Author Archive: My Kitchen Wand

Red currants are another of those tart berries that carry within enough pectin to gel on their own. They are most often turned into jelly as the seeds inside are bigger than raspberry seeds and for some, that can take away from the enjoyment of the finished preserve. I had plans but time and web […]

This is a post about temperature in candlemaking. In the past I have shared candlemaking options as it related to rolled beeswax and melt and pour type waxes. The next few minutes were put together to show you why sometimes, the finished candle does not come out of the mould as anticipated. You can skip […]

I usually think of birthdays as a time when the birthday person should feel special and receive, as much as possible, what they would like. I have pictures of my grandfather in Indonesia, in the early 1900 hundreds, sitting on the “birthday chair”, decorated with fronds and flowers and although not all cultures chose to […]

I posted a few weeks ago a red currant jelly recipe that was photograped on Spelt & Almond Biscuits. These are those biscuits. Spelt is an ancient grain that fell out of favour when wheat was industrialized due to the need for spelt to include a second step in the process of making flour. Hard […]

There are so many things to say about garlic that I will easily be drawn off topic, which is braiding. Garlic is known to be a part of horticulture for at least 5000 years and most likely longer than our recorded history. It was grown by the ancient Egyptians, Indians, Chinese and Babylonians. There is […]

Do you have lemon verbena growing in your herb garden? Try adding some black currants for a warming cup of tea. Well, tisane actually. Tea by definition comes from the Camellia sinensis bush and all those lovely hot beverages made from herbs are better known as tisanes, although most people would call them herbal teas. […]

The word compote comes to us through Latin and French roots and means mixture. The Middle English word would have been compost and by no means suggests this adventure is meant for the recycling bin. Compote is cooked pieces of fruit with sweetener and very often additional flavourings, although it can also be made plain. […]

It is berry season! If you are putting up jams and compotes and shrubs and jellies and sauces, then it is quite possible that you will have leftovers: Simple sugar syrup Fresh fruit Strained jams Fruit purees Fruit syrups This happens quite naturally when cooking from a recipe that does not match the box size […]

Don’t get your hopes up. It is not Hallowe’en yet. These are Silver Web Cookies for a community picnic. A chance to gather together for an open to the public social event of catching up with friends and strengthening connections. Is there a Silver Web picnic or something similar in your community? My original intention […]

If you have any of that tasty raspberry jam shared last month left, here is a recipe for some mini doughnuts in need of a filling. All gone? Choose something else. Not a baked doughnut this time but a yeast based sweet bread recipe that will need hot oil for cooking. I don’t do this […]