Sunday, May 28, 2023

Whitsunday, weaving, red lentils continued.

 Yesterday I featured may, aka hawthorn, in my post title, followed by a picture. But evidently the meaning didn't carry over since I've had a couple of questions about what the flower is! It's may, folks! Not the month, the shrub.

And here's Edith Holden and Chaucer's take

Yesterday's blogging was full of glitches, but here's the catch-up on what blogger didn't save for reasons involving probably ny phone dropping the signal and blogger not liking some of the pictures.

I made the red lentil croquettes from various recipes on YouTube. They call them patties which I think is like that cooking babytalk crispy, yummy, melty, and I'd rather not.

The YouTube cooks all have food processors which I don't, but done in batches in the ancient blender it works fine. Pictures of the ingredients in the previous post.

I fried a couple, to go with the soup. It's all very artistic, there being cannellini beans in both soup and croquettes, also lentils in the soup. Echoes, as in painting where you introduce the colors all over to create harmony.

Anyway I fried a couple, rolled in panko crumbs 


And whoa are they filling. One would have done it. 

A couple of notes if you try these: they can take any amount of seasonings, being bland despite the ingredients, onions, carrots, parsley.  So don't hold back.

And, as you finish with tools and bowls, rinse them instantly. Red lentils harden to immovable in no time, and you'll hate me if you leave the dishes till later and need a drill to get the debris off.

These are also great for dipping in plain yogurt, which is what I'll do today, along with soup.

I baked the rest of the batch, 25 minutes at 385°f. 

They didn't brown, but did cook without falling apart, and they're in the freezer for future soup accompaniments. Or friendies, as babytalk cooks might say.

About falling apart, this can happen with red lentils. They're all set up in nice little cakes then, once they hit hot oil they collapse. That's why I added in the mashed cannellini beans, as a binder, which worked fine, and a sprinkling of flour. I let the mixture sit in the fridge about half an hour. So try that.

About weaving, I've learned a whole lot with this project, thanks to Joanne, Caro and a lot of YouTube videos. 

Here's where we are, a few more inches to complete panel two.


You'll notice that it's falling into regular stripes. That's because I didn't do any fancy stuff with the weft as I did on the first one, which disturbed the stripe pattern. I liked it and with four more panels, I can do the fancy weft again.

I'm also getting better selvedges for two reasons, one the tip from J and C about threading through holes at both edges, not slots.

The other is that I realized that the advice to slant the weft threads at 45° before beating down applies to wider fabric than this. 

You do that angle so as to accommodate the under/over path of the thread across the warp. If you just traveled straight across, the warp threads would be drawn in and you'd get an ever narrowing fabric.

But here's what I've found works much better for this yarn and this width, a smaller angle


This way I get a firm straight selvedge with a lot less trouble and tugging about. Another one of the things you find out as you go, like learning your own rhythm and how it works.

Speaking of which, remember my discovery of whistling? I've been trying it now and then and find  I can definitely whistle, a lot of tunes. Not a big range, and not always dead in tune, but I can do it. Even chromatics!! 

So I'm adding it to my list of instruments! Piano, violin, flute, recorder, voice and WHISTLING! Taking bookings for June weddings. I can do you a tuneless Mendelssohn's Wedding March. No? Everyone's a critic. 

On to less consequential things, today is Whitsunday, the original reason Brits and other European folk have a Bank Holiday. 

Also known as pentecost, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles sitting around glumly after the Ascension. 

They were wondering what now? He went off and now who'll give us the user manual? Which the Paraclete, another name, came down with tongues of fire, and did, and they went from there. Or so I'm told. 

Big feast in the English Catholic church, processions around the church, kids in white dresses or shirts and shorts.   Illegal for Catholics to process outside the building even on church grounds  without special hardwon permits. One of the laws passed during the reformation and still in force.

Moving right along, that doesn't apply to the municipal Whit Walks I learned about when I was at uni in Manchester. They're pretty secular, but still in white and with social backing as you see


All caught up now, unusual for Memorial Day  weekend to coincide with Whit. The second follows the Church calendar, seven Sundays after Easter, rather than the secular calendar of the first, which is the last Monday in May. 

