A Lightning Bug by Any Other Name

Last night, I was outside on my back porch and I saw a lightning bug glow for a moment in the branches of our maple tree. A few seconds later I saw it glow again several feet to the right. I looked lower at the grass and did not see a female response. Sorry, Charlie.

The scientific term for them is lampyridae. I never knew this and only just now found out. I grew up calling them lightning bugs or fireflies. We loved seeing them on a hot summer's night and tried to catch as many as we could and stick them in jars and see them glow for a while and then we would release them. They would slowly walk up to the highest point, stick out their wings, pause for a moment, and then fly up and away.

My sister D. lived in Seattle for a while and told me once how she was talking with someone and she brought up fireflies and they had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Isn't that amazing? They don't have fireflies or lightning bugs in Seattle. It wouldn't feel like Summer without them.

I wonder what they have there that I have no idea of--I bet tons.

New poll up to the left: what do you call lampyridae?

Have you seen one yet?

How??

How can four kids ranging from ages 8 to 11 years old reenact scenes from Revenge of the Sith complete with crackling force lightning sound effects and wielding foam and PVC duct tape swords (they can be light sabers if you so pretend) having only had about 4 hours sleep?

How?

Why do I always forget that this is the magical thing that happens during sleep-overs? They need nothing more than movies and popcorn and pancakes the next morning and only a couple of hours of sleep.

The parents, however, may need more. Maybe. Quite possibly, if you stop to think about it. Which I would do if I had more sleep...

Raw MIlk Yogurt!! Sourdough Bread!!

Guess what I got from Cultures for Health--OK, I already gave it away in the title to this post, but I'll say it again any way--viili yogurt starter and sourdough starter!

Cultures for Health has five different yogurt starters and four of them require no yogurt maker and can be made with RAW MILK. That is thrilling to me. Besides raw milk being generally cleaner than pasteurized milk, it is the fact that it is raw that makes it so desirable. It is loaded with enzymes and in tact vitamins and minerals--why would I want to heat it up to make a nicely textured yogurt, but destroy the health benefits? That defeats the whole purpose of buying raw. I want it to stay raw.

On the other hand, I want some yogurt.

Along come Cultures for Health with several choices for making RAW YOGURT!!! Crazy.

I chose the viili yogurt starter and will make it when I pick up my next order of raw milk. In order to maintain the strength of the starter, just a little milk must be heated at the beginning. The starter is added to that and then you add the starter to raw milk, let it culture on the counter (doesn't Culture on the Counter sound like a great band name? No? OK. It's just me then...) set up in the fridge and you have creamy, delectable, RAW yogurt. I can not wait to try it and I will show you, step by step, how easy it all is.

The directions for making it with pasteurized milk are even easier. Homemade, creamy, probiotic-filled yogurt is only a couple of steps away for anyone who wants it.

Cultures for Health also has a huge number of sourdough starters each with subtle taste differences and attributes for making different kinds of bread. Out of the 17 different kinds, I chose the Flemish-Style Desem Sourdough Starter because it is whole wheat based. There are a few rye based ones and several from all over the world: Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark. Many are from areas of North America with a long history of great sourdough bread: Alaska, Yukon Territory, The Pacific Northwest, Ozark Mountain.

Cultures for Health offers a kit that has everything you need to start out making sourdough, and a book filled with recipes for bread, biscuits, pancakes and even cookies.

I am so excited to try my new starters and I will post how to make sourdough bread, pancakes, yogurt, yogurt smoothies, etc.

Let's get cooking!

Warn Your Children...

My friend M. brought her acoustic guitar to the park today. She played Joan Baez songs and others including this old one, The House of the Rising Sun.

Here, The Animals perform their version. It's pretty good too.

Who knew you could rock out with an organ?