Bartram documented that he saw 100 bushels of shagbark hickory nuts that were stored at just a single Indian family home. The nuts were pounded into a mash, and then boiled in water, where a white, oily liquid separated called ‘hickory milk.’ The liquid was described to be as sweet and rich as a fresh cream and was an active ingredient used by the Indians in cooking corn bread and hominy grits.

There remains some question whether or not the Indians near Augusta on the Altamaha River hickory groves as described by Bartram were actually planted as orchard trees or just harvested at a naturally located site. Many such productive groves occur along tidal creeks in Coastal Georgia, a few are left intact by land developers for the recreational value of the trees and the food value of the nuts that are gathered at one such Episcopal camp near Brunswick, Ga. along a tidal basin aquifer ‘Honeycreek,’ a tributary of the Satilla River.

The hickory cream that was recovered by the Indians for cooking purposes was also described by Indians from the Algonquian tribe in Virginia who called this cream “pawcohiccora,” thus the word ‘hickory’ was adapted, modified, and abbreviated by the English colonists.

The shelled nuts of hickory are greatly sought after and appreciated for the unique flavor, not only by birds and animals, but by cooks and gourmet nut fanciers as well. The shagbark hickory nut, when added to chocolate fudge, leaves a pleasurable, indelible memory to all who are lucky enough to have experienced this delicious encounter.

A group of entrepreneurs out West offer shagbark syrup made from a top secret recipe that is made from a white inner bark extract of the juice obtained in the spring from shagbark hickory trees. The extract is obtained by pressure cooking and straining the juices from the pulverized and shredded bark. The demand is so great for this bottled hickory flavoring, that it has never satisfied the market to chefs throughout the United States. Julia Child reports that one of her favorite gourmet preparations includes mixing the bark extract with bourbon as a marinade for ribs.

Every backyard chef with a grill appreciates the fine flavoring that hickory tree wood smoke transfers into meat, fish, and many other food items. Early colonists used hickory tree wood smoke to flavor, cure, and preserve meats in the famous smokehouses of Virginia.

In the natural state of hardwood forests, hickory trees have hybridized easily and readily within species to produce numerous variations and combinations of characteristics that possess the traditional vigor displayed in scientific intercrosses of species by academic professionals.

The difficulties that have delayed commercial orchard development basically lies in the extreme difficulty in successfully grafting 130 cultivar selections for nursery distributors.

Some hickory nuts have smooth, thin shells that can be easily cracked by squeezing two together in the hand, but other hickory nut shells are so thick and hard that they must be cracked by several vigorous hits from a heavy hammer.

Since hickory nuts are difficult to shell out into large pieces, it is beneficial to soak the nuts in water overnight before cracking. The shelled nuts then should be dried and placed in a cool, dark location until they are to be used in recipes.

Even though some cultivars can produce kernels up to 47% by weight, most nuts only shell out about 30% kernel. There is a great variability in hickory flavor from one cultivar to the next, however, they all have a high unsaturated fat content with strong medical antioxidant properties that transmits that characteristic spicy, sweet, buttery taste from the kernels.

A mature shagbark hickory tree is unmistakable in its shaggy, unkempt trunk appearance and its bright green, shiny leaves constantly moving in the breeze at the globular treetop. Young trees have a shiny, smooth bark that only begin to shred hair-like at an age of about 25 years.

Shagbark hickory trees are easy to transplant until about 4-5 feet tall, when a long taproot begins to anchor the tree to the ground with very few lateral roots. Because of these sturdy, deep growing taproots, and dense wood, the trees are among the best lawn specimens to plant in hurricane locations, since they appear invulnerable to wind damage with very straight trunks.

Several observations have been made on natural state hybridization between shagbark hickory ‘Carya ovata,’ and pecan trees, ‘Carya illinoinensis.’ The resulting nuts seem to have flavor and nut characteristics somewhere in between the two species and are being planted by nut hobbyists and some have found a place within some commercial pecan orchards to insure pollination of this genetic marvel named, ‘Hican.’

The many uses of shagbark hickory trees include fuel, wood, and furniture products and as a supplement to charcoal cooking as a smoking agent for taste and preservation of meats. Because of the dense wood, hickory is used in tool handles such as hammers and axes, as well as chairs, ladders, golf clubs, baseball bats, and skis.

