx/s1600/DSC_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirl4YfSTKF6k7pn3SfOV2kc8Xwp9Mz1kQpNTsXvZFs-o0j3_Oysby6E7aZLBlUFMEn3zkUlw932KTtkoPipuwTZH2mz5Ru0M8JbCK704C4QHlVxJ4KZ96A_hjs04u89l1mx-dE4anWNRxx/s640/DSC_0037.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeds are amazing. An enormous tomato plant will grow from each of these dry little seeds!</td></tr>
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Once I have the seeds planted (3-5 seeds per pot), I water them, and place them inside these plastic domes in a sunny window until they have germinated. Once the plants start coming up, I will begin rotating the trays - the plants seek sunlight, so will lean toward the light - unless rotated daily, you will have spindly, crooked plants! Once the plants are about 1-2 cm tall I remove the domes. If the weather is warm, I will put the dome-covered trays outside. In the sun, the trays become like mini greenhouses.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatoes toasty and warm in their little greenhouses.</td></tr>
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Three weeks ago, I planted 5 varieties of eggplants, and I now have little seedlings. Soon, they will need thinning, but I am waiting until they start to get their second leaves. As soon as the snow melts, I will begin putting them outside in the cold frame during the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTNu4EeWVmdvFMpdU-uHf6QnPVK6kC1Dmau7tve19kc66GqKnhpUg_563tdyhut97vZV5AmuJB2bQ0eEZey4oSkjZKzYnSr_ymtAoNxK6r0-WzL_kkhKrF6CajULLNTOmQ7vypLEc7DcZ/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTNu4EeWVmdvFMpdU-uHf6QnPVK6kC1Dmau7tve19kc66GqKnhpUg_563tdyhut97vZV5AmuJB2bQ0eEZey4oSkjZKzYnSr_ymtAoNxK6r0-WzL_kkhKrF6CajULLNTOmQ7vypLEc7DcZ/s640/DSC_0042.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My darling eggplants. Are they not adorable?</td></tr>
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After danger of frost, I will plant my babies out in the garden -by my Grandma Blanche's rule of thumb - after the May 24th holiday, or when the black walnut trees begin to leaf.Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-21929083874424509592010-10-19T20:09:00.003-04:002011-03-31T20:03:15.216-04:00The Fruit Cellar of Miss H...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Today, more photographs of my installation, <i>The Fruit Cellar of Miss H... </i> in the Project Window at <a href="http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/yorkquaycentreYQC10_4.cfm?utm_source=visualarts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=VA+20100917&utm_content=img">Harbourfront Centre</a>. The exhibition continues until Sunday November 7, 2010.<br />
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I was an artist-in-residence in the textile studio at Harbourfront Centre from 2006-2009. I always enjoy installing pieces at Harbourfront because their wonderful installation crew is immensely talented, and because the Visual Arts and Crafts curators, Patrick Macauley and Melanie Egan are a such pleasure to work with. You just want to please them.<br />
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Below, I have included my artist statement from the didactic panel at Harbourfront Centre. Not included in the panel information was the materials I work with - a lot of cotton organdie (I love the pliant nature of it, how it responds to being shaped so obediently) and all sorts of wools, some silk, some linen. Much of the fabric I dyed using natural dyes - Queen Anne's lace, goldenrod, Lady's Bedstraw, madder, logwood, black walnut, pomegranate, cochineal - and some of it I screen-printed using discharge paste, earth pigments and gold leaf. All of the screen printed imagery is taken from old recipes, photographs and ladies' magazines from the 1930s. All the fruits and vegetables are hand-stitched sculptures. The majority of mason jars (the Crown jars) were my grandmother's, the rest have been acquired at flea markets and antique markets, especially Aberfoyle.<br />
