Thursday, April 30, 2009

Spring Migration Nature Art, Craft & Children's Festival


If you don’t have any plans this weekend please consider coming out to the wonderful Spring Migration Nature Art, Craft & Children's Festival! Learn details about the festival at www.gscincny.org.

In addition to the fun and educational events going on at the festival, I will have a table with my art, prints, greeting cards and newly created felted creatures. I hope to see you there!

Saturday May 2nd 10am-4pm
Sunday May 3rd 10am - 4pm

8375 North Main Street, Canastota, NY 315-697-2950

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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

Monday, April 13, 2009

The Dandelion


The Dandelion, 4 x4, ink fresco

The Dandelion, taraxacum officinale, is one of the first immigrants to North America along with the European colonists, had an established and long history in Europe where it was used medicinally, as a source of dye, and as a culinary herb.

As a medicinal herb, it has a reputation in for its effect in treating diabetes, liver ailments, and curing anemia.

The Dandelion was and still can be used to dye wool. The leaves create a yellow dye, while the whole plant creates a magenta color.

But, perhaps the place that most of us can take advantage of the Dandelion is in the kitchen. In the spring, before it flowers, the leaves can be eaten like a salad green. The flavor is a mild bitter-sweet, not unlike escarole. The raw leaves are a healthy low-carbohydrate food, more nutritious than spinach. The USDA Bulletin #8, "Composition of Foods" (Haytowitz and Matthews, 1984) lists Dandelion greens as the fourth in the top of the most nutritional greens. You can eat the leaves later in the season, but they will need to be blanched and cooked to remove the stronger bitter flavor that develops. If you wait until the autumn, after the first frost, the bitterness will have dissipated again. The photo here is of my spring harvest, which soon became part of a delicious mixed green salad. My family, who are not particularly daring in their food choices, all enjoyed the added flavor that Dandelion contributed to the salad.
a plate of freshly picked dandelion greens
Additionally, the root can be roasted and used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute. The flowers can be used to make a wine, or stir-fried as a vegetable. They are particularly tasty dipped in a light batter and fried like tempura.

So, before you start spraying noxious chemicals on your lawn, consider the source of nutritious food you might have right outside your door! Dandelions are high in iron and in vitamins A and C. At a time when grocery costs continue to rise, why go to the store to purchase foods with less nutritional value, when you have a free food source right in your own yard? (NOTE: avoid harvesting near roads, since road salt and and other toxic chemical may be present.) Don't be afraid to experiment, there is nothing toxic about the plant, so no matter what you do it cannot harm you, and you just may appreciate a great use for what was once considered an annoying weed.

Please do share your ideas and uses of the Dandelion by posting in the comments below!

DoAn
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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Helping the Bees

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Last year in America, a third of the honeybee population disappeared, which came after losing a third of the population the year before. This is happening all over the world. Without some serious intervention, we are looking at the very real possibility of the extinction of the honeybee.

There are many theories concerning the reasons for their decline, none of them yet confirmed. But, regardless of the official reason, one of the theories that has a real impact is the loss of habitat. As more and more houses are built, and suburban sprawl widens, the subsequent deforestation rids the bees of tree cavities to nest in. The fields, once filled with flowers, turn to sterile, chemical-laced lawns, and the few flowers that do get planted in yards often do not provide food for the bees.

Some simple things one can do to help honeybees is to refrain from using pesticides and herbicides on lawns and to plant flowers that attract and nourish the bees. Some of the bee-favored flowers are Asters, Clover, Marigolds, Poppies, Sunflowers, Buttercups, Clematis,
Crocuses, Echinacea, Foxglove, Geraniums, Hollyhocks, Hyacinth, Roses, Sedum, Snowdrops,
Tansy, and Zinnias, plus many vegetable plants, herbs, and flowering trees and shrubs.

The decline of the honeybee has created a serious problem for everyone, for we are losing a key pollinator. Without pollination, our very food supply is threatened. One way to help ease the pressure off the Honeybee is to aid the Blue Orchard Mason Bee, by making homes for them to nest in. They are very industrious pollinators, a single female bee pollinating over 1000 blossoms a day! The male Blue Orchard Mason Bee cannot sting and the female rarely stings, they are not aggressive and safe to have around your home. They are great to watch and a perfect project for families to work on together, as it is very easy and enjoyable.

Here is a link to instructions for making your own Blue Orchard Mason Bee house. It is important to get the houses up soon, as the bees are starting to wake up and will be seeking homes. If you don't have time or really don't want to make your own bee house, here is a link where you can purchase one. I am making mine this week and will post a picture once I get it set up!

Let's do our part to help the creatures whose homes and food we have taken away, and whom we cannot live without!

DoAn
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Donate now!DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2009 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

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