Rite of Passage
Araina told me last week that she wanted to get her ears pierced. She did not have any second thoughts, not even when we told her that it would hurt a little bit. She picked little cubic zirconia stars, sat on the stool and stayed real still. She didn’t flinch or change her mind or even say a word. I admire her bravery and the fact that when this little gal makes up her mind she sticks to it!
This will be my last post here at WordPress.com. I have moved to my own domain that lets me do everything I ever wanted from a site. It is still under construction but this should be my final move. You will find it very organized and hopefully easy to navigate. Thank you so much for putting up with all the indecisiveness. My new domain is http://www.5orangepotatoes.com/blog/
Hope to see you there! -Lisa 
Elderberry Syrup
The American Elder, or common elderberry, (Sambucus canadensis) is a shrub that grows up to 13 feet high. It is a member of the honeysuckle family and is found in moist places along riverbanks, roadsides, woods and thickets. We are lucky to have it growing in our brush pile among the blackberry brambles and young volunteer walnut trees in our backyard. It was a favorite herb of Hippocrates; love making medicinals that the great Hippocrates would make for his patients! The berries of the elder are very nutritious. They provide large amounts of potassium, beta carotene, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C. It works amazingly well on colds, excessive mucus, sore throat and the dreaded flu.
Last year when Fauna came down with the flu she took a couple tablespoons the first day and it zapped the fever and all symptoms within 24 hours! Usually, when Fauna gets sick she is sick for 3-5 days. Really amazing stuff!
I use Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe for elderberry syrup because it doesn’t use white processed sugar or alcohol. And it is quite tasty!
What you need:
1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries
3 cups water
1 cup raw local honey
Glass jar with lid
Steps:
1. Heat the berries and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30-45 minuets.
2. Mash the berries, strain, and add 1 cup of honey. I add a half cup of the purple liquid to a measuring cup, then pour in honey until the total volume is 1 1/2 cups. Then stir to mix well, and add to the rest of the reserved liquid.
3. Bottle and store. Keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
4. Enjoy a tablespoon daily to keep the immune system strong. If sick, take more often at first signs of the flu. If you drink peppermint tea along with it, you increase the fighting punch!
*Caution, I am not a doctor and don’t pretend to be one. I am 100% sure of the identification of the plants I harvest and research like mad before posting a recipe. Some books say Elderberry leaves, seeds, bark, stems and root are toxic. Only the berries, which must be cooked first, and the blossoms are edible.Use your best judgement when using plants from the wild. You can also buy already made Elderberry syrup at your local health food store.
Fairy Furniture and A Giveaway Winner
Araina and Fauna were very busy in the field today making fairy homes. The field fairies always get a pinecone “fairy shelf” which holds their fairy food. I’m not sure why the tree fairies don’t ever get a pinecone shelf, but they never do. Araina spends A LOT of time filling up the shelves with pokeweed and Russian olive berries. The pinecone shelves look quite pretty when she is all through!
Now the giveaway winner:
Wow! Between both blogs and emails, there were 108 people entered in this giveaway! I’m awful at giveaways because it’s so hard for me to only list one winner! Sadly today that’s the way it has to be because I only have one book to give. I couldn’t even use the random generator because the maximum number is 100! However, having a computer geek for a husband he very quickly programmed his own random generator and the winner is #44 Voodoo Maggie.
Thank you everyone for leaving such enthusiastic comments; a lot of them made me laugh out loud! I have some more giveaways up my sleeve so keep checking back. I’m planning one for the blog move as well (that’s still in the works, having some technical hubby difficulties 
. Have a GREAT weekend!
Growing Sweet Potatoes as a Houseplant
So you can’t have a site with the name 5 Orange Potatoes and not post about an actual orange potato!
What you need: pre-sprouting sweet potato (some food stores treat the potatoes with heat so they won’t sprout; to see if you have a sprouter enclose a sweet potato in a paper bag and sprouts should appear in a short amount of time), glass jar, water, knife, and toothpicks (optional)
There are 2 methods of growing the vine: Method #1- We cut the bottom 1/3 off the potato so it would fit snugly in a little mason jar. Only about a 1/2 inch of the potato flesh is submerged into the water; this is all it takes to grow a beautiful vine. Method #2- don’t cut the potato; poke 4 toothpicks into the sides of the potato, about 2 or 3 inches from the bottom. A lot more of the potato will be submerged into the water this way. Then balance the potato on top of the jar (which can be quite a balancing act). Either method works fine.
See how only a little bit of our potato is actually under water, only about 1/2 inch.
Keep the water clean by changing the water daily or the potato can cause quite a stink, especially if a lot of the potato is submerged!
After a few days the roots will start forming; then many roots will form daily! After a month take the potato out of the water and plant it in potting soil. This makes a beautiful houseplant. Tie the vines to string and let it grow around a windowpane for a really pretty look. I also have a post on how to grow potatoes indoors. Have a look at Pink and Green Mama’s method of growing the sweet potato.
Just a little note about what I’m up to right now, I am working on 2 posts involving those lawn plants some people refer to as weeds (clover and plantain). I have some easy medicine making to share with you. I am also working on a PTOE post on nitrogen. I should have these posted in the next week. Enjoy!
Sock Doll Book Giveaway!
Not a felty giveaway this time but a charming book- Stray Sock Sewing- Making One of a Kind Creatures from Socks by Daniel. This is a great book for beginning sewers. Fauna and Araina LOVE the corky creatures in this book, all made from socks.
And he really means step by step photographed instructions! Fauna (almost 8yo) doesn’t have any trouble with the instructions. He shows you step by step, including how to stuff the socks properly, for 8 different types of sock dolls- mini doll, cat, pig, rabbit, elephant, bear, zebra and hippo.