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The work is difficult to photograph as it is behind glass, and directly across from a brightly lit window.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Artist Statement</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Preserving. Formerly, this household task occupied much of summer and autumn, in order to conserve fresh food for consumption during winter, when it was a scarce. The filled shelves of a cold cellar afforded a sense of accomplishment, virtue and security. This pursuit, so representative of ‘old fashioned values’, is lately experiencing resurgence as we place more importance on the provenance of our food.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Each year, I can fruits, pickles and jellies. This is an inherited habit. A few jars put down by my grandmother still remain after a quarter century. In particular, one treasured jar of her pickles has become like a votive from her to me. This seemingly mundane object acts as a time capsule of seasons and places past, preserving her memory. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">This body of work imagines the fruit cellar as a storehouse of memories. From season to season, the contents of each jar are imbued with vestiges of the past, triumphs and regrets, joys and sorrows. The vessels are an investment in the future as much as they are reliquaries of the past. The fruit cellar acts as a hope chest of both realised and unrequited aspiration.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
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</div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-11583690287923390122010-10-05T00:26:00.001-04:002011-03-31T20:02:59.037-04:00Home Economics (2009)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXPQVU1I7szdFSD7zvP2v3DfJugkkj5n2WDpEuEO1gQl09AvnnmVMB3x4K_JypITTs3mwlGhfqKbMKdueNEKFmvEBDijP46IAY4QGPddOEVFFAl0BAbdOiLAoQRLldDgkMffzzJcmeDf6/s1600/'SCRIMP'.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXPQVU1I7szdFSD7zvP2v3DfJugkkj5n2WDpEuEO1gQl09AvnnmVMB3x4K_JypITTs3mwlGhfqKbMKdueNEKFmvEBDijP46IAY4QGPddOEVFFAl0BAbdOiLAoQRLldDgkMffzzJcmeDf6/s400/'SCRIMP'.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><i>Home Economics </i>is an installation piece that I showed at Harbourfront Centre in summer of 2009 as part of the <a href="http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/architecture_summer09.cfm"><i>Building for the Economy</i></a> exhibition in the Architecture Space. </span><i>Home Economics</i> considers the earliest origins of the term which suggests the importance of the home as the centre of human life. It offers a cautionary tale that recalls eras such as during the Great Depression where recycling was second nature and maintaining the essentials of life was the cornerstone of every home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">installation view</td></tr>
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For several years, I have been collecting monogrammed household linens. I have always been obsessed with language and etymology and the preoccupation we have with labeling our possessions. When the wealthy did not always have their linens laundered at home, monograms served a practical purpose of proclaiming to whom the article of cloth belonged. It also, of course, denoted status. I have used the individual letters here on these hand towels to spell out commands associated with good management of household resources. I used what letters I had, and where they were missing I embroidered the monograms on blank towels to spell out 'scrimp' and 'save', etc. I plan on rearranging the pieces various other compositions exploring household language.<br />
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I love the dictionary, and consult it first when researching new ideas in the studio. You can read the 6 individual words below; each is a colloquialism of the word 'economize'. Read below for an excerpt from my artist statement on the piece.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneI8zKSewRytbwtXhTPq9w0cg3n46eREBuTdOm2qWeQa_PiWjDzJnFMXBNJeBo-LytvBNWAQN-E2-YP817YLbgMJKcVmkVV-1pv-66S7JUrLwEoT-FgnCYGok5fWzlagdwiAkpoYveRfa/s1600/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_04+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneI8zKSewRytbwtXhTPq9w0cg3n46eREBuTdOm2qWeQa_PiWjDzJnFMXBNJeBo-LytvBNWAQN-E2-YP817YLbgMJKcVmkVV-1pv-66S7JUrLwEoT-FgnCYGok5fWzlagdwiAkpoYveRfa/s200/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_04+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bWkko71lu9afGWHqJbP-uGDEeQw1qigqDmMkk1dVxQINtmzfKaHMnEAFyF7dQQqeX8sEqAZCY3H0uuQkVkueKKfAhW2yy-SyeTVN9gu2HGL0UBAJuNgJDYsma3aEgkdgWXTL53Ndz_s_/s1600/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_05+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bWkko71lu9afGWHqJbP-uGDEeQw1qigqDmMkk1dVxQINtmzfKaHMnEAFyF7dQQqeX8sEqAZCY3H0uuQkVkueKKfAhW2yy-SyeTVN9gu2HGL0UBAJuNgJDYsma3aEgkdgWXTL53Ndz_s_/s200/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_05+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaNJNUNi1vUf1OGvFdyx90mnDhWqs7td5vW1S_kB-ZFpE4AOhluca4rEUc3p4v7UUu