#Ground Sumac

[annandrews]

Spinach Triangles Fatayer Sabanegh These spinach triangles use an unusual flavoring, ground sumac, and are made with phyllo dough.

[karlabdiaz]

Spinach Triangles Fatayer Sabanegh Recipe These spinach triangles are made with phyllo dough and a novel flavoring called ground sumac. 2 tablespoons ground sumac, 1 cup butter, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 package frozen phyllo dough thawed, 1 onion finely chopped, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 1 pinch salt, 4 cups fresh spinach leaves chopped

[la-carniceria]

Za'atar Roasted Potatoes Recipe These roasted potatoes are seasoned with za'atar, a Middle Eastern spice mixture consisting of ground dried thyme, toasted sesame seeds, sumac and salt. 2 tablespoons za'atar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A decorative orange ceramic plate with a pyramid of green herbs and sesame seeds, topped with deep red sumac and more sesame seeds. End ID]

زعتر فلسطيني / Za'tar falastinia (Palestinian spice blend)

Za'tar (زَعْتَر; also transliterated "za'atar," "zaatar" and "zatar") is the name of a family of culinary herbs; it is also the name of a group of spice blends made by mixing these herbs with varying amounts of olive oil, sumac, salt, roasted sesame seeds, and other spices. Palestinian versions of za'tar often include caraway, aniseed, and roasted wheat alongside generous portions of sumac and sesame seeds. The resulting blend is bold, zesty, and aromatic, with a hint of floral sourness from the sumac, and notes of licorice and anise.

Za'tar is considered by Palestinians to have particular national, political, and personal importance, and exists as a symbol of both Israeli oppression and Palestinian home-making and resistance. Its major components, olive oil and wild thyme, are targeted by the settler state in large part due to their importance to ecology, identity, and trade in Palestine—settlers burn and raze Palestinian farmers' olive trees by the thousands each year. A 1977 Israeli law forbade the harvesting of wild herbs within its claimed borders, with violators of the law risking fines and confiscation, injury, and even death from shootings or land mines; in 2006, za'tar was further restricted, such that even its possession in the West Bank was met with confiscation and fines.

Despite the blanket ban on harvesting wild herbs (none of which are endangered), Arabs are the only ones to be charged and fined for the crime. Samir Naamnih calls the ban an attempt to "starve us out," given that foraging is a major source of food for many Palestinians, and that picking and selling herbs is often the sole form of income for impoverished families. Meanwhile, Israeli farmers have domesticated and farmed za'tar on expropriated Palestinian land, selling it (both the herb and the spice mixture) back to Palestinians, and later marketing it abroad as an "Israeli" blend; they thus profit from the ban on wild harvesting of the herb. This farming model, as well as the double standard regarding harvesting, refer back to an idea that Arabs are a primitive people unfit to own the land, because they did not cultivate or develop it as the settlers did (i.e., did not attempt to recreate a European landscape or European models of agriculture); colonizing and settling the land are cast as justified, and even righteous.

The importance of the ban on foraging goes beyond the economic. Raya Ziada, founder of an acroecology nonprofit based in Ramallah, noted in 2019 that "taking away access to [wild herbs] doesn't just debilitate our economy and compromise what we eat. It's symbolic." Za'tar serves variously as a symbol of Palestinians' connection to the land and to nature; of Israeli colonial dispossession and theft; of the Palestinian home ("It’s a sign of a Palestinian home that has za’tar in it"); and of resistance to the colonial regime, as many Palestinians have continued to forage herbs such as za'tar and akkoub in the decades since the 1977 ban. Resistance to oppression will continue as long as there is oppression.

Palestine Action has called for bail fund donations to aid in their storming, occupying, shutting down, and dismantling of factories and offices owned by Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. Also contact your representatives in the USA, UK, and Canada.

Ingredients:

Za'tar (Origanum syriacum), 250g once dried (about 4 cups packed)

250g (1 2/3 cup) sesame seeds

170g (3/4 cup) Levantine sumac berries, or ground sumac (Rhus coriaria)

100g (1/2 cup) wheat berries (optional)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp aniseed (optional)

1/2 Tbsp caraway seeds (optional)

Levantine wild thyme (also known as Bible hyssop, Syrian oregano, and Lebanese oregano) may be purchased dried online. You may also be able to find some dried at a halal grocery store, where it will be labelled "زعتر" (za'tar) and "thym," "thyme," or "oregano." Check to make sure that what you're buying is just the herb and not the prepared mixture, which is also called "زعتر." Also ensure that what you're buying is not a product of Israel.

If you don't have access to Levantine thyme, Greek or Turkish oregano are good substitutes.

Wheat berries are the wheat kernel that is ground to produce flour. They may be available sold as "wheat berries" at a speciality health foods store. They may be omitted, or replaced with pre-ground whole wheat flour.

Instructions:

1. Harvest wild thyme and remove the stems from the leaves. Wash the leaves in a large bowl of water and pat dry; leave in a single layer in the sun for four days or so, until brittle. Skip this step if using pre-dried herbs.

2. Crumble leaves by rubbing them between the palms of your hands until they are very fine. Pass through a sieve or flour sifter into a large bowl, re-crumbling any leaves that are too coarse to get through.

Crumbling between the hands is an older method. You may also use a blender or food processor to grind the leaves.

3. Mix the sifted thyme with a drizzle of olive oil and work it between your hands until incorporated.

4. Briefly toast sumac berries, caraway seeds, and aniseed in a dry skillet over medium heat, then grind them to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle or a spice mill.

5. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until deeply golden brown.

6. (Optional) In a dry skillet on medium-low, toast wheat berries, stirring constantly, until they are deeply golden brown. Grind to a fine powder in a spice mill. If using ground flour, toast on low, stirring constantly, until browned.

Some people in the Levant bring their wheat to a local mill to be ground after toasting, as it produces a finer and more consistent texture.

7. Mix all ingredients together and work between your hands to incorporate.

Store za'tar in an airtight jar at room temperature. Mix with olive oil and use as a dipping sauce with bread.