America’s Ancient, Historical Hickory Trees is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

It would be difficult to house all of the different bulbs in one store, and even more overwhelming for a customer to try to decide which one is right for them. Luckily, stores don’t even have to try. Consumers can simply open a flower bulb catalog and see pictures of all of the different varieties available. Many of the catalogs will give all of the pertinent information to consumers—name of flower, colors available, water requirements, sun requirements, geographic area, price, etc. These flower bulb catalogs make it easy for customers to decide at a glance what type of bulb they need.

Jackson and Perkins is a well-known flower bulb catalog company. John Scheepers, Inc. offers a catalog of Dutch flower bulbs. Old House Gardens bills itself as “American’s only source devoted to antique flower bulbs.” Finally, Van Dyck’s offers a catalog of flower bulbs and perennials.

Many of these companies now offer online flower bulb catalogs in addition to or in place of their print catalog. Most also now take orders online and accept credit cards, so it is possible to complete the entire transaction online.

Flower Bulb Catalogs is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

“Spicing up the home with color is a great way to brighten the indoors-but the actual color selection process often can be quite overwhelming,” said Barbara Richardson, director of color marketing for ICI Paints and a licensed interior designer. “Follow these simple, sensible tips, and you’ll paint like a pro to create a delectable treat of a colorful new home–and have fun in the process.”

Consult a color “cookbook”

You wouldn’t attempt to whip up a gourmet meal without consulting a cookbook or an experienced chef. Similarly, take advantage of the design assistance that is available to you. For computer-savvy do-it-yourselfers, free design advice is available with the simple click of a computer mouse.

For example, the Glidden Online Color Consultant, located at www.glidden.com, combines individual tastes with direction from color experts to determine a user’s ideal paint palette through a step-by-step guided process.

Color chips of shades chosen online can be ordered and sent free of charge. Since it’s preferable to make paint selections surrounded by the furniture, lighting and accessories of a room, reviewing color chips in the comfort of home provides the extra confidence needed to proceed with a paint project.

Do a taste test

It’s important to see before you believe, especially when it comes to paint colors. So, how do you experiment with paint colors and avoid the stress and mess?

Try the self-adhesive, repositionable color swatches called Glidden Color@Home Peel & Stick paint samples. Measuring 33/4″ x 6″, these swatches are available in six collections of 10 colors each and include coordinating shades for walls, accents and trim.

Simply place swatches on a wall, then remove and restick as many times as necessary to select the best colors to coordinate with furniture and accessories.

Don’t leave out essentials

For the best topcoat results, most projects will require a coat of primer first. A primer called Gripper Grey, for example, was specifically developed for use under dark or vibrant paints. These primers use shades of grey to create a better foundation that enhances the true richness of popular topcoat colors while saving time and money.

“Most DIYers don’t think twice about applying deep colors, such as dark reds, greens or blues, over a white primer,” said Richardson. “Only after the paint has dried do they realize that the primer affects the intensity of the topcoat. As a result, more time and money are spent on applying additional layers to achieve the desired color.”

Choose a delicious topping

A fresh coat of spotless ceiling paint will surely put the icing on the cake. One way to avoid the frustration and anxiety of missed spots, multiple coats and waiting for paint to dry is with a ceiling paint with EZ Track Technology. The product goes on pink and dries to a smooth, bright white in less than 30 minutes.

With this innovative paint from Glidden, tackling a ceiling can be done whenever it’s convenient–in low light, on overcast days or even at night when the kids are asleep.

By following a recipe for painting success, do-it-yourselfers can create a room that will be savored for years to come.

Creating a colorful home can boost your family’s physical and mental well-being.

A Recipe For Cooking Up A Colorful New Room is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

This is a good checklist before leaving your home empty or for beefing up your protection against theft:

Study your house from the street, and look for any valuables that may be visible from the street. Don’t give thieves a reason to show up.

Before leaving for any length of time, ensure that all windows and doors are locked, including the door to your garage. Many home invasion robberies come through garage doors and inner doors to the houses. Doors should have deadbolt locks with a one-inch throw and reinforced strike plate.

Place a piece of wood or metal in the track of any sliding doors to prevent opening.

Don’t leave your house in darkness when you’re away, create a sense of activity by using timers on lights, radios and televisions.

Install low-voltage lighting outdoors to keep your surrounding yard well lit. Install motion detectors in dark areas along the sides and back of house to alert you of any intruders.

Suspend your newspaper delivery while you’re away and ask your neighbor to collect your mail. You may even ask them to park in your driveway while you’re away.

