hellenhighwater

[hellenhighwater]

I'm fascinated with your rose syrup. Could you please post some recipes you use it in? You said it's good in tea and lemonade but I'm still not sure how that works?

Yes, the most common flavors to combine it with are lemon, ginger, and berry. Mostly I'm not using recipes exactly because a lot of it comes to personal taste, and how strong your rose flavor is, and how sweet you made the syrup. For example, I've got a cup of Lady Grey tea (black tea with bergamot and lemon) and I've just splashed a bit of rose syrup into it.

You can just mix some into club soda for a rose soda; optionally, add macerated strawberries. You can add it to Sprite, if you like. You can add it to ginger beer with lemon juice, or add some to a regular lemonade. There's loads of cocktail recipes that use it, if that's your thing. It can be an ice cream or pancake topping.

There's loads of actual recipes that use it, if you go looking.

[hellenhighwater]

Malice goes!!!!!!

Door to basement?? Open??? For Malice?????

[hellenhighwater]

Door to basement?? Open??? For Malice?????

[hellenhighwater]

I think I'm going to do a full page of these drawings in ink, scan them, and then print multiples so I can just paint them en masse. Any suggestions for cover ideas? LotR related or vaguely medieval, either is fine. I'll probably do some book-style covers as well.

While the roses were simmering, I made some little matchboxes. They're cute!

[hellenhighwater]

The shelf life on this is about a month and unfortunately it's not high enough in sugar to not freeze solid, so i shouldnt freeze it in glass containers. I don't know why I thought I should jar all of it individually yesterday. I'm dumping most of it back into one container to freeze for later use. And it turns out that I've got twelve cups of rose syrup here.

Making a big batch of rose syrup!

[hellenhighwater]

The catnip just disappears....

[hellenhighwater]

Are any particular roses best for the rose syrup that you've found?

Mostly you're looking for very fragrant roses. Which isn't what I selected mine for--I was going for cold-hardiness. And also they need to be totally pesticide free. If you're buying petals, look for food grade.

[hellenhighwater]

While the roses were simmering, I made some little matchboxes. They're cute!

[hellenhighwater]

I used up so many tiny jars...

The nice thing about rose syrup is that you want petals that are just about to fall off, so harvesting them for this doesn't really mean you have less time to enjoy your roses. You're taking the petals that are basically done blooming. You wash them gently with cold water, then put them in a pot and add just enough water to cover them, and simmer at a low temp for about an hour, until the color has leeched from the petals to the water. Then you take a cloth and strain the whole thing, squeezing out the petals and discarding them. Measure the amount of rose water you have, put it back in the pot, then add the same amount (or a bit more) white sugar, and stir at medium temp until dissolved. Shouldn't be more than ten minutes. Then you stick it in fancy jars and store it in your fridge to use in teas and lemonades.

Making a big batch of rose syrup!

[hellenhighwater]

Making a big batch of rose syrup!

[hellenhighwater]

I'm putting a leather cover on my thread book to make it more durable, and debating a layer of board between the paper and leather for extra rigidity.

[hellenhighwater]

A note, because not everyone knows this: if you're driving and another driver flashes their brights at you, this is a signal to be on alert and slow down. There may be debris in the road, a cop out of sight, or an animal crossing ahead of you. (Or, alternatively, your brights are on and they're getting blinded.) Whatever the reason, it's a signal that you need to focus and reduce speed. And possibly turn your own brights off.

This PSA has been brought to you by the four fawns and does that ran out in front of me at various points on my drive home.

Let's court death with mama!

[hellenhighwater]

I'm making silly things at the studio tonight. The tall container is for long wooden matches.

[hellenhighwater]

Vice has discovered that standing on the disposable ice pack from my grocery delivery...makes his beans cold

[hellenhighwater]

Mayhem is back in her trash box and having a delightful time

[hellenhighwater]

Perhaps appropriately, I'm working on this very wide straw hat. for Hobbit reasons. It's going to need a lining to be useful; right now it drives me nuts catching on my hair all the time

I'm two degrees away from buying a parasol for my daily two mile commute. The Sun is my enemy. My poor mayonnaise complexion is not built for these conditions

[hellenhighwater]

I'm two degrees away from buying a parasol for my daily two mile commute. The Sun is my enemy. My poor mayonnaise complexion is not built for these conditions