[astra-ravana]

Astra's List of Baneful Components

I hope to make this list as comprehensive as possible and will be adding to it whenever I discover something new. If anyone has any suggestions for things that should be added, please let me know. 🖤

Herbs/Plants

• Bloodroot- Substitutes blood

• Jezebel Root- Wickedness, ending relationships, punishing cheaters

• Bindweed- Binding, ensnaring

• Dogbane- Deception

• Rue- Misery

• Saffron- Destruction

• Lemon- Sourness/bitterness, reveals damaging truths

• Lemon Verbena- a boost of power, ending relationships

• Lime- Sourness/bitterness, encourages deceit

• Lobelia- Discord

• Hemlock- Discord, sadness

• Spanish Moss- Bad luck

• Vertiver- Silence

• Mace- Misery, strife

• Slippery Elm- Bad luck, negativity

• Bittersweet- Loss, sadness

• Mandrake- Misery, strife

• Mistletoe- Isolation, confusion

• Wormwood- Delusion, misery, strife, madness

• Sumac- Bad luck, negativity

• Mullein- Spirit work, nightmares

• Patchouli- Illness

• Mustard Seed- Strife, discord

• Hemlock- Destroys sex drive, break ups

• Poke Root- Confusion, upset

• Blackberry Root- Distress

• Myrrh- A boost of power

• Tobacco- Subs any baneful herb

• Belladonna- Discord, conflict, illness, suffering

• Cinquefoil- Discomfort

• Ague Weed- Confusion

• Blueberry- Confusion

• Cloves- Domination, stops gossip

• Stinging Nettle- Jealousy, discomfort

• Cramp Bark- Pain, illness

• Licorice Root- Domination

• Tormentil- Distress, harm

• Asafoetida- Drives enemies away

• Henbane- Emotional instability, melancholy, storms, spirit work

• Hot Peppers- Anger, fighting, discord

• Blackthorn- Illness, bad omens

• Elder- Suffering, spirit work

• Dittany- Mistakes, setbacks, depression

• Garlic- Disgust and repulsion

• Yew- Spirit work, destruction

• Onion- Disconnects relationships, strife

• Poppy Seeds- Intoxication, confusion, discord

• Foxglove- Manipulation, heartbreak, devastation

• Alum- Stops communication and speech, impotence

• Wolfsbain- Madness, loneliness, rage

• Knotweed- Binding, trapping

• Black Pepper- Revealing the truth, binding

• Green Apple- Unrequited love

• Radish- Sexual shame, STDs, infidelity

• Yohimbe Bark- Impotency

• Chicory- Discord

• Agrimony- Return to sender

• Datura- Psychic attack, nightmares, misery

• Bay Berry- Depression

• Angelica Root- Misery, strife, distress, discord

• Dragon's Blood- Destruction, pain, misery

• Chili Powder- Anxiety

• Bladderwrack- Illness, weakness

• Boneset- Distress, confusion

• Black Locust/Hawthorne Thorns- Struggle, agony, injuries, wounds

• Calamus- Control, domination, commanding, compelling

• Cocoa- Bitterness

• Black Mustard Seed- Confusion, discord, non-stop trouble

• Sumac- Discomfort, bad luck, painful lessons

• Willow Bark- A dose of their own medicine

• Stagger Weed- Disabling, trips them up

• Bar Berry- Stops progress

• Black Nightshade- Sickness, depression

• Oleander- Devastation, silence, doom

Crystals

• Opal- Amplifies negative energy (Black Opal works best)

• Ruby- Focuses intent on target

• Malachite- Anxiety, fear, cowardice, nausea

• Peridot- Confusion

• Obsidian- Reveal their darkness

• Petrified Wood- Ruin, abandonment

• Clear Quartz- Amplifier and energy holder

• Black Moonstone- Deceit, distrust, confusion, paranoia

• Onyx- Breakups, loss

• Amethyst- Self destruction, nightmares, paranoia

• Garnet- Siphons target's energy, steal their love/friends

• Diopside- Reveals a target's true colors

• Bloodstone- Sucks the life force from enemies, chaos, frailty

• Carnelian- Pain, anger, rage

• Black Quartz- Darkness

• Sardonyx- Return to sender

• Jet- Cloud their vision/blind them

• Serpentine- Illness, unsteady ground, mishaps

• Jade- Domination, control, manipulation

• Amber- Trapping, cause obstacles and setbacks

• Hematite- Negativity

Misc. Ingredients

• Salt- Painful cleansing, salt in their wounds

• Sulphur- Stops plans, causes harm

• Alcohol- Makes the work last

• Vinegar- Souring, dissolves relationships

• Pins/Needles- Pain and agony

• Thumbtacks- Makes the work stick in them

• Razor Blades- Sadistic actions, sharp words

• Broken Glass- Cut ties, emotional wounds

• Scorpions- Betrayal

• Spiders- Danger, ensnarement

• Wasps- Punishment, non-stop pain

• Grave Dirt- Enlists spirit's help

• Snakeskin- Removes them from your path

• Cigarette Butts- Snuff their will

• Thorns- Annoyance, pain

• Dog/Cat Poop- Rottenness, depression, life stinks

• Sticker Burs- Crippling emotional shock

• Spiderwebs- Crossing, binding

• Coffin Nails- Stay home, withdrawal, binding

• Lead- Weigh them down, make them late

• Black Salt- Misery, strife, banishment

• Dog Hair- Agression, combat

• Cat Hair- Passive-Aggression, conflict

• Bad Water- Stagnation, depression, illness

• Murder Scene Dirt- Crimes, complete ruin, terror, demise

• Nails- Binding, pain

• Thumb Tacks- Pain, discomfort

• Broken Glass- Disaster, accidents, injury, pain

• Blood- Longevity, boosts curse power

• War Water- Chaos, psychic warfare, banishing

• Razor/Barbed Wire- Pain, restriction, loss of freedom

• Fish Bones- Decay, bad reputation, loss of friendships

• Moths- Fragility, tunnel vision A

• Goofer Dust- Crossing, misfortune, illness

• Bone Ash- Instability, weakness, demise

• Storm Water- Destruction, upheaval, chaos

• Potato Eyes- Rot, loss of control, sickness

• Cat Claws- Helps curse cling to target, sudden agony

• Butterfly Wings- Loss of control, injury

• Egg Shells- Breaks down barriers and boundaries

• Ants/Ant Hill Dirt- Annoyance, overwhelming, banishing

• Hospital Dirt- Illness and injury

• Bullets- Devastation, destruction, suffering, demise

• Iron- Banishing, destruction

• Super Glue- Permanence, binding, damage

• Dirty Pennies- Financial loss

[foodshowxyz]

Moroccan-Style Lamb Cottage Pie with Sumac Carrots

Ingredients:

• Lamb Filling:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 lb ground lamb

• 1 large carrot, diced

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tsp each: ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, paprika

• 1/2 tsp each: ground ginger, turmeric

• Salt and pepper

• 1/4 cup each: chopped parsley, cilantro

• Potato Topping:

• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled, chopped

• 1/4 cup milk

• 2 tbsp butter

• Salt and pepper

• Sumac Carrots:

• 1 lb carrots, cut into sticks

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp sumac

• Salt and pepper

• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Lamb Filling:

1. Heat oil, cook onion until soft. Add garlic, cook 1 min.

2. Add lamb, cook until browned.

3. Add carrot, bell pepper, cook 5 mins.

4. Stir in tomatoes, paste, spices, salt, pepper. Simmer 15-20 mins.

5. Stir in parsley, cilantro. Set aside.

2. Potato Topping:

1. Boil potatoes until tender. Drain, mash with milk, butter, salt, pepper.

3. Assemble & Bake:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Spread lamb in baking dish, top with potatoes. Bake 25-30 mins.

