Been trying a new crafting project lately - mead! Much like soapmaking, the basics are deceptively simple but easy to mess up if you're not precise or rushing through. And much like with soapmaking, there are literally endless variations to try, additives to experiment with, different yeasts and honeys to play with (versus different oils), each which gives different tastes, textures, and flavors to the end product.
So far, I've made 5 batches, with mixed results. My first two - a straight wildflower and then an orange blossom - came out magnificently. Unfortunately as they say - don't get cocky, kid! The next two had mixed results, one I think positive in the long run, the other definitely in TBD category.
Today's effort, well, we'll see. I *may* have screwed something up, I may not have. Unlike with soap, mead you may not know its initial success for 2 weeks, and ultimately 6 months to a year. (Soap you'll know within 24 hours if it worked out or not.)
Recipe:
- 16 lb Brewers Best Wildflower honey plus maybe a pound or two?
- 10g (2 packs) D47 yeast
- 3 gal water plus balance to hit 6gal in fermenter
- 1 container plum puree
- 2 oz ginger root
I did a cold brewing method, as I've read a number of places that seem to prefer this over the boiling method. Purists argue that boiling the honey removes many of the health benefits of honey, and also changes the flavor profile. That said, if I keep running into issues, I'll go back to boiling.
New things:
- I've never tried the D47 yeast. I would have gone with 71B, except I had initially intended to make a hopped and malted braggot, which called for D47. Got the water ready, pitched the yeast, then realized how much boiling of the grains was involved - and since it was evening already, I didn't want to be working on it well into the night. Wasn't sure how long you can leave yeast once it's been pitched, so figured - eh, I'll just make the base for that peach ginger I have been wanting to try with the clover honey. Except....instead of right then swapping the honeys out, I forgot. So I poured the wildflower honey (stronger flavor) into the water instead of the white clover. ARGH.
Note to self:
This is why you should not make mead (or soap) in a hurry! You make mistakes.
Ok, so what now? Well, I didn't want to use the wildflower honey for the more delicate peaches, I knew that, and I needed to boil the grains first. I already have some straight wildflower in the basement with this honey, so no sense in that. But I did have both tart cherry juice and plum puree for a plum ginger I'd been wanting to try, so well....one can of plum puree, it is!
The good news is, after that it came along well. I need to still add the ginger, but the plum and honey all mixed up. Initial tasting indicated it's VERY sweet right now, but hopefully a lot of that will come out.
Troubleshooting:
- The OG was only about 1.09/1.10 *tops*. That's a bit on the weak side. I'd rather too weak than too strong, but it's not ideal.
- When I came to check on it the next morning, the fermentation was going so fast that it had backed up into the airlock. I've never had this happen before. Not sure if it's a result of something "wrong", or just filling it to the 6gal mark (instead of my usual 5gal batch) and not having enough space for the fermentation.
Lessons Learned:
- Said it before, but I will say it again. DON'T RUSH THROUGH. Haste, literally, makes waste.
- If I screw up a batch or recipe early on - JUST START OVER. If I had just written off the pitched yeast and started fresh the next day, my failure would have cost me $2.00 and another trip today to the brewing store. Now, if this batch doesn't come out, my efforts to "save" the water and pitched yeast will cost me close to $100....$84 in honey, $12 in plum puree, plus the yeast. Oh, and still another trip to the brewing store anyway, to replace the honey.
I'll update in two weeks once I know the results of the fermentation. It may be that the flavor comes out great and the rapid fermentation is not a worry. My suspicion is that it will ultimately be salvageable (like the black currant effort), especially as it ages, but that it's going to wind up a bit on the sweet side, and also a bit on the weak side (in flavor, not alcohol content). Dry is good, weak/thin is not. So we'll see!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Steampunk White Queen, version 2
Long time, no write! That's why I don't do very well at keeping blogs..../makes note to self.
