Food

Why Botany?

Why Botany?

Over the years, people have asked why I’ve studied botany. Why do I care what happens in a forest half a world away? Usually the same people follow this with the assertion that yes, climate change is real, but it’s up to the big corporations to reverse it because they’re the initial cause.

California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica)

Hail and well met, everyone!

So, I’ve been posting here and uploading largely separate content on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/Ethnobotanicam). I’m experimenting with still posting on the various platforms I currently use (Youtube, Instagram and the like), but cross-posting here as a method of aggregating all my botanical content into one place. Let me know what you think. Have a fab day, everyone, and happy LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Kate

Spring into Puns (Ethnobotanipuns): A Love Story

Spring into Puns (Ethnobotanipuns): A Love Story

I've been writing and collecting these for a while and while just posting a list of planty puns would be fun and humerus (heheh), it'd be a touch boring.  Going back over it, just now there are some bad pick-up lines in there too.  So this happened, instead. 

Philz Coffee Review

Philz Coffee Review

As often occurs, dear friends, a few days ago at around 2 o'clock, my energy was sapped and I needed some caffeine and food.  Drinking high-caff coffee, sans food never ends well.  I've tried it.  Undergrad studying makes you forget to eat, sometimes. Also craft/art projects.  Not recommended.  Timers and alarms are your friend.  But, I digress.

Note: Not sponsored in any shape or form.

The Wreath as a Herald of Fortune

The Wreath as a Herald of Fortune

Wreaths weren't always a thing to put on your door during the holidays.  In many places, they still aren't.  While door-hanging wreaths have now been adapted for any season, they used to be more akin to celebratory laurels or flower crowns. 

Mabon Stew

Mabon Stew

I wanted to share the recipe with you, both so that you can make it and so that I have a readily accessible copy.  This is essentially a loose recreation of something I put together several years ago while studying ethnobotany and living in UKC's student housing. 

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

There are several species of mushrooms that alter a person's consciousness when ingested.  While botanically mushrooms are not classed as plants, they have played a significant role in human development, whether as a food source, a method of communing with the gods, or as an artistic muse.

Dandelion: Healing Your Gut Since 659 B.C.E.

Dandelion: Healing Your Gut Since 659 B.C.E.

One of the most commonly seen and often unwelcome plants, the dandelion (Taraxicum officinale), is relatively easily distinguishable with its iconic, serrated or toothed leaves and domed flower heads .

Food Fridays: Oatmeal Cookies

A warning if your computer tends to lag: This post has a good number of photos so as to illustrate the baking process.  I tried to minimize how many were included, but there's still quite a few. PSA over, now, on with the show.

Oats, as I've said in previous posts, are a hearty foodstuff that is often eaten as part of muesli, granola, or as hot cereal.  This switches things up a bit, combining the nutrient-dense properties inherent in oats with the oils and energy in peanuts (especially as in this example, we're using crunchy peanut butter, allowing whole nut pieces to be present), dense nutrients of flax, and the brain-boosting, nutrient-rich properties of dark chocolate.  And the whole thing can easily be made vegan and gluten-free... (read more)

The Power of Oats (Avena sativa)

The Power of Oats (Avena sativa)

Oats are consumed world-wide in multiple capacities, added to face masks and healing baths, and, with few exceptions, seem to naturally rid their fields of weeds, choking them out of the space as the oat stalks grow.  This is assisted by the oat's propensity to grow quickly.