Well! It’s nearly the end of the quarter, so I figured I would take this week’s project update as an opportunity to discuss the wrap-up of my research this quarter and what I’ll be looking forward to in the next!
To finish out this quarter, I will be compiling my information on the practice of conscious eating and dietary herbalism in a private document to be turned into a brochure next quarter. I also will be working several hours each week with Aurora and a few other students to rehabilitate Evergreen’s Elizabethan herb garden and process the herbs into teas and possibly lotions and salves as well.
Initially we will be working to weed the garden and identify the healthy plants living there, and then we will be purchasing some seeds and starters to hopefully bring a flourishing spring herb harvest.
We will also be working to make a book with the layout and uses of the herbs as well as drawings and pressed plants. We plan to split the work of the quarter into six phases which will weave together as plants are ready for market, but the idea is to plant, weed, design labels, harvest, process, and create tea blends. We plan to dry the herbs in the Gnome Shed and our own homes prior to making our teas.
Additionally, I will continue my food studies. I don’t yet know where that will take me, but I am spending spring break in Washington D.C. at museums and historical locations, and plan to see several exhibits currently at the Smithsonian related to food culture in the United States. Hopefully that will give some direction to my more general ideas about what I plan to study.
I have also discussed with Kotomi the possibility of working together (recycling her used tea leaves) to make tea cheeses. I have an interest in studying the process of cheesemaking, and am interested in exploring that process especially through local farms and small dairies.
Finally, as a part of my blog for next quarter, I plan to begin a YouTube channel dedicated to my work in food studies and the herb garden. I will document progress in both, create recipes and prepare dishes, and discuss topics in the program.