In any case, hubby and I just got back from the Steampunk World's Fair in Piscataway, NJ and I'm delighted to report that not only did I get to premier the latest and greatest version of my Steampunk White Queen costume, it actually won first prize in the costume contest! Not too shabby, if I do say so myself - and it was an impressive crowd, so really was a spectacular honor.
In any case - first, pics.
That's the completed outfit in all its white glory. Now, to talk about how it came to be...
As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I think one of the most important parts is to first find something that really appeals to you and you want to develop. It will become a real labor of love, and at times your mortal enemy - so it's important that you're really excited and passionate about the costume you're working on.
The next step I always try to do is to find a primary element, and then build around that. In my case, the primary element is of course the leather corset. This is a corset I commissioned and worked with Steward Facile of Life Tree Leather, writing back and forth to discuss design options, color options, fastenings, all kinds of details. His work is really outstanding, and I've recommended he post the design above as a steampunk wedding corset - I think there would be a lot of demand for it.
The corset is white leather, with a dove grey scrollwork design that is hand-stitched onto the white. We used pewter/gunmetal colored rivets and swing arm box latches, to match the grey of the corset and to give a little more contrast. Originally I'd debated doing this in all white with silver trim, but then thought some level of differentiation would be good, to give a little more interest and versatility to it. I'm glad I did - it not only allows for options such as pairing with a grey skirt down the road, but I think pure white might have been too boring. It's still clearly White Queen enough.
The cape I sewed from a lace-type fabric I got from JoAnn Fabrics, trimmed with white fox fur around the color. Under the cape are lace elbow-length fingerless gloves, which you can make from any stretchy cotton/lycra blend lace.
The "boots" in this case are white spats, made from cotton twill and lined with felt. The felt is important because if you wear any sort of stocking or nylons underneath, the felt helps to give a bit of grip to the fabric and helps hold it up. I've trimmed it with petwer color buttons, though I think I probably need 12 rather than 6 per leg. The spats were made from taking newspaper and wrapping it around one of my legs (buddy to assist recommended), and then duct-taping the newspaper as snugly as you want your spats to fit. Trace seam lines where you want seams (generally front, back, and then outer leg side), and then cut the newspaper/duct tape off to make a pattern.
The necklace is two separate elements in the above picture - one is a hand-tatted lace choker I bought at Gettysburg, and the beaded parts are attached to another choker I made using seed beads, Swarovski crystal separators, and pearls. This allows me to wear either piece separately or layered, depending on the look I'm going for.
The hat was a commission I designed with Belinda Lockhart of Ms Purdy's Hats - white feathers, a white satin band, and then there's a large bow with a train on the back. The train I sometimes tuck under the hat (as I did above), depending on if I'm wearing a cloak or not.
The skirt, if you can believe it, is what gave me the biggest headaches. I was stumped for months on what to do, and tried various versions. While bustles with trains are gorgeous - and my first idea, based on a pattern from Truly Victorian - using white fabric makes this a Bad Idea in the long run. I wound up doing a short bustle of cotton twill, just to make sure it worked, and will ultimately do one out of dupioni silk (because the shimmer is divine). The front skirt took a while. I tried multiple fabrics, but everything that had the right drape was too sheer (again, when wearing white, sheer is a Bad Idea). The fabrics that had more weight were too bulky and didn't lay well. I finally, in desperation the week before the even, tried making some short Victorian-style bloomers - after all, the White Queen from the comics wore a bikini bottom in the original ensemble. They came out well, but it still didn't have quite the right look - it seemed to make the rest of the outfit a little casual. Finally, I bought a couple yard of bridal lace to make an over-skirt to wear over the bloomers, and that worked out very well. Did version 2 of the bloomers the morning of the event, but finally got the right length and flounce for what I was aiming.
And, voila! It was a lot of work and a lot of time putting together, but very pleased with how it came out. Now to begin modifications, the white wool skirt for my boffin version, a white and silver cane, a parasol....