4. Sumac Carrots:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. Toss carrots with oil, sumac, salt, pepper. Roast 20-25 mins.

5. Serve:

1. Serve pie with sumac carrots, garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

[anipgarden]

What Kind of Plants to Add

This is my sixth post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert–just an enthusiast–but I hope something you find here helps! 

I’d love to be able to give a quick and easy list of things to add, but frankly I can’t do that. I can strongly encourage you, however, to look at these categories of plants and do further research to discover what’s native to your area, so you can plant things that’ll have the most impact in your particular area.

With that being said, I will mention a few plants as examples. This is in no way, shape, or form me telling you that you have to or even should buy these specific plants. Not every plant works well in every place in every garden, not to even mention across countries. Above all, if you’re wondering what plants you should be adding, I can wholeheartedly say plants that are native to your area--or at least nonnative non-invasive.

Flowers

Flowers are some of the most common ways people work to increase biodiversity in their gardens, and who can blame them? Seeing pops of color out your window, and directly seeing the impact via butterflies and bees visiting the garden? It’s a win-win for us and the wildlife!

Flowers--especially native wildflowers--are a quick, easy, and cheap way to increase wildlife traffic in your garden. Perennial gardens are more likely to get you the most bang for your buck, as they’ll come back year after year if you treat them well. But don’t dismiss annuals--if you get ones that easily reseed, they’ll eagerly return on their own! If you can, do your best to ensure that the flowers you plant all have different blooming periods--that way, your garden can support wildlife throughout the year instead of for just one brief season. 

Flowers are environmental super boosters. Their nectar and pollen can feed insects and birds, their stems and leaves can provide nesting materials for all sorts of creatures, and their seeds are a popular food source among birds at all times of the year.

Climbing Plants

Climbing plants can be fantastic options for maximizing your impact. If you have limited ground space, growing up can provide interest as well as additional habitat for all kinds of creatures.

Training plants up a trellis, fence, or bare wall offers food, shelter, and habitat. Trumpet vines, passionflowers, honeysuckles, and more will provide sweet nectar for pollinators as well as nesting and hiding spaces for other wildlife like birds, bugs, and lizards. Do note that in some cases, climbing plants can actually affect the structural integrity of walls and roofs if allowed to climb too much and too far along a house, so be careful. 

Bushes/Shrubs

Bushes provide shelter for creatures, which then provides hunting grounds for other animals. Their fallen leaves and petals can be food and shelter for detritivores, amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals--and they also provide good cover for moving around the garden, for creatures who like to stay hidden. They can be a bit more pricey to obtain--unless you get cuttings or seeds and are willing to wait--but they’ll definitely be worth it, and they’re typically low-maintenance once they’re established.

Bonus points if you get a flowering and fruiting bush, like bottlebrush, serviceberry, lilac, or others. This’ll make your bushes not only a place of shelter, but a food source as well--and depending on the kind you pick, may be food for you too! Making a garden border with a series of bushes can be a great option to providing lots of habitat, if you can manage it.

Shrubs with pithy or hollow stems are excellent options for supporting solitary bees. Some examples you could look into are elderberry, raspberry, blackberry, or sumac.

Trees

Trees have a high up-front cost and take awhile to grow, but once they’re settled in place they provide crucial habitat to all kinds of creatures! Insects will be attracted to flowers they may provide, or to nest in the wood. Others may eat the leaves as food, or use them as nesting materials. Birds will perch and nest in trees, and feed off the fruits and seeds and insects that also use the tree. Squirrels also use trees as nesting places, piling up dead leaves into huge clusters to raise their young in, and will absolutely feast on any nuts the tree may provide. Mice, badgers, and more will feast on fallen fruits or seeds, and bats roost in the trunks when given the chance. Detritivores eat fallen leaves and decomposing fruits, providing further food for hunting creatures. Trees can also be good for us--they help block out noise and air pollution, and are the poster child for taking CO2 and making it breathable oxygen. Not to mention they can provide plenty of food for us, too. Nesting grounds, hunting grounds, shelter from weather, and more--trees are, in my opinion, likely to be the best way to boost biodiversity long-term. If you can get your hands on a sapling for cheap and can care for it for awhile, I’d definitely give it a shot! Make sure the tree won’t get too big for where you’re growing it, though--you’ve definitely gotta plan for the long-term before you plant any. 

Some trees can be grown in containers. Though they won’t become gigantic branching behemoths, they’ll still do their part to support all the life that depends on them. Growing a tree from seed may take awhile, but could be an easy option to getting one if you have the patience--the trees are more than happy to help you, as they drop tons of seeds and fruit in fall for you to gather. 

Groundcover

Bare soil is the enemy of microbial life in the soil, and while small pockets of bare soil can be great nesting places for bees and other insects, having swaths of empty soil should be avoided. Groundcover plants grow low to the ground in a sprawling habit, and will often spread quite easily on their own. This is a great way to provide shelter, keep soil temperatures cool, block out weeds, and give your soil life a chance to thrive.

Sometimes, ground covers don’t even have to be planted in the ground. Shallow-rooted plants like succulents, ferns, and alyssum can be planted into cracks in stone walls, and moss can be planted by making moss graffiti and painting it onto a surface. As with climbing plants, do make sure that you don’t cause extra damage to important walls and housing foundations.

Host Plants

Host plants get their own section, because plants of all kinds can be host plants for different creatures! It’s common to think only flowers can be host plants in the beginning, but in reality, many bushes and trees are host plants to dozens of species of butterflies and moths. Honestly, I feel that factor's not talked about enough. Look up what insects live in your area and what kind of host plants they need, and plant some if you can! Bonus points if you can plant a variety of them--I know that there’s hundreds of kinds of milkweed, each one flowering and leafing up around different times of the year. Planting several varieties of milkweed, then, would provide monarchs with food through several seasons, allowing many more of them to grow up in your garden!

Nectar Plants

Plants that provide nectar to insects is a great foundation to increasing biodiversity! This is, of course, many native wildflowers (and even nonnative wildflowers, though be sure they aren’t invasives who’ll do more harm than good), but many native bushes, vines, and trees will also provide nectar to hungry pollinators! 

Keystone Species

To be frank, some plants can have a bigger impact than others in a landscape. By all means, every bit helps, but if you want to boost biodiversity quickly there are a few plants that can essentially serve as the backbone of local ecosystems that you can grow in anything from a balcony pot to a small patch of your backyard. These plants can be different depending on where you are, so do your research to find out what would be best to grow in your area. If you can’t get them all? That’s alright! But even hitting just a few of these target species really can do a lot.