7FtFDNhBuReUY5_bE6BT8gZS4mUeIyPGcC_oPf0Zmn9twEJlqjsURbBpOhi9glHF8g5RTVsg0ga/s1600/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_06+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaNJNUNi1vUf1OGvFdyx90mnDhWqs7td5vW1S_kB-ZFpE4AOhluca4rEUc3p4v7UUu7FtFDNhBuReUY5_bE6BT8gZS4mUeIyPGcC_oPf0Zmn9twEJlqjsURbBpOhi9glHF8g5RTVsg0ga/s200/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_06+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoSwbygHK0hB3v7wRnukNISwLYnPWWFX6emnZQu7vSxEuD8wW2jRfu3orvat2mFo2RF1BF5RelBCN1Onq9GeDNWKsrxB7p5vTTdOQUIMyLFOPyaA1uZyZjromhC0Po7nZgxz9gkgbDIA8/s1600/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_07+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoSwbygHK0hB3v7wRnukNISwLYnPWWFX6emnZQu7vSxEuD8wW2jRfu3orvat2mFo2RF1BF5RelBCN1Onq9GeDNWKsrxB7p5vTTdOQUIMyLFOPyaA1uZyZjromhC0Po7nZgxz9gkgbDIA8/s200/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_07+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7pB55LPYGP2BY7jg58jX7vi8aKXMxz14SYuJkVt9lD1zV_oZMoba-hQ-DqNz7gthfopWwjOqWqF-mXQOKrfTifeSxseqqD-UA6ZD2xLKSwSv8hxU5dG8LdVhsOQhJxiasxdAaL1b3wK_/s1600/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_08+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7pB55LPYGP2BY7jg58jX7vi8aKXMxz14SYuJkVt9lD1zV_oZMoba-hQ-DqNz7gthfopWwjOqWqF-mXQOKrfTifeSxseqqD-UA6ZD2xLKSwSv8hxU5dG8LdVhsOQhJxiasxdAaL1b3wK_/s200/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_08+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zpaVEaSnm1fNugNHQPiTAOHQSEZXCXuoGyY-3k4ogdrhkN52-CV9SqIny4MiPxNG4GmiqjmMgVBg0uof15DmbpewJiuONuAKHqexzG2fYYbI3S1QfYuGBveUji5WkO54JH0OgtpG0509/s1600/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_03+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zpaVEaSnm1fNugNHQPiTAOHQSEZXCXuoGyY-3k4ogdrhkN52-CV9SqIny4MiPxNG4GmiqjmMgVBg0uof15DmbpewJiuONuAKHqexzG2fYYbI3S1QfYuGBveUji5WkO54JH0OgtpG0509/s320/Thea+Haines+-+Home+Economics_03+%28Photo-TomBilenkey%29.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<i>HOME ECONOMICS</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">home economics</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">, plural noun [often treated as sing. ] cooking and other aspects of household management, esp. as taught at school.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-top: 12pt;">The word <i>‘economy’</i> alludes to thrift, prudence, restraint, and frugality. Its origin is French (<i>économie</i>), via Latin from Greek (<i>oikonomia</i>), meaning ‘<i>household management<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1408209558"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">’</span></a></i><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4236770093954379789&postID=1158369028792339012" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference">[1]</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Home Economics</i> recalls a time when housekeeping, which included preserving and canning, laundry, sewing and mending, was achieved without the conveniences of modern appliances and supermarkets. The homemaker was tasked with creating a comfortable and attractive home while living within one’s means, making do with resources at hand, and planning for the future. This was often accomplished with do-it-yourself spirit, and personalized embellishments were done by hand, reusing and repurposing old goods. This installation suggests imperatives that urge us all to consider the necessities and excesses in our own lives. </div><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;"> </div><div><hr align="left" size="1" style="font-family: inherit;" width="33%" /><div id="ftn"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4236770093954379789#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt;">[1]</span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">economy</span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> |iˈkänəmē|</span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">noun ( pl. </span><b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">-mies</span></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">1 </span></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">the wealth and resources of a country or region, esp. in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">• </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">a particular system or stage of an economy : </span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">a free-market economy </span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">| </span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">the less-developed economies.