In any case, hubby and I just got back from the Steampunk World's Fair in Piscataway, NJ and I'm delighted to report that not only did I get to premier the latest and greatest version of my Steampunk White Queen costume, it actually won first prize in the costume contest! Not too shabby, if I do say so myself - and it was an impressive crowd, so really was a spectacular honor.
In any case - first, pics.
That's the completed outfit in all its white glory. Now, to talk about how it came to be...
As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I think one of the most important parts is to first find something that really appeals to you and you want to develop. It will become a real labor of love, and at times your mortal enemy - so it's important that you're really excited and passionate about the costume you're working on.
The next step I always try to do is to find a primary element, and then build around that. In my case, the primary element is of course the leather corset. This is a corset I commissioned and worked with Steward Facile of Life Tree Leather, writing back and forth to discuss design options, color options, fastenings, all kinds of details. His work is really outstanding, and I've recommended he post the design above as a steampunk wedding corset - I think there would be a lot of demand for it.
The corset is white leather, with a dove grey scrollwork design that is hand-stitched onto the white. We used pewter/gunmetal colored rivets and swing arm box latches, to match the grey of the corset and to give a little more contrast. Originally I'd debated doing this in all white with silver trim, but then thought some level of differentiation would be good, to give a little more interest and versatility to it. I'm glad I did - it not only allows for options such as pairing with a grey skirt down the road, but I think pure white might have been too boring. It's still clearly White Queen enough.
The cape I sewed from a lace-type fabric I got from JoAnn Fabrics, trimmed with white fox fur around the color. Under the cape are lace elbow-length fingerless gloves, which you can make from any stretchy cotton/lycra blend lace.
The "boots" in this case are white spats, made from cotton twill and lined with felt. The felt is important because if you wear any sort of stocking or nylons underneath, the felt helps to give a bit of grip to the fabric and helps hold it up. I've trimmed it with petwer color buttons, though I think I probably need 12 rather than 6 per leg. The spats were made from taking newspaper and wrapping it around one of my legs (buddy to assist recommended), and then duct-taping the newspaper as snugly as you want your spats to fit. Trace seam lines where you want seams (generally front, back, and then outer leg side), and then cut the newspaper/duct tape off to make a pattern.
The necklace is two separate elements in the above picture - one is a hand-tatted lace choker I bought at Gettysburg, and the beaded parts are attached to another choker I made using seed beads, Swarovski crystal separators, and pearls. This allows me to wear either piece separately or layered, depending on the look I'm going for.
The hat was a commission I designed with Belinda Lockhart of Ms Purdy's Hats - white feathers, a white satin band, and then there's a large bow with a train on the back. The train I sometimes tuck under the hat (as I did above), depending on if I'm wearing a cloak or not.
The skirt, if you can believe it, is what gave me the biggest headaches. I was stumped for months on what to do, and tried various versions. While bustles with trains are gorgeous - and my first idea, based on a pattern from Truly Victorian - using white fabric makes this a Bad Idea in the long run. I wound up doing a short bustle of cotton twill, just to make sure it worked, and will ultimately do one out of dupioni silk (because the shimmer is divine). The front skirt took a while. I tried multiple fabrics, but everything that had the right drape was too sheer (again, when wearing white, sheer is a Bad Idea). The fabrics that had more weight were too bulky and didn't lay well. I finally, in desperation the week before the even, tried making some short Victorian-style bloomers - after all, the White Queen from the comics wore a bikini bottom in the original ensemble. They came out well, but it still didn't have quite the right look - it seemed to make the rest of the outfit a little casual. Finally, I bought a couple yard of bridal lace to make an over-skirt to wear over the bloomers, and that worked out very well. Did version 2 of the bloomers the morning of the event, but finally got the right length and flounce for what I was aiming.
And, voila! It was a lot of work and a lot of time putting together, but very pleased with how it came out. Now to begin modifications, the white wool skirt for my boffin version, a white and silver cane, a parasol....