That’s the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about things to keep in mind/continue to do once you get plants in the ground! Until then, I hope this advice was helpful! Feel free to reply with any questions, your success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

[musingmelsuinesmelancholy]

Some things I’ve been thinking about. At times being an American trad witch is incredibly frustrating and at others it’s absolutely exhilarating, rewarding. Reconnecting with my ancestral ( primarily french and scottish ) lore, magical practices, witchcraft etc has and will continue to inform my practice but I’ll never be a “french” witch. I’ll never be a “scottish” witch. I can find a lone hawthorn or a sacred tree guarding a hidden spring to tie the cloutie to, I can divine via a snail’s mucus trail, Fly to the Sabbath to meet The Abbess, heed the Dame Blanches, pluck the golden bloom with songs to St Columba, safeguard me and mine via silver, spring water and juniper. Yet there’s many things I’ll never know or be able to do. Whether that’s because these things are so tied to the land or a specific place, language barriers, ( working to overcome this one ) or due to the ( well warranted) gate keeping of lore and practices.

This used to be a source of great confusion for me. I think because I was afraid( due to my previous new age fuckwittery ) to experiment, do anything other than what I understood as “traditional”. My understanding being too rigid at the time; the pendulum swung from one end of the spectrum to the other. This delayed my progress and “froze” me. I was left wondering what an “American” trad craft would look like; most our books do come from a European POV. Learning of our own magical traditions as well as those of my Canadian family ( still working on that one haha ) helped. Reading Robin Kimmere helped. Reading Schulke, him being an American and writing on American plants, helped too. I’ve come to know Sugar Maple and Plantain as powerful spirits. Both teaching important lessons on how to rectify my ancestors mistakes, to foster relations with the First Peoples and how to incorporate the magic of this land into my craft. Rather than being frustrated by my being American I see it as a challenge now. I get to explore spirits, plants, places, animals, spiritual/physical ecologies ( is even really a difference between these?) completely unknown to my ancestors. I get to reconcile the old and the new. To learn from Spirit Direct. Tradition isn’t the worship of ashes, it’s the preservation of Fire. New wood must be added to keep The Fire burning. The Devil of this land certainly is a spirit of the unknown.

I am the land, the land is me.

I don’t own it, to it I owe all.

To it my body will return, the tithe paid.

I’m not rolling hills of heather, white chalk cliffs, the monk’s island nor the azure coast. The memories of these places echo distantly in my blood, sung alive by my ancestors shades. Part of me they’ll always be; yet it’s not who I am. Not what I am.

I’m craggy shores, dull-jade waves bearing down upon the tired rocks. I am musky pine forests veiled in mist. Sun-venerating oaks hugging the shoreline. Bleeding alders in damp ground swelling. Proud maples sustaining generation upon generation with their boiled blood. Death-grey clay, exposed by running spring.

I am the kudzu, the itching moth, the knotweed, the Norway maple, the ivy wrecking havoc upon the land. My surname and light skin proof of a genocide ongoing. I am my ancestors sins; the specter of the Old Growth forests, their grief hanging over the land like a fog. Every interaction with The Land tinged with sadness, loss.

I am my maternal side’s copper curls. Melusine’s pride. Ave Landry! Ave Gauthier! Forebears mine.

I am my paternal side’s grief. The end result of decades of cultural warfare. The Jesuits stole our name….my hair will not be cut.

Never will I libate these glacier carved valleys with booze.

I am the plantain, learning a kinder way. The sumac reclaiming the orchard.

My Februarys, my Marches aren’t snow drops and daffodils peaking through the frozen ground. They’re steely skies and walls of sleet. Bloodroot heralds winters wane; not Brigid’s flower.

My June isn’t fields of poppies, it’s seas of crimson staghorn blooms skyward reaching.

My augusts aren’t golden shafts of wheat, swaying in summer’s last breaths; they’re explosions of neon-violet and honey-yellow. Corn ripening on the vine, supporting the climbing bean. The cicadas song reverberating.

Old Michaelmas marks harvest’s end, October potatoes long buried in soils darkness finally exhumed. The Devil his Rosy Briar to ascend and plunge.

With Novembers first snows the Dead come in.

I’ll never process around a standing stone nor know what it is to live and eat off the land my dead lay in. Finally, I’m learning to be at peace with this. To love and know the land I live on. I’ll always be a stranger here, a guest. I hope to be a good one.

[the-witchy-sideblog]

Plants for The Buried

Crab grass (Digitaria)

Wood sorrel (Oxalis)

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)

Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

White Clover (Trifolium repens)

Nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus)

Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)

Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album)

Quackgrass (Elymus repens)

Curly dock (Rumex crispus)

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Creeping charlie/Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major)

Dove weed (Croton setiger)

Black medic (Medicago lupulina)

Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgar)

Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communi)

Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix)

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Wild Madder (Galium mollugo)

[selkiechild4998]

Dark Reflections

I'e wanted to write this for so long! I even have this published on AO3 if any of you prefer reading fics there!

Gene- Light Horror

Tw- mention of needle

Wordcount- 1,345 words

AO3 Link Here

The moon hung high over the grounds of the Ministry, the crisp autumn air chilling any surface it touched. Fall was here, and the Minsitry was busy preparing the needed rituals only possible when the veil between the living and dead was at its weakest. Normally, a certain Cardinal would be assisting with these rituals, but his attention was brought away by the former Papa he was following.

"Papa Primo," Copia began as he carried an old, silver-lined mirror in his arms, "Why exactly do you need this?" He asked while straining to hold the old mirror.

"You'll see," Primo answered, "You said Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil had chosen you as the next Papa?"

"Si," Copia nodded.

Primo nodded, leading Copia into his garden of death. Copia knew immediately how important this ritual must be for Primo to allow him into his precious garden. He looked at the plants around him, the bright crimson leaves of red sumac, twisting vines of poison oak and ivy wrapping around the trunk of a manchineel tree, even the clusters of Angel's Trumpet hung from the well-maintained potted plant that Primo needed to bring to his greenhouse.

Speaking of the greenhouse, Copia tensed, seeing Primo open the door into the large glass and iron structure. "Inside, before someone sees us," Primo instructed, and Copia knew better than to hesitate. Inside the heated greenhouse were even more poisonous plants. Blooming white, pink, and red foxglove mixed with oleanders. Wistaria hung from the support beams, brushing gently against the bushes of deadly nightshade. Copia swallowed hard, seeing the assortment of deadly plants, and jumped when Primo placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Just don't touch anything, and you'll be ok." And with that, Primo led the way to the small sunroom attached to the back wall of the greenhouse. The sunroom was cleaned beforehand; a broom and dustpan were still leaning against the wall by a full compost bin. The furniture had also been moved; the chairs that were normally around the iron tea table were stacked neatly to the side. "Set the mirror down here," Primo gestured to the table as he walked to a small cart filled with garden supplies.

Copia did as instructed, setting the old mirror down on the table, wincing as he stretched his aching fingers out. When he glanced over at Primo, he saw he had a small candle and lighter in his hand, placing them on the table.