Never leave a message on your answering machine that says you’re on vacation.

Keep any shrubbery near your walkway or entrance trimmed; removing any possible hiding places. Think about planting cactus or rosebushes under windows that may be especially vulnerable.

Advise your neighborhood watch that you’ll be away.

Ensure your security system is activated when you leave.

Etch your name on all electronic equipment to serve as a deterrent as well as assisting police in the recovery your property. It’s more difficult to sell stolen property that has the owners name on it. Make a video tape of your possessions and record the serial numbers.

Get a safe, not just for your jewels, but for important paperwork as well. Identity theft is a crime that’s on the rise and you want to minimize any availability to your personal records.

The more you can do to deter an intruder, the better your chances are that your home will not be chosen as a target. Studies have shown that if it takes a burglar more than four or five minutes to break into a home, they’ll move on. If you increase their vulnerability by adding a well-lit area or a barking dog, that minimizes your risk again.

Common Sense is Your Best Anti-Theft Device is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

1.Add white! White with your present color scheme will both cool and brighten, adding the freshness that only white can! If your room colors tend toward the warm side, such as yellows, browns, or reds…then choose creamier white such as ecru or ivory. If you have cooler colors in your room, such as greens and blues, go with the brighter, cleaner whites.

2.Try painting your focal wall, (that is, the one most seen) in a sunnier, brighter, or lighter shade of your current wall color. It will add lightness to the room without drastically changing the whole scheme. Don’t worry, you can always go back to that rich red in the fall, but how about a little petal pink, or sky blue? Remember, its only paint, its cheap!

3.Add a floral print fabric to your room. Using the primary colors already in your room, visit your fabric store and pick out a floral fabric you love with at least one of those primary colors in it. (The more, the better, but don’t feel you must have every color in the room also in the fabric!) Use that floral fabric to make table scarves, placemats, pillow covers, and simple seat cushion covers. Pair it with a solid fabric color already in the room, and you have a custom coordinated look, for just a few dollars and some simple straight sewing!

4.Pick up some pretty colored glassware from the dollar shop, and display it where the sun will light it up! You could even use clear glassware, and fill it with colored water to coordinate with the room. Use your glassware as vases, pencil holders, or candy dishes, but make sure it is seen! Glass sparkles and adds a bit of sunshine to a room.

5.Take down your curtains, and just leave your mini blinds underneath. Don’t leave it bare, though, we don’t want boring! Swag some dried or silk flowers over the top of the blinds, or use some muslin to twist around a curtain rod for an informal but airy valance. (No sew!)

6.Keep your windows sparkling clean. Dirty windows cut down on a surprising amount of light, and make a room look dull. As a bonus, clean windows mean more sparkling glass, and that makes room feel larger and brighter!

7.Pot up some pansies from the garden center and use them indoors as houseplants. They are cheap, easy, and add flowers to a room without the cost of replacing floral arrangements every week! You can even coordinate the flower color to the color scheme of the room. Don’t match the colors, just pick something complementary.

8.Clear most of the artwork and accessories out of your room, and just keep a few larger, simpler pieces. It declutters the room, and helps to put the focus on the freshness of a room. Consider picking up a white lattice from the garden center, and hang it on the wall as a focal point. Place a potted plant in front of it, or hang small framed garden catalog prints from it. Let it be a reminder of the outdoors all season long!

9.Use a stencil or a stamp to add floral and nature motifs to your room for very little money. Stencil vines around windows and doors, hand paint seasonal sayings over doorways with a paint pen, or stamp a floral bouquet on the front of cupboard doors. You can always paint over those small areas with touch up paint in the fall. (Or you might love them so much, they stay year round!)

10.Finally, don’t forget your entry area when you are creating that spring glow all around your home. Remember, your entries are a visitors first impression of your home! Add a pot of pansies on the porch, paint your entry a fresh spring color, and hang a handmade wreath or a basket of flowers on the front door.

All these ideas take very little time, little or no money, and do wonders for your spirit and the spirit of those who you love. Take a little time to brighten your lives!

10 Quick And Inexpensive Ways To Brighten Your Home For Spring! is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

Amazonian moon goddess. Goddess of the hunt. Goddess of the wild things. Goddess of the midwife. Goddess of the herbalist. Mother of all Creatures. Leader of the sacred bitches. Great she-bear. Diana. Selene. Ever Virgin; owned by no man. We will visit her sacred wood on a shamanic journey. Who knows what will happen then.