</span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">2 </span></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">careful management of available resources : </span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">even heat distribution and fuel economy.</span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">• </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">sparing or careful use of something : </span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">economy of words.</span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">• </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(usu.</span><b><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> economies</span></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">) a financial saving : </span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">there were many economies to be made by giving up our offices in Manhattan.</span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">• </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(also</span><b><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> economy class</span></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">) the cheapest class of air or rail travel : </span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">we flew economy.</span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">adjective [ attrib. ]</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(of a product) offering the best value for the money : [in comb. ] </span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">an economy pack.</span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">• </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">designed to be economical to use : </span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">an economy car.</span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">PHRASES</span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">economy of scale </span></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">a proportionate saving in costs gained by an increased level of production.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">economy of scope </span></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">a proportionate saving gained by producing two or more distinct goods, when the cost of doing so is less than that of producing each separately.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">ORIGIN </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">late 15th cent.(in the sense [management of material resources] ): from French </span><b><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">économie</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">, or via Latin from Greek </span><b><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;">oikonomia ‘household management,’ </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">based on</span><b><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> oikos ‘house’ </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;">+</span><b><i><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> nemein ‘manage.’</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> Current senses date from the 17th cent.</span></div><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><br />
</div></div></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-38071200213714817342010-09-26T16:54:00.001-04:002011-03-31T20:02:23.396-04:00The Fruit Cellar of Miss H...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQkOd3BhVmXhluCGm8557CiDlnPbD5Hg1iLG11xzAHmRsBbc00LXs2riMwuGfoHM5G4p6pCm_PNLBFwJQUjt4rPk_2ZAfndMNldJtp0rBRA5mYGvshz_xWDGb-TALiFALgDJASWf-XdUv/s400/Pickled+Onions.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="307" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <i>Sweet Pickled Onions. Fruit Cellar detail</i>, 2010, Cotton organdie, linen, Queen Anne's Lace dye, discharge and earth pigment screen print, stitch, vintage Crown Imperial Pint jars. </td></tr>