Monday, October 29, 2012
Steampunk White Queen - V1
As the title of the blog may indicate, one of my many hobbies is steampunk costuming. For those not familiar with steampunk, it's basically Victorian science fiction - the future, as imagined in the late 1800s by writers such as Jules Verne, HP Lovecraft, and Orson Wells. Also, there are often a lot of buckles and gears (for reasons I can't entirely explain)....
I've been trying to do more serious costuming and sewing recently, both to develop my own skills (and maybe even get to the point where I can sew well enough to make real life clothes too), and also because it helps being able to make the items you can imagine rather than relying on others to do so and hope they get it right. I had the idea at Baltimore Comic Con of trying to do a Steampunk version of the X-Men's White Queen, formerly of the Hellfire Club and now one of the leaders of the X-Men Academy. How times change, right?
Now, the goal when I try to adapt an existing character to a steampunk version is to meet two criteria I have for "successful" costuming:
1. Does it look properly Victorian/Steampunk? (AKA does it look good)
2. Can people tell who you're actually supposed to be?
Obviously the first rule is fairly self-evident - did I make a costume that looks pretty, and that I'm not embarrassed to wear? Oddly enough, this is the easier part of my two criteria - making something that looks good and fits well is a fairly straightforward enough goal, with enough practice. In the picture above, there are definitely things I want to still improve - the cloak I think came out very well, and I'm very pleased with that, but the corset fit could stand some improvement. Regrettably (I think), there's a little more me than the top allows for, so I could stand to enlargen that part. I used lace as a quick-fix to get a bit more coverage on the bust area, but in an ideal world I'd like it to fit better - enough so that I'm not terrified to bend over. Also, while you can't see the skirt (as I had my cloak covering my legs here), it's one of two pieces that were *GASP* store-bought, and I need to make a proper, draping Victorian skirt to really make this work. The boots were also purchased, but they are leather and my leatherworking skills in no way extend to making footwear - so this, I can live with.
The second part of the equation is the trickier one - can people tell who it is you're supposed to be a Steampunk incarnation of? I'm pleased to report that at least three people at the party from above did compliment me on my Steampunk Emma Frost outfit, so I think I'm on the right track so far. I was worried people would ask if I was supposed to be some sort of bride (all in white, after all) - and only one did, so as long as more people can correctly recognize the character, I call it a win!
For those not familiar with the character, this is a fairly iconic version of the original White Queen (in her pre-good girl Emma Frost days):
Now obviously, I wanted to tame it down some - no way at my age I want to be prancing around in a little bikini! There's still a lot to work with though, and adapt for steampunk purposes. As far as the individual components of the above - the first thing I tried to do is identify the main or key elements of the original character, and adapt from there. In the White Queen's case, there are really three main parts to her classic outfit that stand out visually. One is the long cape with the fur collar, the second being the front-lacing corset, and the third being the very tall white boots. So that's where I tried to begin, in terms of developing the costume - items that I needed to keep very prominent in my adaptation so as to recall the original.
The boots, for now I just kept as long white leather boots. I did actually sew a pair of thigh-high white spats, to see how those would work out in terms of incorporating the look but adding more steampunk flair, but I didn't finish them before the party - so those are for v2. The corset I made, though I stayed with a traditional back-lacing corset rather than a front-lacing one as this was the first corset I've made. The cape, I decided to construct out of white linen, to be lightweight and breathable, and then added a vintage fox fur stole I found on eBay. I went with linen rather than wool because it runs a little more true to white (wool can run more cream-colored), and also because most Steampunk events and comic cons tend to be in the warmer, summer months than the winter ones. Plus, I can tell you wearing it on a cooler evening in October - even with the linen cloak, the fur will definitely keep one warm!