"Breathe on the mirror, make sure it fogs."

'Huh,' Copia thought to himself, 'Odd request.' But the Cardinal did as he was told. Breathing on the mirror until he saw a small patch of fog form on the smooth surface. He then stepped back, watching Primo do the same, fogging the mirror with his breath. "Papa, what ritual is this exactly?" the Cardinal asked worriedly.

"The Dark Reflection," Primo answered, "I performed this ritual the night I was to become Papa, as well for Secondo and Terzo."

Copia listened with a slight frown. He had heard of this ritual, a game of cat and mouse with the fates in exchange for years of good luck. "Are you sure this is safe?" He asked, "This isn't exactly the best ritual to perform for good luck."

"It'll be ok," Primo assured as he lit the candle, "I have completed this ritual many times, and once it's complete come morning, you'll have the fates on your side." He stated with a smile before bringing the flickering flame to the mirror's surface, holding it there until it burnt the surface, a black mark scaring the surface.

"Once I break this mirror, you keep moving all night. Ok?"

"Yes, Papa."

Primo nodded, grabbing the small hammer he kept within his gardening cart for when he needed to drive stakes in to support his saplings. The sound of glass shattering broke the silence of the greenhouse. It only took one strike to break the glass, its shards scattering across the table. Once the mirror was destroyed, Primo nodded to Copia, letting the Cardinal scamper out of his greenhouse of death.

The eldest of the Emeritus brothers then got to work cleaning up the broken mirror. He was in no hurry, even though he knew the energy from it would linger. Quietly, he swept up the shards of glass into the dustpan. As he cleaned, he felt the suffocating energy around the glass shards slowly evaporate. He then dumped the glass shards into a nearby bin, setting the broom and dustpan down before walking from his greenhouse and locking the doors behind him.

Smiling, he breathed in the chilly autumn night air. He knew tonight he'd get no sleep. He planned on simply enjoying the night reading within the library, like when he would perform the ritual for his brothers. He was always safe there.

"Fratellone," A voice called to him, making Primo pause and look over, seeing his youngest brother. "Did you forget it's game night tonight? Secondo and I have been looking all over for you!" Terzo smiled as he approched Primo.

"Ah, right," Primo nodded, "Thank you for reminding me," he chuckled. When the two started walking down the hall, they talked, "So which game is it tonight?"

"Secondo insisted on uno," Terzo answered, "I don't know why; he's awful at it," he teased with a snicker that got Primo to chuckle as well. "I also have good news too," the younger man added.

"Oh?"

"Sister says we'll be returning to the road. Full regalia and all."

Primo was caught off guard by that, "Are you sure?"

"Si, she told me herself."

Primo had a hard time believing that, having seen the screaming matches Terzo would get into with Sister after he was dragged off-stage and his relationship with Omega was discovered. He didn't dwell on it long, perking up when they reached the brothers' game room. He wasn't expecting to see Special Ghoul standing at the doorway as a silent guard.

When he glanced at Terzo for an explanation, his brother frowned, stepping into the game room while grumbling, "Sister replaced my Omega with him." Which made Primo simply nod in acknowledgment.

"About time you two showed up," Secondo spoke from the table he was sitting at. "What took you so long?"

"The Cardinal and I needed to perform a ritual," Primo stated as he sat down.

"You actually performed that mirror ritual with him?" Terzo frowned, "He's not even part of the bloodline."

"Bloodline or not, he's still chosen to be the next Papa. I want to at least ensure luck is on his side," Primo explained before glancing around, "Where's Alpha? He's normally by your side."

"He's training Dewdrop for the next tour," Secondo answered, "Been pulling double to make sure he's ready."

"So, the Clergy approved the transition?" Primo frowned in worry as Terzo sat at the table next.

"Like hell they did! They aren't touching my water ghoul," He frowned while Secondo dealt out the cards.  

"So, he's grown on you, fratellino?" Primo smiled as he picked up his cards.

"Si, he's not my Mist ghoulette, but he's a perfect water ghoul," Terzo bragged.

"That's enough talk on that. What rules are we playing?" Secondo interjected, "Any bets?"

"You looking to lose again, Spooky Pitbull?" Terzo taunted with a smug smirk.

"No, I intend on winning my money back," Secondo stated before placing a green card on the table, "Your move."

Primo smiled as he watched his two little brothers compete against each other, the pile of discarded cards growing as the night stretched on. The game dragged on into the night as the brothers laughed and taunted each other. Blissfully unaware that the ghoul instructed to guard the room was given an additional order from his real master. The glint of the needle tucked away in his sleeve caught the light, shining in the moonlight before the ghoul stepped into the room. He paused for a moment, ensuring that no one was watching, and then silently slipped inside, closing the door behind him.

[punkbakerchristine]

hellofresh spice blends

All American Spice Blend

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp cayenne

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried mustard

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Berbere Spice Blend

3 part paprika

1 part cayenne

.5 part ground coriander

.25 part ground ginger

.125 part ground cardamom

.125 part ground fenugreek

Bold and Savory Steak Spice Blend

1 part red chili flakes

1 part crushed coriander seed

2 parts crushed dill seed

3 parts crushed mustard seed

4 parts dried minced garlic

4 parts crushed black pepper

Blackening Spice Blend

3 tsp smoked paprika

1.5 tsp garlic powder

.5 tsp white pepper

.5 tsp black pepper

.25 tsp thyme

.25 tsp oregano

.125 tsp low heat cayenne (didn’t even know there was such a thing?)

Burger Spice Blend

1 Tbsp paprika

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

Cajun Spice Blend

2 part paprika

2 part onion powder

1 part garlic powder

1 part dried oregano

1 part dried thyme

.5 part dried basil

.5 part cayenne

Enchilada Spice Blend

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. light brown sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1.5 tsp. onion powder