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Our Domestic Scientist has been on hiatus the last few weeks. The beginning of the school year is always a whirlwind, and this year is no exception. I've been at work sewing and dyeing. For the past six months I've been working on a large scale installation piece for the project window at <a href="http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/visualarts/yorkquaycentreYQC10_4.cfm?utm_source=visualarts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=VA+20100917&utm_content=img">Harbourfront Centre</a> in Toronto. I just installed the piece, <i>The Fruit Cellar of Miss H...</i> on Friday. Here are a few detail shots of the pieces. Photos of the installation to follow soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR30fH6WkbTxvWPOcF_Orm5zjHRFJ4f_q4sHwbynyTjLuTX9pQUMEqewWoyQlXIfMTo4gh03cpK3ps23VNRNkmMmgTBt6cr6cPByy6WBGhviAl2PtHZT71TCdb7EKiZmTLRk64QhQUFigW/s400/Gherkins.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gherkins. Fruit Cellar detail</i>, 2010, Cotton organdie, pomegranate dye, discharge screen print, stitch, vintage Crown Imperial Pint jar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR30fH6WkbTxvWPOcF_Orm5zjHRFJ4f_q4sHwbynyTjLuTX9pQUMEqewWoyQlXIfMTo4gh03cpK3ps23VNRNkmMmgTBt6cr6cPByy6WBGhviAl2PtHZT71TCdb7EKiZmTLRk64QhQUFigW/s1600/Gherkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-64255317979951175242010-08-29T23:48:00.001-04:002011-03-31T20:02:00.902-04:00Good Books: The Joy of Cooking, 1953<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOf9SstxYh3OY2pbM3L3FZdMXnXP9ugKWUJpU8oP3jZ4cFZvhHoiOI5lZZq7uXkQzQUK5AD2cbvhRzH4V7ECjesPDs4YWkIOTTdZo7-pPc0tm8Ws7VV2YngF1ATWHKZxMxDH4olS78Guv/s1600/Scan+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOf9SstxYh3OY2pbM3L3FZdMXnXP9ugKWUJpU8oP3jZ4cFZvhHoiOI5lZZq7uXkQzQUK5AD2cbvhRzH4V7ECjesPDs4YWkIOTTdZo7-pPc0tm8Ws7VV2YngF1ATWHKZxMxDH4olS78Guv/s400/Scan+3.jpeg" width="267" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a large collection of both new and old cook books, amongst them, two different editions of <b>The Joy of Cooking </b>by Irma S. Rombauer. One (1936) belonged to my great-grandmother May, and the other (1953) to grandmother, Blanche. I have two copies of the 1953 edition. Grandma's was falling apart, so when I saw a more pristine copy for $10 at an antique store, I scooped it up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is a bit of an old chestnut, but this truly is a good cook book. It is a faithful, basic guide to all kinds of cooking, and I refer to it often. The 1953 edition was a complete kitchen manual, advising the homemaker in all aspects of meal-preparation, menu-planning, nutrition, food-preservation, nutrition and the latest kitchen technology. The Joy of Cooking gives precise and concise instructions on everything one could reasonably expect to want to know how to cook in 1953, and offered hints about how to run a kitchen, especially helpful to the uninitiated 1950's bride. It even tells you how to clean up!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhRASnwSoBGDfAk1EOOOwOTXWhvDclgsTSALc5oU3vPnW1RVj93Iwfzdxh1pB5ArUoxs8c1rfQl96wn3FnSxl5jV3NYH9jWSY8u0jUs6XlCP7bO-ayR-S7UpxEi3kdliKb9LtgA5gUKU1/s1600/hints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhRASnwSoBGDfAk1EOOOwOTXWhvDclgsTSALc5oU3vPnW1RVj93Iwfzdxh1pB5ArUoxs8c1rfQl96wn3FnSxl5jV3NYH9jWSY8u0jUs6XlCP7bO-ayR-S7UpxEi3kdliKb9LtgA5gUKU1/s400/hints.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The newest household appliances: the electric mixer, the blender and the pressure cooker.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mrs. Rombauer serves up all manner of charming (and timely) advice:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>'Serve hot food hot from hot dishes. Serve cold food chilled from chilled dishes. Keep calm even if your hair striggles and you drip unattractively. Brush up before serving. Your appearance and the appearance of the food are important, but eating in a quiet atmosphere is even more important to the family's morale and digestion.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>A meal represents effort and money. It is worthy of a dignified hour.'</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This book emphasizes the true importance of the kitchen as the centre of the home. Some of the instructions, such as those for canning, are now outdated compared to today's standards, but this book also contains information not found anywhere else.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh648qW7xh1wYHHTat-8e6wLq2RaYXEvXGNpda7Hupy2kuSQdOTDdyGgnf4JV4cq88_xbS4xXHwmMo6JP7XPY3HWnLuA3h7tUrA6p_EzMRUCGEr6GH3HQVB4KpkG2ZBwdTSNEHI8VpNihq4/s1600/canning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh648qW7xh1wYHHTat-8e6wLq2RaYXEvXGNpda7Hupy2kuSQdOTDdyGgnf4JV4cq88_xbS4xXHwmMo6JP7XPY3HWnLuA3h7tUrA6p_EzMRUCGEr6GH3HQVB4KpkG2ZBwdTSNEHI8VpNihq4/s400/canning.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canning instructions illustrate how to use different types of canning jars and lids.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the illustrations in this edition.