Many years ago I planted sweetgrass down by our pond. The patch has grown every year. Last year I had 8 braids. This year I had a whopping 12. If you have never smelled sweetgrass it is like a freshly mowed field of hay. It brings back wonderful memories of growing up on the prairie. Below is a quick tutorial on how to make a sweetgrass braid. First tie the sweetgrass into bundles and let dry 2 or 3 weeks.
You will have to re-tie the tops, as they shrink immensely when they dry.
Next, either have your husband or a clamp hold the ends. I gave my husband a reprieve this year, since there were so many braids. As you see below, just start braiding a nice tight braid. Don't be gentle. They can withstand some twisting and pulling. When you are all done, tie the end and trim any strands that are sticking out. Trim the top and, if you want, the bottom.
What does one do with sweetgrass braids? I put them in the windows and the scent drifts in with the wind. Mom always gets one, since she started the whole thing by getting me a sweetgrass braid for Christmas. I keep one in my office to calm distraught students. The rest are given to friends and family.
There you have it. 12 sweetgrass braids. Below are some butterfly photos. There were tons of them today dancing through the flowers.
My bird of the week is a red-tailed hawk. She is always around the place, but this year she has been super camera shy. Usually, I get tons of photos of her. She must know I am doing the bird count. She flew away seconds after I took this one photo.
I dealt with the crab apples today. I made 5 pints of crab apple jelly, 2 sheets of fruit roll-ups, and 1 batch of crab apple wine. I tried to make spiced crab apples, but forgot to prick them with a fork. It seems to be an epic fail. Below is my colorful assortment of wines: Dandelion, watermelon, huckleberry, raspberry, red currant. Quite the colorful assortment.
I am exhausted. There was a lot to do this weekend. I need to go back to work to relax. I hope you had a productive weekend.
We have lots of crab apples - maybe I should consider making something with them. I kust treat them as ornamental
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of hanging those sweetgrass braids around the house or your office so the calming scent wafts around, I hope it lasts into winter. You work so hard making things from all your fruit, your house must smell delicious.
ReplyDeleteYou cram a lot in to your weekend. Never heard of sweetgrass.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful wine. So is sweetgrass a certain kind of grass or is its name actually "sweetgrass?" I think I should grow some if I don't already have it on the prairie. Busy fall days at your house!!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely braids! I had a pot of sweet grass I nursed along for years. It finally gave up with the heat along with my comfrey and my rhubarb. I guess this year with the smoke it was too much. Your wind is wonderful. What pretty colors you have. When I used to make soap, I never bought it but one of the scents I always wanted to make was sweetgrass. I thought that would be lovely soap. Have a lovely weekend. Our new red tail is a Juvenal. He makes so many mistakes its almost comical trying to get my chickens. They always try it each year. Have a wonderful weekend.
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