What I'll try to do in the coming weeks is to draft out patterns for what I did and how, in case any other aspiring Steampunk costumers ever come across this and want to try working on their own character adaptations. For now though, I figure even posting this much is a start!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The Great Recycling Garden Project
This summer has yielded a bumper crop of vegetables. I have this wonderful recycling/conservation project in my backyard, it turns out - I've got a very small (what they call a "micro-flock") of hens in the back yard, a Spitzhauben-Appenzaller I call Swiss Miss, a Buff Orpington named Blondie, and the newest arrival is my Ancona, Sadie. They're in a reasonably sized enclosed run with a house, and I keep them well-stocked in vegetable scraps, dried worms, feed, and oyster shells. They have a bedding of pine in their run and house, and as I do the deep-composting strategy this means I just keep adding fresh bedding to it to keep it nice and thick, and then change it out twice per year.
Now, the wonderful thing about the chicken bedding is that it naturally composts - the chickens do their part by....shall we say producing nitrates via their waste, plus any leftover vegetable scraps they don't eat, and the deeper layers break down as fresh pine is laid on top. Twice a year when I do the great coop scoop, I use my wheelbarrow to move all that great chicken litter over to my raised garden bed on the side of the house, and mix it into the dirt there. Then when the spring comes, I plant my vegetables in the chicken litter/dirt mix, and wind up growing and harvesting the most ridiculously large and healthy vegetables I've ever seen. Honestly - you wouldn't ever believe these were organic if you saw the size of my zucchini! I know know what they mean when recipes call for "baseball-bat zucchini". They really are that big, no kidding.
The best part? If there are any veggies that get a little bug damage or nabbed and half-eaten by our local bunnies (who have moved into our yard to enjoy the summer harvest), plus any scraps left over from dinner....well, those go out to the girls to snack on and enjoy. Turns out chickens are a little less discerning than hubby and I about whether or not ants or bunnies have munched on a little of their tomatoes, so it all works out. The girls get the veggie scraps from the garden they helped produce in the spring, produce more litter for me to clean out in the fall and next spring, and that helps contribute to fertilizing my newly bedded vegetable plants throughout the summer and fall.
I love my little "cycle of life" going on in our suburban back yard. And my family and friends love its end results!
Now, the wonderful thing about the chicken bedding is that it naturally composts - the chickens do their part by....shall we say producing nitrates via their waste, plus any leftover vegetable scraps they don't eat, and the deeper layers break down as fresh pine is laid on top. Twice a year when I do the great coop scoop, I use my wheelbarrow to move all that great chicken litter over to my raised garden bed on the side of the house, and mix it into the dirt there. Then when the spring comes, I plant my vegetables in the chicken litter/dirt mix, and wind up growing and harvesting the most ridiculously large and healthy vegetables I've ever seen. Honestly - you wouldn't ever believe these were organic if you saw the size of my zucchini! I know know what they mean when recipes call for "baseball-bat zucchini". They really are that big, no kidding.
The best part? If there are any veggies that get a little bug damage or nabbed and half-eaten by our local bunnies (who have moved into our yard to enjoy the summer harvest), plus any scraps left over from dinner....well, those go out to the girls to snack on and enjoy. Turns out chickens are a little less discerning than hubby and I about whether or not ants or bunnies have munched on a little of their tomatoes, so it all works out. The girls get the veggie scraps from the garden they helped produce in the spring, produce more litter for me to clean out in the fall and next spring, and that helps contribute to fertilizing my newly bedded vegetable plants throughout the summer and fall.
I love my little "cycle of life" going on in our suburban back yard. And my family and friends love its end results!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Gardening Lessons
This year, I put aside a decent chunk of our backyard beside the house for a garden. I planted a ton of stuff - basically I used a lot of my chicken litter as filler for the soil, to give it extra nutrients, and then set out to planting. I did four tomatoes, 6-7 peppers of varying types, a broccoli, a cauliflower, two squashes and then two string bean plants.