Official summer opening of the Jersey shore, pools, park passes, summer concerts, all that. Bracketed in early September by Labor Day, where a lot of things close back down again.

So that's us all caught up, and I had other thoughts about Padraig O'Tuama and time, but I'll save that. Enough for one day.

Happy day everyone, weather permitting!



32 comments:

  1. Have you ever made yellow squash croquettes? We like them a lot. They do involve crumbs of some sort, bread or cracker. Onion, egg, a little flour. Etc. They bake fairly nicely if you get it all thickened enough.
    I have realized that I will never be a weaver. It looks like a magical skill. I can, however, whistle. Mostly in tune.
    Now I believe I will go cast my wanton eye on something.

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    1. I like the squash idea. Gary keeps growing and giving me them so this will be good. Thank you. My weaving is very simple as these things go.

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  2. you've certainly got the hang of weaving on that little loom.

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    1. It's not hard once you get the logistics organized. At least the way I do it.

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  3. So much information. I’ve learned lots thank you.
    We Aussies wondered why the britts were having a day off tomorrow

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    1. Since they changed its name to something boring I bet a lot of brits don't know its origin either! You can tell anyone who asks!

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  4. It's been a decent day for weaving, I see. I took off a length of towels, periwinkle, have them fulled and cut into twelve towels and the ends prepped for hemming, tomorrow.

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    1. Wow, so productive. Folks, Joanne is a professional weaver who sells her (beautiful) cotton towels. Blogger won't allow links in comments, security reasons, but you'll find her at Cup on the Bus, her blog of life, weaving and kitty! You can click on her name up there.

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    2. F has been aware of Joanne's blog for ages, dipped in occasionally but has finally clicked the follow button. We will follow the adventures of Kitty.

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    3. We have a few such meatless burger recipes - F also makes one that is bassed in porridge oats, bran, minced peanuts, yeast extract and assorted herbs to give it interest. She agrees beans are a good binder; we had a few failed lentil versions that simply turned into sloppy dahl when the frying stage was reached.

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    4. Yes, you need a binder or you get an unhappy surprise.

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  5. Living on your own cooking and good food as you do, you might survive till 105. I am thinking of the old song when I say that.

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  6. "Whistle while you weave" -- it's looking terrific, by the way!

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  7. Earworm! Im whistling w while you work now.. arghgh.

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  8. I can't wait to get back to my weaving. Not long now. I find an arc works better than an angle, especially for narrower widths.

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    1. I used to use an arc for tapestry weaving, and bubbling. But this angle is nice for this project.

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  9. Huh - I had never heard hawthorn called may. I learn something from you every day. And Whitsunday's history - also new to me.

    So glad you've found your whistle!

    Chris from Boise

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    1. The whistle is a funny late in life development!

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  10. Lovely May poem by Chaucer! the way, Hawthorn, the plant, is the source for some health supplements helping in the widening of arteries.

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    1. Interesting medicinal angle that I didn't know.

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  11. I didn't know about paraclete. Looking forward to seeing the finished skirt.

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    1. It looks as if I inserted quite a few bits of less common knowledge without realizing it!

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  12. I find lentil filling though I am not a lover of them. In croquette form as you describe may be more palatable.

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    1. They're useful with soup, and very portable for picnics.

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  13. Half the time I'm unfamiliar with what you talk about, but you do it so well, with great humor. So it doesn't matter. The cooking I get!

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    1. You let it flow over you! Great approach.

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  14. At least if the lentils DO harden, some soaking should get them off.

    I had no idea about the relationship between the late May bank holiday and Whitsunday/Pentecost. Is the early May bank holiday also linked to a religiously significant date?

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    1. Since I haven't lived in the UK since the early 60s, I'm only guessing that it's the descendant of May Day, the celebration of the worker. In Catholic circles the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, since he was thought to be a carpenter.
      It's still celebrated with military might in Moscow.

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  15. I only ever cooked lentils once and my boys have never forgiven me for it (and remind me of it quite regularly too).
    Interesting to learn that May is another name for hawthorne

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    1. I'm surprised to find people don't know about may. It would explain the queso about what's its name! It's like who's on first!

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    2. That's supposed to say questions, not cheese, dangit.

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