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5613DWpaZ0PA368ak29sOUzkRG_Wzbp4rbkn59Q6Db-sLMnn7NV7ZTzIH1yxjMpptW3GwTP_Yn6j2hC3Kywd-MXmCfZcExmStwlXfoAzrhVuCh9NbCh2ksYKjnjGMvGtvreFOvdhyykh/s1600/vegetables.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5613DWpaZ0PA368ak29sOUzkRG_Wzbp4rbkn59Q6Db-sLMnn7NV7ZTzIH1yxjMpptW3GwTP_Yn6j2hC3Kywd-MXmCfZcExmStwlXfoAzrhVuCh9NbCh2ksYKjnjGMvGtvreFOvdhyykh/s400/vegetables.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to prepare artichokes and steam asparagus.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-20558666347527138102010-08-22T22:21:00.002-04:002011-03-31T20:01:07.417-04:00Almond Shortbread Raspberry Jam Sandwiches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioemoL09PArqn-19Fu22-qi1aB6j40tYIKhdz9zsalxwETDY_JAVqwVncp2ByMdE22MkVpdBRFR1qadc_GsdSJaduDopb5kjm2bkHClUw1UoNBulFZ_UBNX9gDyepCBi7J-B_Tw7WBZIWh/s1600/DSCN0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioemoL09PArqn-19Fu22-qi1aB6j40tYIKhdz9zsalxwETDY_JAVqwVncp2ByMdE22MkVpdBRFR1qadc_GsdSJaduDopb5kjm2bkHClUw1UoNBulFZ_UBNX9gDyepCBi7J-B_Tw7WBZIWh/s400/DSCN0795.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
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When I was in university, I worked in an English tea room, and I had to make hundreds of tarts, cookies, and scones every week. It was then that I became truly at ease with baking and making pastry. We used to make several pounds of butter pastry at once (by hand, without an electric mixer!). I learned lots of tricks and was introduced to many handy tools working in the tea room kitchen.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>These cookies are a hybrid between Empire (or Belgian) cookies and shortbread. At the tea room, we always iced the Empire cookies with almond icing, and they had raspberry jam in the middle. When I make these at Christmastime, I cut them into star shapes or trees, or hearts for Valentine's day. You can use any kind of jam, but I like raspberry best.<br />
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Shortbread is one of the simplest types of cookies to make. The basic recipe of butter, sugar, salt and flour can be adapted with any flavour simply by adding various extracts, fruit, nuts, sugar or chocolate.<br />
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1/2 lb of soft butter (1 cup)<br />
1/2 cup of white sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 tsp + almond extract (I add extra sometimes)<br />
1/2 cup ground almonds<br />
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt<br />
2 cups flour<br />
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Cream butter and sugar together. Add the remaining ingredients in order listed. Mix together until dough is smooth. This time, I used an electric mixer, but it is easy to do by hand. In fact, the dough is easier to handle if you mix it by hand. Form dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, and wrap in wax paper. Chill 1 hour.<br />
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees.<br />
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Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use flour as needed to prevent dough sticking. I like to roll my pastry and dough directly on the counter. This gives you lots of space to manoeuver. My rolling pin belonged to my great-grandmother. It is a great pin; it's heavy hardwood, and moves really smoothly. My favourite part of it is the scorch mark on one end where it was left too close to the woodstove.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEqzIozs37yE0llmyAQJr4LlEExZI3b-ETM6q-wy0czc6gsM-TMPJ82zboDlJlJhKMwbtsaa81W3nMjU2yWWR9nNwCoEP8Ny1uN1eC_IF-8Rt_r1pvUySyqHEDMLd6kHMjCC4Z11NAkky/s1600/DSCN0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEqzIozs37yE0llmyAQJr4LlEExZI3b-ETM6q-wy0czc6gsM-TMPJ82zboDlJlJhKMwbtsaa81W3nMjU2yWWR9nNwCoEP8Ny1uN1eC_IF-8Rt_r1pvUySyqHEDMLd6kHMjCC4Z11NAkky/s400/DSCN0794.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Cut into desired shapes, and place on cookie sheet. Chill in the freezer until cookies are stiff. This will help them keep their shape while baking. Bake cookies 15-20 minutes, or until edges are just golden. Cool on rack.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWX4T20UL91xhnEP-49crMRMAPXqr6ev3mKyy3DIfW__XKSnA86Jf15dY8EsT90bKTwoADWNFXnxyvbWM41_-ja65F8rKJHZbpsZJBp2uLWJ8Iee_oSLSsB0GfuqsUwigQbGKhux2LJ1z/s1600/DSCN0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWX4T20UL91xhnEP-49crMRMAPXqr6ev3mKyy3DIfW__XKSnA86Jf15dY8EsT90bKTwoADWNFXnxyvbWM41_-ja65F8rKJHZbpsZJBp2uLWJ8Iee_oSLSsB0GfuqsUwigQbGKhux2LJ1z/s400/DSCN0797.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>When cool, spread a generous layer of raspberry jam on the bottom of one cookie and top with a second cookie. Gently press together. If you let them sit for a bit, the jam will set a little, and they will be less messy. <br />