The tomatoes seemed to do the best overall - in fact, maybe it was the chicken litter but they were easily 2-3 times as big as my neighbors, and started churning out tomatoes in mid summer! I tried romas, a couple heirlooms, and then a classic big red. The romas did pretty well until late July/early August, and then I think the heat and dryness while I was in Hawaii and Portugal did them in. Right now I'm down to the two closest to the yard (and probably the sprinkler) - they seemed to take a breather in August, though now have more tomatoes appearing again.
Peppers were a mixed bag. My hot peppers did quite well - the chilis, jalapenos, moles, and banana peppers. My green peppers are coming in now, though not very many. My colored sweet peppers did not though - I had a red, a purple, and a yellow and all of those struggled very badly and it seemed like the fruit would rot a bit before they were even ready. Not sure why, if anyone knows please advise!
The broccoli grew, but more weedy than I expected. The fruit wound up being closer to broccoli rabe than a head of broccoli, and not very tasty. I'm not sure if I did something wrong, or I need to prune it, or what happened there. Probably not something I would plant again, nor would I try cauliflower again.
The squash did ok, and we got a few yellow squash in the fridge. Unfortunately, all the rain and damp from the hurricane caused them to rot - so I lost both of those recently. I think they'd do ok next year, but I should move them to a drier spot in the yard where the rain isn't likely to pool and cause damage. Of all my plants, those seemed the most vulnerable to exess water.
My herbs all did very well, the basil so much so that I often wound up throwing out half of what I harvested because we couldn't eat it all. In another year or two, the rosemary will own half my current plot! The sage I think was ok, though overshadowed by how big my tomatoes grew.
And of course, the girls are all well and now all four are laying again. We did lose one of them this summer - reasons unknown, Ian just went out and found her out there one morning, but without any sign of predator attack or problem. She was the largest of our girls, so I honestly think it was heat-related. The bigger the bird, the harder it is for them to stay cool in the heat - we won't really ever know for sure, but that seems to make the most sense. Two of my girls went broody in the hottest months, the Buff Orpington and one of my Cuckoo Marans. In the future, I won't go with another Orpington - they're a bit loud, and definitely prone to broodiness. Swiss Miss, my Spitzhauben, is totally rocking the roost though - she's my best layer, and also the smartest chicken by far. The only downside to a Spitz is that they lay white eggs, and everyone always wants the brown eggs now.
So, what would I do differently next year? For one - I think I would skip planting beans - they really grew to cover a lot of real estate, and the yield, even with two plants, was never really enough to provide a side dish for Ian and I before they went bad. So given a limited space, I'd skip those. The tomatoes, I would definitely do again - but clearly, I need to space them out better so I can make sure each one has enough space to grow and produce. I can't believe how big they got! Peppers, I'll probably do a couple and just stick with the greens, they seem the hardiest. Squash I want to try again, but I'll have to find a different area. Finally, I think I will stay with the hot peppers too, but possibly pot those so I can bring them inside at the end of the season. And of course, the girls just need periodic yard forage trips, plenty of food and water, and a periodic treat of bread of snacks from the house.
The tomatoes seemed to do the best overall - in fact, maybe it was the chicken litter but they were easily 2-3 times as big as my neighbors, and started churning out tomatoes in mid summer! I tried romas, a couple heirlooms, and then a classic big red. The romas did pretty well until late July/early August, and then I think the heat and dryness while I was in Hawaii and Portugal did them in. Right now I'm down to the two closest to the yard (and probably the sprinkler) - they seemed to take a breather in August, though now have more tomatoes appearing again.
Peppers were a mixed bag. My hot peppers did quite well - the chilis, jalapenos, moles, and banana peppers. My green peppers are coming in now, though not very many. My colored sweet peppers did not though - I had a red, a purple, and a yellow and all of those struggled very badly and it seemed like the fruit would rot a bit before they were even ready. Not sure why, if anyone knows please advise!
The broccoli grew, but more weedy than I expected. The fruit wound up being closer to broccoli rabe than a head of broccoli, and not very tasty. I'm not sure if I did something wrong, or I need to prune it, or what happened there. Probably not something I would plant again, nor would I try cauliflower again.