HOW DO ARTEMISIAS GROW IN YOUR GARDEN?

Most Artemisias are perennials and grow best from cuttings, not seeds. Sweet Annie is the exception, being a self-seeding annual. Although you can buy tarragon seeds, you can’t grow true tarragon from them. Wormwood and southernwood and tarragon (the last not winter-hardy in many places) are woody perennials which regreen each year on last year’s new wood; I prune only dead wood from them. Cronewort is an invasive perennial that creeps underground; it dies back to the ground each year and can be heavily harvested (clear cuts are ok) without damage to its further prolific productivity.

Most Artemisias require little care. Lack of soil nutrients and lack of water do not faze them. Many are native to deserts, and know how to thrive in hot dry weather. Except for tarragon, all can overwinter without fuss.

Flowers are usually small and green, in other words, nearly invisible.

WHAT DO ARTEMISIAS CONTAIN?

• bitter principals: wormwood
• coumarins: cronewort, tarragon
• essential oils (complex, variety specific, with hundreds of components per plant): cronewort (high in camphor, thujone), tarragon, wormwood (high in camphor, thujone)
• flavonoids: cronewort, tarragon
• glycosides: cronewort, tarragon
• hormones: cronewort (sitosterol, stigmasterol)
• sesquiterpene lactones: cronewort

HOW ARE ARTEMISIAS USED?

Artemisias, with their grey-green or white-green foliage bring beauty to the garden throughout the growing season. They also make long-lasting, aromatic and beautiful indoor decorations: bouquets, wreaths, swags. They are popular strewing herbs, too.

Those which are high in essential oils are thereby antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial. They also improve digestion and appetite if taken in small doses.

Any Artemisia growing beside the door – or painted on it – was, in days of old, the sign of the midwife, the herbalist. Magical and folkloric uses are numerous.

“Mugwort possesses both natural and supernatural qualities. [It] excels as a woman’s herb, easing the pain of labor, menstrual cramps, and effectively treating various uterine complaints.” Gai Stern (1986)

Cronewort/mugwort = smudge, dream pillow, moxa, birthing steam, vinegar of roots and young leaves, salad green when young, mugwort noodles, mugwort mochi. American colonists used the sundried leaves as a tea substitute. Formerly a popular beer flavoring (hence the name mugwort). Controls worms in goats. Urinary tonic. Uterine tonic. Digestive tonic. Nerve tonic. Circulatory tonic. Cronewort eases pain and fever, comforts grief and depression, eases irritability and burdened joints, brings peace and sleep, and reassures the nerves.

Moxa demonstration and discussion.

“That torturous, barbaric practice, the use of the moxa, is closely related to this plant.” Millspaugh (1892)

Wormwood = tincture, oil. Ingredient in absinth. Stimulates mid-brain activity and increases creativity, but repeated use disturbs the central nervous system. Prevents giardia, dysentery, amoebas. Cholagogic, digestive, appetite-stimulant, liver-stimulant, wound healer. Caution: Use can lower seizure threshold; interacts adversely with seizure-reducing medications.

Sweet Annie = capsules, in fairly large daily dose, to prevent malaria; source of antimalarial drugs. A strong tea, taken frequently, kills giardia and amoebas.

Tarragon = vinegar, seasoning. Appetite stimulant according to Herbal PDR.

Southernwood = dream pillow, sachet, charms. To see the beloved.

SPECIES

Some of the many Artemisia species that herbalists and gardeners use:

A. abrotanum (southernwood)
A. absinthium (wormwood)
A. afra (African wormwood)
A. annua (sweet Annie, qing hao)
A. camphorata (camphor-scented sothernwood)
A. drancuncula (tarragon, estragon, little dragon)
A. frigida (fringed sagebrush)
A. lactiflora (ghost plant)
A. ludoviciana (silver queen)
A. pontica (Roman wormwood)
A. schmidtiana (silver mound)
A. stellerana (old woman, dusty miller)
A. tridentata (sagebrush; three-toothed sagebrush)
A. vulgaris (cronewort, mugwort)

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Amazing Artemisias is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

1. What do you really want or need?
Some landscapes are beautiful as they are, but the owners sometimes just want to add new appeal to their homes so they opt to have a landscape job done. Be sure that you have already identified what you want in the landscape design. This should be in your preparatory plan before you even speak to a professional contractor. Once you have your plans you can present them to the contractor to see if everything will work and is possible. The blog on paramountlawns.com is a great place to start for your landscaping ideas.

