plantspeople

Sunday, April 22, 2012

oak gall dye

Last week we gathered some friends and dyed some fabric with these gorgeous oak galls that a friend harvested up in Ukiah. Oak galls are growths on oak trees created by interaction of the plant hormones with the chemicals the wasp deposits. The wasps lay their eggs in the newly formed leaf buds and the gall results. The gall is a contained space for the wasp's larvae to hatch and a food source for the larvae. The dye has been historically used across Europe and the Americas to create ink and brown, grey, and black dyes. Because the galls have alot of tannic acid they were used for tanning animal leathers. We dyed some cotton sheets and some silk scarves over a wood burning stove.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

seaweed evening

Last month we had the good fortune to have our friend Kacie lead us in an evening of seaweeds. Seaweeds are a type of algae and some are deliciously edible and very nutritious! Kacie learned how to harvest seaweed on the east coast and now lives in the Bay Area where she harvests from the Mendocino coast. Kacie's burgeoning business SheSellsSeaweed is a great resource for purchasing ethically harvested seaweeds and a source for great recipes. Seaweeds have many minerals that are not found in any other sources and have properties known to fight cancer. During our session we learned about these properties and we got to prepare a delicious feast together. I never knew that you could so easily incorporate seaweed into such a variety of dishes!

Preparing the apples and dulce for our turnovers.

We sauteed the apples in butter and cinnamon sugar then added the dulce, which wilted beautifully over the apples. this was the filling that we put inside phyllo dough and then baked in the oven for 25 minutes or so. dulce was probably the most "seaweedy" of all the seaweeds. it has a strong, but delicious flavor!

Our dulce apple pastries ready for the oven.

Kacie the seaweed expert!

Homemade falafels from scratch! We added Sea Whip to the mixture and baked the falafel for extra healthfulness!

Yummy yummy! Cucumber tzatziki with Wakame and kefir. And fresh carrot salad with Sea Palm.

Not pictured is the amazing Miso soup we had. The dashi broth was prepared with kombu and we mixed in miso and loads of veggies.

You can now purchase Kacie's seaweed at Monterey Market or on her website.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Got to love Eco-Bundling!

I am a complete eco-bundle convert. Just when I thought Natural Dyes couldn't blow my mind any more, they have. A couple of weekends ago I got to help my friend, collaborator and dye mentor Sasha Duerr of Permacouture Institute at a workshop at California College of the Arts in Oakland. The workshop was centered around gardens for fibers & dyes and we spent the day in the garden harvesting and dyeing. One project Sasha led us through was making "eco-bundles" inspired by the Australian textile artist India Flint. Warning: you may be seeing alot of these eco bundles on my blog from here on out!

First we lay out our silk scarves and places dye plants throughout.

The scarves are rolled up into bundles and secured with rubber bands.

Our bundles are then steamed.

Voila! Beautiful Color!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

terrarium/tillandsia crazy

well after that horticultural commission from my sister i sort of went on a binge of making some tillandsia containers and a carnivorous plant terrarium. G thinks that the trend of air plants in pots, in glass jars, mounted to the walls, etc... is to the horticultural world as molecular gastronomy is to cuisine. i don't agree - enjoy!

the original, made for delivery.

globe #1

globe #2

globe #3

a spray of tillandsia along my shelf - i love that you can still see the roots/base through the vase.

carnivorous plant terrarium!! the plants include: Pinguicula, Nepenthes, and Drosera

message in a bottle

Saturday, February 18, 2012

i love a horticultural commission!

when i got a call from my sister asking me to put together and deliver a terrarium for a close friend i was so thrilled. it is so exciting to go on a mission, find just the right container, pick out stunning and delicate tilandsias and assemble it all. i couldn't resist tagging on a delicate and colorful floral bouquet for some extra cheer. enjoy!

bouquet of leucodendron, leucospermum, mum & echinops, decorative lichen and bark globes in a recycled glass vase

terrarium of clear blue stones, moss and lichen and several varieties of tilandsias

at your doorstep.

if you like what you see and would like to send a plantspeople telegram, let me know.

sources:

design: plantspeople (www.plantspeople.org coming soon!)

tilandsias: flowerland nursery

eco-friendly flowers: gorgeous and green

stones: the gardener

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Mills College Landscape Tour

I've been meaning to walk through the Mills College campus in the Oakland Hills for sometime now and finally got around to it yesterday. The campus is beautifully landscaped, has two LEED platinum buildings, a native botanical garden, and a medicinal plant walk. Enjoy the tour!

The campus chapel with a gorgeous skylight.

A Spanish style courtyard with a tiled fountain.

The green roof atop the school of business with euphorbias, echevaria, aloes and various succulents

A beautiful and cushy lawn alternative = a fescue meadow.

Along the healing plant tour we stopped at the willow.

A thriving food garden.

A native sage in the botanic garden

Monday, January 23, 2012

many moons

G and i so love our new many moons calendar. it is beautifully designed by jeremy at rendij studio

one resolution for 2012 is getting to know the moon more, and knowing the cycles. yesterday was a new moon and the transition into aquarious.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Kaapi Coffee Sangati

In December, G and I started our Sangati coffee sessions: Brass/Vinyl. Each week we set up shop at the Subterranean Art House in Berkeley and host a charming little event that brings people together in the morning for South Indian coffee and Indian classical records. We use coffee beans from Bicycle Roasters in SF, Straus organic milk and sugar grown and processed in the USA. Coffee is one of those things I cannot live without and thankfully come from a heritage where coffee is king. The streets of Tamil Nadu are lined with coffee vendors serving hot hot coffee and people stopping just to get a quick dose. As soon as you enter a house hold you'll be asked if you'd drink some coffee kaapi kuidikerail aa? If you say no, you'll surely be convinced to at least have half a cup just ara cup. I love the sort of cult phenomenon around it. And I admit that I LOL-ed while watching this.

Anyway! The point is that G and I wanted to create some of the special coffee moments we've experienced in India and in our Berkeley cottage with our friends. It's a simple part of many of our daily rituals that is beautiful to share together. The collection of Indian classical Records is a reason to come too..

stainless steel pots for pouring of coffee and milk.

Pouring the hot water through the coffee filter.

Modern Japanese coffee culture meets Traditional Indian.

Just one of the amazing records (and record covers!)

Voila! The finished drink. Served in stainless steel tumblers and davara (the saucer type cup used to pour the coffee back and forth for cooling and frothing).

the meter pour - G froths some milk.

hope to see you there!

Monday, January 16, 2012

happy new year in plants

so i know that each new year i resolve to write more blog posts, but i really think that this year is going to be the one! so far, 2012 has been great full of great projects and good times with close friends and family. i took a walk through the botanical garden last week and got some fresh inspiration for design & garden. the garden is always abundant with color, texture, good smells and astonishing plants. please enjoy the pics and i hope to connect with more of you in the new year.