1.5 tsp. garlic powder

1.5 tsp. Mexican oregano

1 tsp. chipotle chili powder

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. black pepper

1/4 to .5 tsp. cayenne pepper

Fall Spice Blend

3 parts dried thyme

3 parts ground sage

2 parts garlic powder

1 part onion powder

Fry Seasoning

1 part garlic powder

1 part onion powder

1 part paprika

Herbes de Provence Blend

1 part thyme

1 part rosemary

1 part basil

1 part tarragon

1 part lavender flowers

Italian Seasoning Blend

1 part garlic powder

1 part oregano

1 part basil

1 part black pepper

1 part parsley

Meatloaf Seasoning

2 parts onion powder

2 parts garlic powder

Mediterranean Spice Blend

2 parts dried oregano

1 part dried mint

1 part sumac

1 part ground coriander

Mexican Spice Blend

2 parts chili powder

1 part oregano

1 part smoked paprika

1 part cumin

Moo Shu Spice Blend

1 part ground ginger

1 part garlic powder

Shawarma Spice Blend

2 part turmeric

2 part cumin

1 part dried coriander

1 part garlic powder

1 part paprika

.5 part ground allspice

.5 part black pepper

Southwest Spice Blend

4 part garlic powder

2 part cumin

2 part chili powder

Smoky BBQ Seasoning

8 parts smoked paprika

6 parts granulated sugar

2 parts garlic powder

1 part dry mustard

1 part ground cumin

1 part ground ginger

.5 part black pepper

Smoky Cinnamon Paprika Spice Blend

1 part ground cloves

8 parts onion powder

8 parts ground cinnamon

6 parts smoked paprika

16 parts mustard powder

24 parts sweet paprika

24 parts sugar

Steak Spice Blend

1 part red chili flakes

1 part crushed coriander seed

2 parts crushed dill seed

3 parts crushed mustard seed

4 parts dried minced garlic

4 parts crushed black pepper

3 parts kosher salt

Sweet Smoky BBQ Spice Blend

8 parts smoked paprika

6 parts sugar

2 parts garlic powder

.5 part black pepper

1 part dry mustard

1 part cumin

1 part ground ginger

Thai Seven Spice Blend

2.5 tsp white sesame seeds

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp onion powder

.5 tsp garlic powder

.5 tsp shrimp extract powder

.25 tsp cinnamon

.125 tsp low heat cayenne

Tunisian Spice Blend

4 parts ground caraway seed

4 parts ground coriander

4 parts smoked paprika

4 parts turmeric

4 parts chili powder

4 parts garlic powder

1 part cayenne pepper

1 part cinnamon

1 part ground black pepper

Turkish Spice Blend

2 part cumin

2 part garlic powder

1 part ground coriander

.25 part ground allspice

.25 part chili flakes

Tuscan Heat Spice Blend

4 parts dried basil

2 parts dried rosemary

2 parts dried oregano

2 parts garlic powder

1 part cayenne pepper

1 part ground fennel

Fajita Spice Blend

4 parts paprika

1 part onion powder

1 part garlic powder

1 part chili powder

1 part cumin

1 parts oregano

[colubrina]

🫐🥦🥒🫑🌶️🥕?

(Or, are you growing anything this summer?)

Hello friend!

I am! The strawberries have come and gone, though I put in some wild wood strawberries as a ground cover this spring, and they are vigorously spreading and I may regret that. But they make the cutest, tiniest strawberries. Right now we are in Raspberry Week, and Blueberry Month is starting. I have one raspberry patch, one vigorously happy highbush blueberry, and one less happy but established highbush blueberry. And I put four more in this spring. I work on the "put it in and see if it makes it" theory and I have this place where all the things keep giving up, so if the shrubberies make it, at least the space will be filled with something three dimensional. If this dies, I might try native sumac, which the native plant nursery claims grows pretty much anywhere.

ANYWAY, we had to rebuild the herb garden so none of my established perennials like oregano made it, and I'm starting from scratch there, but I have a gigantic decade-old rhubarb and tomatoes and my pumpkin graveyard is now the necromantic most sincere pumpkin patch!

[swede1952]

Looking south.

I noticed these three eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) high up in a pair of sweetgum trees yesterday. I think I saw them there a few months ago as well. I don't know that it was the same three, but it seems about right. It's probably the same three that I saw on a powerline a couple of days ago.

"Insects caught on the ground are a bluebird’s main food for much of the year. Major prey include caterpillars, beetles crickets, grasshoppers, and spiders. In fall and winter, bluebirds eat large amounts of fruit including mistletoe, sumac, blueberries, black cherry, tupelo, currants, wild holly, dogwood berries, hackberries, honeysuckle, bay, pokeweed, and juniper berries. Rarely, Eastern Bluebirds have been recorded eating salamanders, shrews, snakes, lizards, and tree frogs." - allabooutbirds.org

@birdcounter

[najia-cooks]

[ID: Two large flatbreads. The one in the center is topped with bright purple onions, faux chicken, fried nuts, and coarse red sumac; the one at the side is topped with onions and sumac. Second image is a close-up. End ID]

مسخن / Musakhkhan (Palestinian flatbread with onions and sumac)

Musakhkhan (مُسَخَّن; also "musakhan" or "moussakhan") is a dish historically made by Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season of October and November: naturally leavened flatbread is cooked in clay ovens, dipped in plenty of freshly pressed olive oil, and then covered with oily, richly caramelized onions fragrant with sumac. Modern versions of the dish add spiced, boiled and baked chicken along with toasted or fried pine nuts and almonds. It is eaten with the hands, and sometimes served alongside a soup made from the stock produced by boiling the chicken. The name of the dish literally means "heated," from سَخَّنَ "sakhkhana" "to heat" + the participle prefix مُـ "mu".

I have provided instructions for including 'chicken,' but I don't think the dish suffers from its lack: the rich, slightly sour fermented wheat bread, the deep sweetness of the caramelised onions, and the true, clean, bright expressions of olive oil and sumac make this dish a must-try even in its original, plainer form.

Musakhkhan is often considered to be the national dish of Palestine. Like foods such as za'tar, hummus, tahina, and frika, it is significant for its historical and emotional associations, and for the way it links people, place, identity, and memory; it is also understood to be symbolic of a deeply rooted connection to the land, and thus of liberation struggle. The dish is liberally covered with the fruit of Palestinian lands in the form of onions, olive oil, and sumac (the dried and ground berries of a wild-growing bush).

The symbolic resonance of olive oil may be imputed to its history in the area. In historical Palestine (before the British Mandate period), agriculture and income from agricultural exports made up the bulk of the economy. Under مُشَاعْ (mushā', "common"; also transliterated "musha'a") systems of land tenure, communally owned plots of land were divided into parcels which were rotated between members of large kinship groups (rather than one parcel belonging to a private owner and their descendants into perpetuity). Olive trees were grown over much of the land, including on terraced hills, and their oil was used for culinary purposes and to make soap; excess was exported. In the early 1920s, Palestinian farmers produced 5,000 tons of olive oil a year, making an average of 342,000 PL (Palestinian pounds, equivalent to pounds sterling) from exports to Egypt alone.

During the British Mandate period (from 1917 to 1948, when Britain was given the administration of Palestine by the League of Nations after World War 1), acres of densely populated and cultivated land were expropriated from Palestinians through legal strongarming of and direct violence against, including killing of, فَلّاَحين (fallahin, peasants; singular "فَلَّاح" "fallah") by British troops. This continued a campaign of dispossession that had begun in the late 19th century.

By 1941, an estimated 119,000 peasants had been dispossessed of land (30% of all Palestinian families involved in agriculture); many of them had moved to other areas, while those who stayed were largely destitute. The agriculturally rich Nablus area (north of Jerusalem), for example, was largely empty by 1934: Haaretz reported that it was "no longer the town of gold [i.e., oranges], neither is it the town of trade [i.e., olive oil]. Nablus rather has become the town of empty houses, of darkness and of misery". Farmers led rebellions against this expropriation in 1929, 1933, and 1936-9, which were brutually repressed by the British military.