The squash did ok, and we got a few yellow squash in the fridge. Unfortunately, all the rain and damp from the hurricane caused them to rot - so I lost both of those recently. I think they'd do ok next year, but I should move them to a drier spot in the yard where the rain isn't likely to pool and cause damage. Of all my plants, those seemed the most vulnerable to exess water.
My herbs all did very well, the basil so much so that I often wound up throwing out half of what I harvested because we couldn't eat it all. In another year or two, the rosemary will own half my current plot! The sage I think was ok, though overshadowed by how big my tomatoes grew.
And of course, the girls are all well and now all four are laying again. We did lose one of them this summer - reasons unknown, Ian just went out and found her out there one morning, but without any sign of predator attack or problem. She was the largest of our girls, so I honestly think it was heat-related. The bigger the bird, the harder it is for them to stay cool in the heat - we won't really ever know for sure, but that seems to make the most sense. Two of my girls went broody in the hottest months, the Buff Orpington and one of my Cuckoo Marans. In the future, I won't go with another Orpington - they're a bit loud, and definitely prone to broodiness. Swiss Miss, my Spitzhauben, is totally rocking the roost though - she's my best layer, and also the smartest chicken by far. The only downside to a Spitz is that they lay white eggs, and everyone always wants the brown eggs now.
So, what would I do differently next year? For one - I think I would skip planting beans - they really grew to cover a lot of real estate, and the yield, even with two plants, was never really enough to provide a side dish for Ian and I before they went bad. So given a limited space, I'd skip those. The tomatoes, I would definitely do again - but clearly, I need to space them out better so I can make sure each one has enough space to grow and produce. I can't believe how big they got! Peppers, I'll probably do a couple and just stick with the greens, they seem the hardiest. Squash I want to try again, but I'll have to find a different area. Finally, I think I will stay with the hot peppers too, but possibly pot those so I can bring them inside at the end of the season. And of course, the girls just need periodic yard forage trips, plenty of food and water, and a periodic treat of bread of snacks from the house.
Shifting Gears
Right then - so the Big Summer of Travel is over now - thankfully, in some ways - and there aren't any current trips on the horizon. That's good, because I can use a bit of a break. In fact, I know I have some travel burnout as I was invited to a conference for work in Singapore at the end of October, and not only did I fail to leap at the chance, but actually find myself wondering if I'd even want to go at all. Singapore! I've never been there and it's supposed to be fantastic, but I am just plumb tired.
That said though, I think writing is a good exercise for organizing thoughts and communicating a bit. I vastly prefer it to Facebook, honestly. The more I try to be on Facebook, the less I like it. But I do like writing - sharing some of the things I work on, finding topics to describe, explain, draft out, etc. So I'm going to try and keep this, but I might repurpose it a bit for now to be more about crafting. I've always been a crafter, and as the days get a bit cooler and fall begins, I really feel the desire to hunker down and make stuff!
On that note, I want to quickly toss up some notes (largely to myself if I'm being frank) about my gardening efforts this summer, so I know what to tackle next year. Then from there, on to other crafts!
That said though, I think writing is a good exercise for organizing thoughts and communicating a bit. I vastly prefer it to Facebook, honestly. The more I try to be on Facebook, the less I like it. But I do like writing - sharing some of the things I work on, finding topics to describe, explain, draft out, etc. So I'm going to try and keep this, but I might repurpose it a bit for now to be more about crafting. I've always been a crafter, and as the days get a bit cooler and fall begins, I really feel the desire to hunker down and make stuff!
On that note, I want to quickly toss up some notes (largely to myself if I'm being frank) about my gardening efforts this summer, so I know what to tackle next year. Then from there, on to other crafts!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Port Tasting
Today, my panel was in the morning, which left the afternoon a bit more open to do some sightseeing. The panel itself went well - in spite of the fact that only two of the four scheduled presenters managed to make it - and even so, we filled up nearly two hours between our talks and questions. (No softballs from the audience, either!)