2. Set a firm budget.
Next you should prepare your budget. Will your dream garden be feasible? Is it practical or do you need to make some adjustments or compromises? The best thing is that you know what you want and you are able to identify alternatives if your budget fails to accommodate your vision. With the plans and budget in place things tend to be easier when negotiating with the contractor. The landscaper will ensure that this project will meet your budget and assure that it will look closely to what you are expecting. Be sure to get accurate measurements so that materials do not accidentally go over budget. Some contractors like to give you the best price in the estimate, but find out later that they can’t provide all the material at the quote given. Which brings us to the next step, get references!

3. Get references.
Know the landscape companies that you are contacting and negotiate with them. Gauge their level of experience and the quality work by asking for photos or tours of their previous projects. You should also ask for references and their professional affiliations. Make sure the company is a legitimate company and that everything is written down. Without written proof of the agreed upon services it is difficult to prove if you are not happy in the end.

Summary
It all boils down to good planning and documentation. If you have a solid plan and ask the right questions you will end up with an exceptional landscape. In the Sacramento California valley, Paramount Properties is the premiere landscaping company. Visit the website for more information and for services.

Finding the Right Landscaping Company is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

A popular method nowadays is to decorate a room according to a theme; haphazard décor displays just doesn’t cut it anymore. For example, you can choose to go the modern route with steel, glass and leather or an Eastern-inspired theme complete with a divan and mirrored bedspreads. However, one the most popular choices among home decorators remains the tried and true theme of a rustic lodge or cabin.

Rustic-inspired furnishings usually feature warm colors and tend towards practicality and comfort. You can co-ordinate your whole bedroom with appropriate rustic bedding accessories, matching drapes, carpets, lighting fixtures and bathroom accessories. One of the more distinctive features of a rustic bedding set is its colors and motifs. They usually come in warm colors like brick red, deep greens, oranges, blues and dark grays – all colors inspired from nature. The motifs are distinct in that they sport the themes of wildlife and the wild outdoors. They evoke the comfortable and relaxed atmosphere of a lodge or cabin.

Most rustic bedding sets are available in a wide variety of sizes and sheet combinations. A standard sheet set usually includes a top sheet along with a fitted bottom sheet and two pillowcases. It should be noted that in many cases only a single pillowcase is provided with the twin set of sheets. Rustic bedding sets come in all the standardized sizes – Twin, Full, Queen, King and CAL king. This makes it easier for you to choose a set according to your needs and you don’t have to worry about the bedding set being either too small or too large for your bed.

You generally have the choice of two types of fabric: flannel and percale. While flannel is made from 100% cotton fibers, percale is 30% cotton and 70% polyester. The pricing also differs for the two fabrics – on the whole the percale bedding sets are somewhat cheaper than flannel ones. Apart from the usual themes like woods, moose, bear, fishing etc., some companies also offer a ‘heritage’ bedding collection. These are classic designs for the more traditionally inclined.

Apart from the regular bedding sets you can also buy matching comforters (available in all the standard sizes), pillow shams and bed skirts. Some manufacturers also provide throw pillows and shower curtains to match your rustic bedding set. To complete the look of your room, you can even go so far as to use compatible window treatments. The drapes usually match the pattern of the comforter, and the headers, rod pocket and tiebacks complete the set. Blanket ensembles made from the finest fabrics are also an option if you’re looking to splurge. Heck, if you are so inclined, you could even invest in an heirloom quality handmade quilt with a rustic theme.

Copyright © Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.

A Quick Rundown on Rustic Bedding is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

From outdoor wall lights to delicate decorative interior lights, we have everything you could possibly require for a commercial or industrial property or a home. If you are a contractor refurbishing homes or building an estate from scratch, we can offer outstanding deals on interior and exterior products which are inexpensive yet really add the final finishing flourishes to properties and thus become great selling points.

We have a superb selection of architectural lights which perfectly illuminate any commercial property and create a vibrant working environment for staff and a welcoming atmosphere for visitors. For more details on the type of brilliant deals which we can offer you if you are in the trade, please call us on 0845 634 1515 today.

Tried and Trusted Trade Lighting is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs

Welcome gift to my brother and sister in law is a post from: Home Improvement & Interior Design Blogs