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Enjoy with tea.Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236770093954379789.post-79032058551342122822010-08-16T22:40:00.002-04:002011-03-31T20:01:36.936-04:00A Peachy Day and a Spicy Evening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Canned Peaches: Halves and Slices</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"> 4 3-quart baskets of Red Haven Peaches</div><div style="margin: 0px;"> +</div><div style="margin: 0px;"> 4 hours of peeling, pitting, slicing, cooking, jarring and processing</div><div style="margin: 0px;"> = </div><div style="margin: 0px;"> 7 jars of peach halves and 4 jars of peach slices</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Method:<br />
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I used a combination of the open kettle method and the 'recommended' method.</div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>The Open Kettle Method is an old fashioned way of canning, and the method my grandmother would have used. You cook the fruit until it is entirely cooked, and then put it into sterile jars and seal with sterile lids and bands, with no further processing. </i></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Safe food handling guidelines no longer consider this method safe. For peaches, it is recommended that the peaches be canned either <b>raw pack</b> (putting uncooked fruit in jars) or <b>hot pack </b>(partially cooked fruit), and then processed for 20 to 30 minutes to complete cooking the fruit and sealing the jars. I find this method troublesome because I find the fruit always floats (which results in air discoloring the fruit). Always searching for perfection, I have tried cooking the fruit through, and then processing for ten minutes to ensure proper sealing and safety. This still needs some experimentation, but the results this time were pretty good. And delicious.</i><br />
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I cooked the peach halves and slices separately in the honey syrup left over from canning the apricots, cooking the fruit in boiling syrup until it is quite soft.<br />
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Then I packed the jars very full with the peaches, trying to fit as much fruit in a possible. This is much easier with the slices than the halves. Cover the fruit with boiling syrup. Use a kitchen knife to release bubbles trapped under the fruit, and top up the jars with more syrup if necessary. Seal jars. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.</div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Enjoy these peaches in wintertime in yogurt or over ice cream, or all by themselves.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCP1vyuLh8YRvWMoSHyTf0nAOEM-PW3ujdB22GeA-FcandfXjf3ie-1ZIioOi1t1Fmc3CC-6aeX7ffd6j9KfkecMPyjjU5MoA8WVQFe9DnPhDTQ9CBYfZuWjsWwFY1Bcbo-TS-cP7cbgmf/s1600/DSCN0760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCP1vyuLh8YRvWMoSHyTf0nAOEM-PW3ujdB22GeA-FcandfXjf3ie-1ZIioOi1t1Fmc3CC-6aeX7ffd6j9KfkecMPyjjU5MoA8WVQFe9DnPhDTQ9CBYfZuWjsWwFY1Bcbo-TS-cP7cbgmf/s400/DSCN0760.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start by scalding peaches to remove skins.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFIDszIjTF8zvaEphTQAQv5aVWxxqkz1-VhxKNO_e1-FUiozOOREGhzjTm8InycRuR0AR6rd3cluzeY-MddAqo2yKw-Xe1phMk-yMA4nQNb2jyOxNWIEHGabbd6g8yYHIaVE2XAecC8pc/s1600/DSCN0761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFIDszIjTF8zvaEphTQAQv5aVWxxqkz1-VhxKNO_e1-FUiozOOREGhzjTm8InycRuR0AR6rd3cluzeY-MddAqo2yKw-Xe1phMk-yMA4nQNb2jyOxNWIEHGabbd6g8yYHIaVE2XAecC8pc/s400/DSCN0761.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaches awaiting peeling.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXfIdtj1kdUvwoL7k2ymlK5WzO-7o1nCdw3MCddUn4tEHA5F0VDxIJ0eQJDsvgXoLJl_s4s6LBi5qX0zVkuJCQ6e84koc4oZHc5ToWvVB7ZnMPqME75Q_Wt42OUXv5V0iduEHQ2LIK3ol/s1600/DSCN0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXfIdtj1kdUvwoL7k2ymlK5WzO-7o1nCdw3MCddUn4tEHA5F0VDxIJ0eQJDsvgXoLJl_s4s6LBi5qX0zVkuJCQ6e84koc4oZHc5ToWvVB7ZnMPqME75Q_Wt42OUXv5V0iduEHQ2LIK3ol/s400/DSCN0764.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> To prevent discoloration,</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEJ16HO3O6TNp7J_Ryd9VOCD3qGbg17o2Ik_XfzkTfGo1Vx8CH_j4wvYiJ29ueTRk8oYFpH5564xRGeGbopKWOWjmQgpJW0mhNiMzf7uEYmOkqM4RgMCoWM7dTXAE6mGcpGvfnPcJscB5/s1600/DSCN0770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEJ16HO3O6TNp7J_Ryd9VOCD3qGbg17o2Ik_XfzkTfGo1Vx8CH_j4wvYiJ29ueTRk8oYFpH5564xRGeGbopKWOWjmQgpJW0mhNiMzf7uEYmOkqM4RgMCoWM7dTXAE6mGcpGvfnPcJscB5/s400/DSCN0770.