We wrapped up around 1300, which left plenty of time to do something in the afternoon. In my case, that something was to hop the metro over to Nuovo Gaia and do a bit of port sampling. I only managed to make four - Portugal apparently has a different concept of "tasting pours" than we do in the U.S, as in our tasting pours are generally one ounce and theirs are a full glass or so....*hic* But I did manage today to get to Quinta do Nuovo, Sandeman, Kopke, and one other. I got to try a lot of interesting vintages. including a really unusual rose port as well as a few dry whites and vintages. Not sure if it was the "pauvre pauvrecita" traveling by my lonesome, as Ian likes to call it, or the American in a land far away syndrome, but I seemed to get extra-special attention in a few of the cellars - or as one might say, extra samples. It could also be a factor - and in my opinion, most likely -that unlike most of the other taster I actually knew wine pretty well and could ask complex questions. Winos like to show off for other winos, which means if you seem to know what you're talking about - your tasting table is quickly full of all kinds of good stuff.
The truly interesting part of the evening was after I decided I had had quite enough wine, and needed some food in me. I wandered across the Duoro, found a place that looked like it had some good local fish, and hopped a seat. Even now, I'm still not entirely sure how it happened - one minute I was being a foodie with the server, the next they're shuttling me into the kitchen to learn how to prepare Portuguese salted cod and dice garlic. !!! Either I was making points with the locals or becoming immigrant labor, not quite sure which - but it was very fun, I learned some excellent pointers, and had a fantastic meal. (Note, I was the only person shuttled into the kitchen, this wasn't like in Istanbul where I paid to learn to cook.) One of the waiters wanted to know if I knew Anthony Bourdain and could pass his name along - so errr.....since James does in passing know Tony B., guess I have some introductions to make now?
In any case, the most interesting night I've had here so far. Yay for getting out and about and eating on the local economy! And if you see me in the Porto No Reservations, well - I'll be the blonde in the kitchen.
We wrapped up around 1300, which left plenty of time to do something in the afternoon. In my case, that something was to hop the metro over to Nuovo Gaia and do a bit of port sampling. I only managed to make four - Portugal apparently has a different concept of "tasting pours" than we do in the U.S, as in our tasting pours are generally one ounce and theirs are a full glass or so....*hic* But I did manage today to get to Quinta do Nuovo, Sandeman, Kopke, and one other. I got to try a lot of interesting vintages. including a really unusual rose port as well as a few dry whites and vintages. Not sure if it was the "pauvre pauvrecita" traveling by my lonesome, as Ian likes to call it, or the American in a land far away syndrome, but I seemed to get extra-special attention in a few of the cellars - or as one might say, extra samples. It could also be a factor - and in my opinion, most likely -that unlike most of the other taster I actually knew wine pretty well and could ask complex questions. Winos like to show off for other winos, which means if you seem to know what you're talking about - your tasting table is quickly full of all kinds of good stuff.
The truly interesting part of the evening was after I decided I had had quite enough wine, and needed some food in me. I wandered across the Duoro, found a place that looked like it had some good local fish, and hopped a seat. Even now, I'm still not entirely sure how it happened - one minute I was being a foodie with the server, the next they're shuttling me into the kitchen to learn how to prepare Portuguese salted cod and dice garlic. !!! Either I was making points with the locals or becoming immigrant labor, not quite sure which - but it was very fun, I learned some excellent pointers, and had a fantastic meal. (Note, I was the only person shuttled into the kitchen, this wasn't like in Istanbul where I paid to learn to cook.) One of the waiters wanted to know if I knew Anthony Bourdain and could pass his name along - so errr.....since James does in passing know Tony B., guess I have some introductions to make now?
In any case, the most interesting night I've had here so far. Yay for getting out and about and eating on the local economy! And if you see me in the Porto No Reservations, well - I'll be the blonde in the kitchen.
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