I came up with a different way to display a spider plant – the aerial way!

This past May 2022 I came up with a different way to display the typical spider plant with babies! Instead of letting it hang like a typical hanging plant, I used a couple of plant supports previously used for orchids. The stems of the new babies are quite thick and with some clips I gathered up all the hanging stems and created a more aerial display. From afar it may look like air plants. You can see from the image in May compared to the one I took in August that the baby spider plant doesn’t grow as big. I keep it trimmed to keep from weighing down.

I love this display as it doesn’t look too messy and it has an architectural touch to it. I searched online looking for any reference or image of this kind of display for spider plant and I could not find any! Is it possible that I came up with an original idea?? Would you display your spider plant this way? If you do, please let me know and share images!

Spider plant with babies displayed the aerial way. Photo credit: Marilou Strait. Taken May 2022

Updated photo of the same spider plant aerial display. Photo credit: Marilou Strait. Photo taken August 2022

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Making butter at home using a Vitamix blender

Here’s how I make homemade butter using a Vitamin blender. Using 500 ml store bought whipping cream, it yielded 200 grams of butter and 1 cup of buttermilk.

1. Place the cream in the blender and whip using the variable setting. I start with speed 1 and slowly up to 5 or 6. Stop once you can see the cream has the texture of whipped cream.
2. I used the tamper to push the cream into the bottom and centre and started again until the cream starts to separate. This may take about 2 minutes at speed 5 to 6 on the variable setting.
3. Observe the cream until butter forms in the middle and you can see the buttermilk separate. Stop the blender at this point.
4. Put in a big glass bowl. Strain the buttermilk and set aside.
5. Start rinsing the butter until the water runs clear about 5 to 6 times. Take the time to mix the butter with a rubber scraper to expose any buttermilk trapped within the butter.
6. Keep churning the butter until all the buttermilk is drained from the butter mass.
7. Using parchment paper ball the butter, weight and wrap. You can use it right away or separate into smaller portion for freezing.

This butter is best used for eating and not baking.

Chamomile flowers for tea

This year I decided to put more effort in my part of the garden and sowed a few different easy to grow plants in a mini greenhouse in early March. One of the plants that survived is the chamomile. I am pleased that I was able to harvest these beautiful and fragrant small flowers. I pick the flowers before the full heat of the noon sun. Since I only have one pot, I harvested several times allowing more blooms to grow. I used a 2-step drying process since I don’t have much room, a small harvest and pick the flowers at different times.

Step 1: Paper napkins secured on both ends to hold the fresh chamomile blooms.

Step 2: I transfer the dried flowers after a couple of weeks to a paper bag.This will allow the blooms to dry more. I reuse the paper napkin for the next batch of blooms to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I may only have enough for a cup or two of chamomile tea but it is nice to know that it came from my garden, and that is good in my books!

 

Banana Nut Breakfast Muffin paleo style

Here are ways to use up over-ripe bananas:

• cut up and freeze for smoothies
• cut up into coins and dip into melted chocolate – freeze. Voila! Chocolate Banana Coins
• make Baked Banana Ricotta cups
• make traditional Banana bread
• make Banana Caramel Sauce to go with Paleo Banana Pancake or Buttermilk Pancakes or use it as ice cream topping
• bake a healthy breakfast muffin like Paleo Banana Nut Muffins

Here is my version based on the Paleo Banana Nut Muffins. There is no need for a mixer for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Coconut Flour
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground Nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 Large Eggs
• 2 ½  Large Bananas, Mashed
• ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
• 3 tablespoons Coconut Oil (liquid or semi-solid texture)
• ½ to 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Pecans halves to put on top, (or other nuts of your choice)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. On a separate bowl mash the bananas, add beaten eggs, coconut oil. Mix well so that the coconut oil clumps are smaller. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients. The batter will be more runny than a traditional muffin batter. Wait a few minutes as the coconut flour absorbs the liquids.
5. Use an ice cream scooper to put in silicon muffin cups.
6. Add the pecan halves on top.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool.

I use silicone cups for these muffins as it makes it super easy to take the muffins out.