Despite the number of farmers who had been displaced from their land by European Jewish private owners and cooperatives (which owned 24.5% of all cultivated land in Palestine by 1941), the amount of olives produced by Palestinians increased from 34,000 tons in 1931 to 78,300 in 1945, evidencing an investment in and expansion of agriculture by indigenous inhabitants. Thus it does not seem likely that vast swathes of land were "waste land," or that the musha' system did not allow for "development"!

Imprecations against the musha' system were nevertheless used as justification to force Palestinians from their land. After various Zionist organizations and militant groups succeeded in pushing Britain out of Palestine in 1948—clearing the way for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to be dispossessed or killed during the Nakba—the Israeli parliament began constructing a framework to render their expropriation of land legal; the Cultivation of Waste Lands Law of 1949, for example, allowed the requisition of uncultivated land, while the Absentees’ Property Law of 1950 allowed the state to requisition the land of people it had forced from their homes.

Israel profited from its dispossession of millions of dunums of land; 40,000 dunums of vineyards, 100,000 dunums of citrus groves, and 95% of the olive groves in the new state were stolen from Palestinians during this period, and the agricultural subsidies bolstered by these properties were used to lure new settlers in with promises of large incomes.

It also profited from the resulting "de-development" of the Palestinian economy, of which the decline in trade of olive oil furnishes a striking example. Palestinian olive farmers were unable to compete with the cheaper oils (olive and other types) with which Zionist, capital-driven industry flooded the market; by 1936, the 342,000 PL in olive oil exports of the early 1920s had fallen to 52,091 PL, and thereafter to nothing. While selling to a Palestinian captive market, Israel was also exporting the fruits of confiscated Palestinian land to Europe and elsewhere; in 1949, olives produced on stolen land were Israel's third-largest export. As of 2014, 12.9% of the olives exported to Europe were grown in the occupied West Bank alone.

This process of de-development and profiteering accelerated after Israel's military seizure of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. In 1970, agriculture made up 34% of the GDP of the West Bank, and 31% of that of Gaza; in 2000, it was 16% and 18%, respectively. Many of those out of work due to expropriated or newly unworkable land were hired as day laborers on Israeli farms.

Meanwhile, Palestinians (and Israeli Palestinians) continued to plant and cultivate olives. The fact that Palestinians do not control their own water supplies or borders and may expect at any time to be barred by the military from harvesting their fields has discouraged investment and led to risk aversion (especially since the outmoding of the musha' system, which had minimized individual risk). In this environment, olive trees are attractive because they are low-input. They can subsist on rainwater (Israel monopolizes and poisons much of the region's water, and heavily taxes imports of materials that could be used to build irrigation systems), and don't require high-quality soil or daily weeding. Olive trees, unlike factories and agricultural technology, don't need large inputs of capital that stand to be wasted if the Israeli military destroys them.

Olive trees are therefore the chosen crop when proving a continued use of land in order to prevent the Israeli military from expropriating it under various "waste" or "absentee" land laws. Palestinians immediately plant olive seedlings on land they have been temporarily forced from, since even land that has lain fallow due to status as a military closed zone can be appropriated with this justification. The danger is so pressing that Palestinian agronomists encouraged this habit (as of 1993), despite the fact that Israeli competition and continual planting had lowered olive crop prices, and despite the decline in soil quality that results from never allowing land to lie fallow. In more recent years, olive trees have yielded primary or supplementary income for about 100,000 Palestinian families, producing up to 191 million USD in value in good years (including an average of 17,000 tons of olive oil yearly between 2001 and 2009).

Israeli soldiers and settlers have famously uprooted, vandalized, razed, and burned millions of these olive trees, as well as using military outposts to deny Palestinian farmers access to their olive crops. It prefers to restrict Palestinians to annual crops, such as vegetables and grains, and eliminate competition in permanent crops, such as fruit trees.

This targeting of olive trees increases during times of intensified conflict. During the currently ongoing olive harvest season (November 2023), Gazan olive farmers have reported being targeted by Israeli war planes; some farmers in the West Bank have given up on harvesting their trees altogether, due to threats issued by organized networks of settlers that they would kill anyone seen making the attempt.

The rootedness of olive trees in the history of Palestine gives them weight as a symbol of homeland, culture, and the fight for liberation. Palestinian olive harvest festivals, typically celebrated in October with singing, dancing, and eating, have inspired similar events elsewhere in the world, aimed at sharing Palestinian food and culture and expressing solidarity with those living under occupation.

Support Palestinian resistance by calling Elbit System’s (Israel’s primary weapons manufacturer) landlord, donating to Palestine Action’s bail fund, and donating to the Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee bail fund.

Ingredients:

For the dish:

2 pieces taboon bread, preferably freshly baked

2 large or 3 medium yellow onions (480g)

1 cup first cold press extra virgin olive oil (زيت زيتون البكر الممتاز)

1 Tbsp coarsely ground Levantine sumac (سماق شامي / sumaq shami), plus more to top

Ground black pepper

For the chicken (optional):

500g chicken substitute

5 green cardamom pods, or 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

4 cloves, or pinch ground cloves

1 Mediterranean bay leaf

1 Tbsp ground sumac

For the nut topping (optional):

2 Tbsp slivered almonds

2 Tbsp pine nuts

Neutral oil, for frying

Notes on ingredients:

Use the best olive oil that you can. You will want oil that has some opacity to it or some deposits in it. I used Aleppo brand olive oil (7 USD a liter at my local halal grocery).

If you want to replace the taboon bread with something less laborious, I would recommend something that mimics the rich, fermented flavor of the traditional, whole-wheat, naturally leavened bread. Many people today make taboon bread with white flour and commercial yeast—which you might mimic by using storebought naan or lavash, for example—but I think the slight sourness of the flatbread is a beautiful counterpoint to the brightness of the sumac and the sweetness of the caramelized onions. I would go with a sourdough pizza crust or something similar.

Your sumac should be coarsely ground, not finely powdered; and a deep, rich red, not pinkish in color (like the pile on the right, not the one on the left).

For this dish, a whole chicken is usually first boiled (perhaps with spices including bay leaves, cardamom, and cloves) and then baked, sometimes along with some of the oil from frying the onions. I call for just frying or baking instead; in my opinion, boiling often has a negative effect on the texture of meat substitutes.

Instructions:

For the onions:

1. Heat a cup of olive oil in a large skillet or pot. Fry onions on medium-low, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until translucent.

2. Add 1 Tbsp sumac and a few cracks of black pepper and reduce to low. Cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are sweet, reduced in volume, and pinkish in color.

