Archives

Wild Violet Recipes

Violets are a wonderful spring delight. The color can be steeped from the flowers by making a simple tea. When you soak the flowers in hot water, the water turns a dark blue color. Add an acid (like lemon juice) and it turns the most incredible violet pink. The change is so dramatic that violets served as litmus tests for early scientists. Take a look:

Making Violet Jam

violet jelly recipe

Violet Jelly

Making violet jelly is a very simple process. It doesn’t have a strong flavor, but the color is a great addition to scones or cookies.

What you need:

  • 3 Cups violet flowers
  • 2 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 pack liquid pectin
  • 6 cups sugar

Place the violets in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Allow to steep until the water is a dark blue color.

violet tea

Strain the flowers out and add the lemon juice.

In the pot

Place this mixture on the stove in a pot and add the sugar. Bring to the boil and pour in the pectin. Cook at a rolling boil for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool a little before pouring into jars.

Jars should be washed and clean before use. Place them in the oven at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Boil lids in water for 10 minutes to ensure all bacteria has been killed.

Violet Simple Syrup

  • 4 cups violet blossoms
  • 4 cups boiling water
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice Omit if you want the syrup to be blue)
  • 4 cups sugar

Place the violet blossoms in a non-metal bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to steep overnight. Drain the water off but don’t squeeze the flowers. Add lemon juice to the violet water until the desired color is achieved. Pour the water into a pot and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bottle and refrigerate until needed.

Bacon Breakfast Roll Campfire Recipe

Want to be so good at breakfast you never camp alone again? Then this recipe from our book “Food on Fire” will make you the Champion of Breakfasts. If you want to see an extended version with more fillings, see our video here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et_Nk…

Recipe

Take half a pack of bacon and lay it down on parchment paper if you are baking in the oven, or foil if it’s going on the fire. Now take the remaining strips and weave them through the pieces on the foil. Go over and under the pieces so you get a perfect bacon weave. Now you can add fillings. In this video we use 4 scrambled eggs, salsa and cheese, but you can add just about anything. I’ve put in peppers, fried potatoes, avocado, onions and even chilies. Whatever catches your fancy goes in your breakfast roll! Once your fillings are in, fold your parchment paper or foil over to close the bacon breakfast roll. Tuck in the loose ends. Wrap in foil and bake for 15 minutes on each side on a campfire or place on a baking tray in the oven at 400F and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Mud Puppies are Incredible, Slimy Little Miracles of Nature

You may know salamanders, but most of you won’t know mud puppies. Mud puppies are foot-long aquatic salamanders that are amazing because they are one of the few amphibians who are active in the winter.

During the summer months, mud puppies lurk in deep water in lakes where they are safe from predators, but during the coldest parts of the Canadian winter, they travel up streams to hunt for food. That means all their predators are hibernating or can’t see them under the ice… clever puppies!

We are lucky enough to join Fred Schueler and Aletta Karstad who have been observing mud puppies in Oxford Mills, Ontario every Friday night since 1998. It is a rare and wonderful thing to see these incredibly interesting creatures and we are excited to be part of the longest-running winter herpetological study in Canada.

Mudpuppies, are also called waterdogs, because they are one of only a few salamanders that make noises. They get their name from the rather far-fetched idea that the squeaky noises they make sound like a dog’s bark.

Mud puppies have more DNA in each cell than any other living thing so that they can activate enzymes that keep them active in winter where temperatures in the shallow water can be anything from 0 to minus 32 degrees. They breathe through external gills but, as amphibians, are also able to take in oxygen through their skin.

Mud puppies are amazing because of the extreme temperatures that they are able to be active in, despite the fact that they are cold blooded.

See more amazing videos of creepy crawlies and camping tips on our YouTube Channel

When Animals are Jerks

Occasionally, animals get to have a little laugh at our expense. No, don’t worry… they’re laughing with you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=5vOjAQ5TjhA

How Owls Do with Ze Frank

True facts about the owl With Ze Frank; your trusted source of factual, scientific information about the eating habits of owls.