Another wonderful week for our elders in Kali wood. Our first rainy day of the season but we dug out our coats and boots and drove through puddles and floods. Nothing’s gonna stop us!
We started and finished with the Owl and the Pussy cat dining on mince and slices of quince! Is this the only quince reference in poetry we have found?
Quince is a rhyming challenge certainly!
“Everybody clap your hands now!
Everybody take the stance now!
Don’t take long to convince…
We’re doing the Quince Mince! Oh yeah!”
We learned recipes in French …
The Golden apples in Greek mythology.. Aphrodite
Quince has lots of antioxidants and vitamins
Turns a gorgeous pink colour on cooking
Mums can be obsessed with quince! And it’s hereditary!
Quince is shared in Greek wedding ceremonies dedicating love and longevity
Quinces are part of the rose family.
Quince jelly and jams and Quince rock!
Hungarian words for golden apples … and cheese!
Japanese quinces also make good jelly
Peter Quince in midsummer nights dream
How to propagate quince trees…
Where to find lots of quince locally..
Quince scrumping techniques
First time we’d ever seen a quince
How much like birds they appear… Quentin Quince visited us!
Some of them are green and speckled
Riper ones are yellow
It’s a workout to cut one up!
Several new elders were welcomed this week including one beautifully carved from Basswood by Chris. He’s waiting for the earth loom… we shared laughter, music and stories.
We welcomed the wonderful Jenny Nutbeam with a natural paper making workshop… we squished our hands confidently in pulpy warm water, onion skins and marigold petals … a very sensory experience … and most of us made our very own unique paper. Some took them away, Jenny will dry the rest for us…
The natural dyeing experiment continued with ever more gorgeous different shades developing over the weeks..as the concoctions cooked on the fire… some are a mystery.
We dined on delicious pea and potato soup, homemade scones, slices of rose petal & quince cake and slices of quince jelly and Manchego cheese. What a feast! We experimented with hot quince drink and made plans for quince vodka and gin-oh yes.
This supportive and glorious community grows, connecting ourselves to the landscape and the changing seasons….learning new things and sharing all the while…We enjoy good company and catching up with friends old and new.
What will we get up to next???
It’s
!!!!!Apple day!!!!
Kinda Elders in the woods 