For the chicken:

1. Briefly toast and finely grind spices except for sumac (cardamom, cloves, and bay leaf). Filter with a fine mesh sieve. Dip 'chicken' into the pot in which you fried the onions to coat it with olive oil, then rub spices (including sumac) onto the surface.

2. Sear chicken in a dry skillet until browned on all sides; or bake, uncovered, in the top third of an oven heated to 400 °F (200 °C) until browned.

For the nut topping:

1. Heat a neutral oil on medium in a small pot or skillet. Add almonds and fry for 2 minutes, until just starting to take on color. Add pine nuts and fry until both almonds and pine nuts are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon.

To assemble:

1. Dip each flatbread in the olive oil used to fry the onions, then spread onions over the surface.

Some cooks dip the bread entirely into oil; others press it lightly into the surface of the oil in the pot on both sides, or one side; a more modern method calls for mixing the olive oil with chicken broth to lighten it. Consult your taste. I think the bread from my taboon recipe stands up well to being pressed into the oil on both sides without tearing or becoming soggy.

2. Top flatbread with chicken and several large pinches more sumac. Bake briefly in the oven (still heated to 400 °F / 200 °C), or broil on low, for 3-5 minutes, until the sumac and the surface of the bread have darkened a shade.

3. Top with fried nuts.

Musakhkhan is usually eaten by ripping the chicken into bite-sized pieces, tearing off a bit of bread, and eating the chicken using the bread.

Some cooks make a layered musakhkhan, adding two to three pieces of bread covered with onions on top of each other before topping the entire construction with chicken and pine nuts.

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

Real pleased with the progress in the yard so far, and fine-tuning the next steps as I go

Projects I noticed while working on the reseeding today:

Need to build and hang some bee boxes and then scrub down the deck with a citronella seal to hopefully convince the carpenter bees to relocate - also need to redo the deck frankly but that's a long-term thing and I'd really like to have access to a woodlot first and plane our own boards rather than buying them. Even in bulk from a lumbermill that's more money than I'd like to spend for proper hardwoods like oak and cherry

Need to buy a sythe/machete for the tall invasives by the creek - once the ground is cleared, going to turn our old olive oil tins into lizard houses, and reseed with strawberry corn, sunflowers, cardoons, witch hazel, and ground cherries

Need to call the city and find out who is legally allowed to bring down the willow across the creek that got uprooted during Helene and has been threatening to fall onto our fence ever since. Happy to do it myself if I'm allowed, but would rather the other land owner handle it, unfortunately it's not a person, it's a company so I have no idea how to talk to them about this except through the city.

Need to smash a pumpkin and throw some budding sweet potatoes into the compost and really hill up the hay on top so I can have a pumpkin and sweet potato patch for my leetle ladies tasty treat times

I need to sprout the red plum seeds and prep the temporary pots for when they're ready to transplant outdoors, might consider planting them directly in their own loosened hale bales, esp if I can let the chickens have at the bales over winter first.

Speaking of which, we need more hay. I need to call my hay guy and ask how much another 50 bales of clover hay will cost me

Need to bury the logs under hay and compost to start byilding raised beds and improving the topsoil quality, ideally I'll seed the swales with wetland/riparian plants so that as the swales smother the lingering invasives, the plants can sprout up on top with all that yummy organic matter

Need to buy/make root veggie sacks to bury in the compost and new topsoil so I can grow even while I'm still making new topsoil

I need to make sure to include wildflowerd in the spring compost and reseed, because we're starting to get some volunteering which means the soil is recovered enough to play good host and I want to speed that up

Gotta make some starter plots around the chicken run and the dog run to regularly re-establish groundcover in them given how much the chickens and dogs tear up the grass

Need to build a chicken tractor to use in future years to control overgrowth and compost growing beds after harvest

Need to build a water table for lettuces and greens, ideally linked up to the rainbarrel water storage system

Need to keep expanding the chicken run now they're all enjoying it so Elvira is less of an asshole, and reinforce under the coop so no one gets stuck under the foundation

Reinforcing the creek bank (witch hazel and red plum tree and creeping thyme) behind the dog run so we don't lose integrity of the fence.

Paint the house some goddamn colors holy FUCK

Keep making braids for cat and chicken toys

Maybe enclose the upper deck for a four season cat porch

Set up some 7-10 gallon pots on the deck for growing ginger and lemongrass and other culinary/medicinal plants we need to keep out of the topsoil

Make a plant ID booklet for use during harvesting

Make a recipe book to guide cut and come again use

Set out a shaded table at the top of the drive with places to set out eggs, produce, preserves, etc that we're not going to be able to use up for give away - should make sure to put a sign up to officially let folks know they can take what they like.

Start passionflower vines by the creek and back fence

Fill the front yard with flax

Plant a broomsedge, scouring rush, water cress, plaintain, American Trout Lily, alumroot, phlox, chickweed, creeping blueberries,culinary sumac, and primrose propogation bed by the creek to crowd out the last invasive ground covers (apparently the native ground covers have done a GREAT job smothering most of the invasives in the yard, and there are only a few invasive vines and crabgrass left actually. Everything else is native wetland grasses and galax. Just....so much galax lmao

I might look into canebrrak bamboo as well, that would be extremely useful for fiber production holy shit

I definitely want a stand of Indigo for dyes and inks

I still want my pawpaws and wild olive and wild black rum cherry trees so they'll probably go in the front where the crabapples are now. I could probably make a lil lumber out of the bigger crabapple and a nice cat toy out of the smaller one.

It would be great to get a Broom Hickory or a chinquapin, too, but I'm prioritizing the pecans

A sugar berry would be lovely, they're kind of nothing on their own, but if you use them in preserves of other fruits, they come out AMAZING

Coreopsis my beloved <3

I need to flesh out my medicinal garden too, and I'm thinking about waterleaf. It would be AMAZING for my skin condition, particularly for my feet, but I'm not sure I can harvest and use it fast enough given its growth habit the leaves and shoots are ostensibly edible, so maybe if we a consistent about cutting them back for the greens that will keep the rhizomes focused on growing rather than spreading.

Bayberry would be extremely useful for making plant waxes and butters, but I'm in the same position as the waterleaf, esp since they're even less readily edible lol

I think that's everything so far, which is good because it's already a year's worth of work lmao

[jtbb]

okay ill jump on the hyperspecific poll bandwagon

here's the wikipedia page for heritage language; it's most commonly defined as 'a minority language (either immigrant or indigenous) learned by its speakers at home as children, and difficult to be fully developed because of insufficient input from the social environment. the speakers grow up with a different dominant language in which they become more competent'.

it doesn't have to be a first language, just one you grew up with, but as an example: i learned mandarin first from my mom, but i was born in and grew up in the us, so i started learning english at age 2 and never got very good at my first language. its a weirdly important part of my identity and i just had to put it here cause im so confused when polls conflate 'first' and 'native' languages lol