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cover peaches in water with a bit of lemon juice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCBACZaupvy2lvFmwlFIUFh6TP_FZjtlfHoMOTsHGpPQbDLVHilNc1kMZloVzDel_Ay2rwEM6kQm-zFQpDKhCJqqUUDXMdq_BHM-9zoOBPPY0j0soUKPgkOOb4-1ipoASBXgf9ZqXD2yI/s1600/DSCN0765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCBACZaupvy2lvFmwlFIUFh6TP_FZjtlfHoMOTsHGpPQbDLVHilNc1kMZloVzDel_Ay2rwEM6kQm-zFQpDKhCJqqUUDXMdq_BHM-9zoOBPPY0j0soUKPgkOOb4-1ipoASBXgf9ZqXD2yI/s400/DSCN0765.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the peaches in syrup, one jar full at a time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWBpMF73gPdDGtBhIjh6wznYSmkk9VoGdCuS3cFcH9XFyKbmgwsY4X_Bb3UuQitsQ5J60z0g_PZcqaWJCzqpJX0_Apx6BE_HLxOXA_EisrwrF5V6RT8sQNizlA1jtpoJJMzrKnegkSlDf/s1600/DSCN0766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWBpMF73gPdDGtBhIjh6wznYSmkk9VoGdCuS3cFcH9XFyKbmgwsY4X_Bb3UuQitsQ5J60z0g_PZcqaWJCzqpJX0_Apx6BE_HLxOXA_EisrwrF5V6RT8sQNizlA1jtpoJJMzrKnegkSlDf/s400/DSCN0766.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling the packed jars with syrup, and sealing.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcuZwVkotKrxbrm06GzxbNC1XX0HInzJNMEjR75XR9422gPKdoBeNtlTkfgjUYhwqKmS9_NLHf0SH7YjAWYtGTW25hq1SF8kSbaIzctV8NpS9M_WfwZy9HubM9GWp1z0uZ3lLABRsiSQ4/s1600/DSCN0773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcuZwVkotKrxbrm06GzxbNC1XX0HInzJNMEjR75XR9422gPKdoBeNtlTkfgjUYhwqKmS9_NLHf0SH7YjAWYtGTW25hq1SF8kSbaIzctV8NpS9M_WfwZy9HubM9GWp1z0uZ3lLABRsiSQ4/s400/DSCN0773.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peach halves in the canner, after processing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw28fQDy8zpGLKpQFdj2m7Dw2Q2ImvSUf5EJ7_UG2_sS43jU0MLQdD8t2pv1jW1cvwE5oMMbR47DMfAxJOUirOnvxXIyye-fvaRHEXDU928THZDxkn2J9H5w2VpC965BX7-K8ED1e0kc3g/s1600/DSCN0776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw28fQDy8zpGLKpQFdj2m7Dw2Q2ImvSUf5EJ7_UG2_sS43jU0MLQdD8t2pv1jW1cvwE5oMMbR47DMfAxJOUirOnvxXIyye-fvaRHEXDU928THZDxkn2J9H5w2VpC965BX7-K8ED1e0kc3g/s400/DSCN0776.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voila!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgp7CHhLwy-nTH6wJXw4H9YSjzCNgt51LlbxiDajc7J42JTIE_LXluXkycR4y5CAsVCKU_SeZW9eSruI-igYJ5xwOHXD5N4NC022MmNLewlnbyPM1GWPl_wDyjyQDRL7IHkBMLt58EBMTj/s1600/DSCN0775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgp7CHhLwy-nTH6wJXw4H9YSjzCNgt51LlbxiDajc7J42JTIE_LXluXkycR4y5CAsVCKU_SeZW9eSruI-igYJ5xwOHXD5N4NC022MmNLewlnbyPM1GWPl_wDyjyQDRL7IHkBMLt58EBMTj/s400/DSCN0775.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Et voila!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KOFzWDKBbZjQaP7eCOqyuYlhsqDwhgXdcVCK19DnhsXhOEcxl9WiuosCKmER-U60m42HV8QhCfSUFEWwWAR_G153nzb5K0JcjYXs75-YGjXQ9PH_a1LHBv8FrhbtWpjsZm3tUYxfD8n9/s1600/DSCN0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KOFzWDKBbZjQaP7eCOqyuYlhsqDwhgXdcVCK19DnhsXhOEcxl9WiuosCKmER-U60m42HV8QhCfSUFEWwWAR_G153nzb5K0JcjYXs75-YGjXQ9PH_a1LHBv8FrhbtWpjsZm3tUYxfD8n9/s400/DSCN0777.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peppers galore.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Pickled Peppers</div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;">The hot peppers at the farm are just starting, and already there are nearly too many to eat fresh or sell. So I decided to pickle some. I used a recipe by <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/04/pickled_peppers.html">David Lebovitz</a>. You can pickle any kind of fresh, thick-fleshed pepper, or mix several varieties. I used jalapenos. </div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;">If you are brave, you can eat the pickled peppers whole, or use them in cooking like you would fresh hot peppers. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM5iRizxWEV7JMtuUX3VCYNpxU-jGCWgA156J-iLVqpUV3eDE4j2l1JNOc8XGTSCbNq-O_nxl8kl7IPXU9C1Mxux4igv_Kip5MEpoe2nitm_ZRcI41YrMMYiy1vH4zDW0sONaMS4sYnzU/s1600/DSCN0780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM5iRizxWEV7JMtuUX3VCYNpxU-jGCWgA156J-iLVqpUV3eDE4j2l1JNOc8XGTSCbNq-O_nxl8kl7IPXU9C1Mxux4igv_Kip5MEpoe2nitm_ZRcI41YrMMYiy1vH4zDW0sONaMS4sYnzU/s400/DSCN0780.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fait accompli!</td></tr>
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</div>Thea Haineshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04210479656693314899noreply@blogger.com1