Bows, dandelions and dockseed.
Oct. 29th, 2009 01:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
abirdisnotBows
We've begun the preliminary stages of bow-making. I am really psyched. So far we have just discussed some of the basics, e.g. materials and tools. We will be carving wooden longbows from staves. I'm not yet sure what kind of wood I'll be using, because we don't have the staves--we will be selecting them through the "number in the hat" method.
You can make a bow out of just about anything, including lumber boards, it's just a matter of the property of the wood and how you may have to compensate for it in the carving, how it will be affected by ambient conditions, how long it will last, etc.) Osage orange is a much-preferred bow material, although there is very little of it around in Washington State, and what there is was probably brought over and planted by someone.
Yew, of course, is the traditional English longbow material, though our instructor doesn't much care for it; he likes vine maple.
We'll be using "character wood," meaning things with knots, twisty grains in places, etc. The idea is that a) they're cool-looking, and b) if we can make a good bow out of "character wood"--as opposed to something with a perfectly straight grain--we will be able to make bows out of anything.
We've begun to practice stringing bows and shooting stances. I thought that stringing the bow would be pretty easy, but uh, it wasn't. The fiberglass bows we were practicing with were a bit trickier than our own bows will be, because there's a sort of plastic ridge where the nock fits onto the tip of the bow that you have to lift the string over. But I did it.
I have a bow made from I have no idea what that I got as a kid--I am curious as to what the poundage will be (the fiberglass bows Frank had, which I suspect are significantly bigger than mine, were like 25-30 pounds; legal minimum for hunting in WA is a bow with a 40-pound draw). I want to practice stringing that.
As for shooting, we will be doing "instinctive style," which means keeping both eyes open and focusing on the target--basic hand-eye coordination, the same way you accurately, say, throw a ball--rather than sighting down the arrow.
Because I have done some fencing, and because the foot placement is similar, I keep shifting my weight onto my back foot, something I'll have to overcome. [1]
* * * * * *
Dandelion and Dock Seeds
As I touched on, on Monday we went to a park in Issaquah to do some harvesting. It was quite wet and muddy, and the path was flooded in a couple of places, making it necessary for us to pick our way around the edges or balance on logs. Since my boots were ostensibly waterproof, I plunged in. And only one foot got a little damp.
We harvested dandelions and dock seeds.
According to Karen, dandelion greens are actually best in Fall, though most sources will tell you that they're best in Spring. And they're still a good Spring green, but they are better after those plants have gone to seed, and then sent up new leaves again in the fall rain; they tend to be less bitter.
Dandelions are a familiar plant, but there are many look-a-likes. Things to keep in mind when gathering:
--Dandelions have only a single stalk, which does not branch, and a ring of leaves at the base.
--Dandelion leaves may vary a bit in shape--some are more serrated than others, for instance, but they will always be [i]hairless[/i], on both sides of the leaf. Many similar species will have fuzz or hairs on their leaves, and can be distinguished from dandelion in this way.
--Don't go for the older leaves; they can get leathery and more bitter. Bigger isn't necessarily better here.
--Be nice to the plants, don't take every leaf off.
Later we made dandelion pesto, from blended-up dandelions, walnuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. It is still a bit bitter for my tastes; I will have to get used to that and expand my palate.
As for dock seeds, those are a good fall and winter food, because they will remain on the stalk for a long time. They can be very easily harvested by just running your closed fist up the stalk and stripping the seeds off that way. They don't have a very strong taste, but they are nutritious, and can be used like a grain, ground for flour, etc.
Some pictures from GIS:
Dock seeds on a stalk:
A bunch 'o dock seeds in someone's hand:
As you can see, they are pretty small, but numerous.
The actual seed part is hard to see there; the seeds have three leafy-looking "wings." You can crush them all up and winnow those parts out, or just grind it all and get some extra fiber in your diet.
We mixed ground dock seeds with equal parts flour and made crackers out of them.
I had never made crackers, and it was fun, and they were certainly a great deal better than store-bought. Making crackers is pretty simple--mix up flour, a little bit of oil, some salt, and some water, enough so that the dough sticks together, but it shouldn't be very moist at all. Then you roll it out thin, cut it into desired shapes, and stick it in the oven for about 12 minutes, watching to make sure they don't burn.
The end.
We've begun the preliminary stages of bow-making. I am really psyched. So far we have just discussed some of the basics, e.g. materials and tools. We will be carving wooden longbows from staves. I'm not yet sure what kind of wood I'll be using, because we don't have the staves--we will be selecting them through the "number in the hat" method.
You can make a bow out of just about anything, including lumber boards, it's just a matter of the property of the wood and how you may have to compensate for it in the carving, how it will be affected by ambient conditions, how long it will last, etc.) Osage orange is a much-preferred bow material, although there is very little of it around in Washington State, and what there is was probably brought over and planted by someone.
Yew, of course, is the traditional English longbow material, though our instructor doesn't much care for it; he likes vine maple.
We'll be using "character wood," meaning things with knots, twisty grains in places, etc. The idea is that a) they're cool-looking, and b) if we can make a good bow out of "character wood"--as opposed to something with a perfectly straight grain--we will be able to make bows out of anything.
We've begun to practice stringing bows and shooting stances. I thought that stringing the bow would be pretty easy, but uh, it wasn't. The fiberglass bows we were practicing with were a bit trickier than our own bows will be, because there's a sort of plastic ridge where the nock fits onto the tip of the bow that you have to lift the string over. But I did it.
I have a bow made from I have no idea what that I got as a kid--I am curious as to what the poundage will be (the fiberglass bows Frank had, which I suspect are significantly bigger than mine, were like 25-30 pounds; legal minimum for hunting in WA is a bow with a 40-pound draw). I want to practice stringing that.
As for shooting, we will be doing "instinctive style," which means keeping both eyes open and focusing on the target--basic hand-eye coordination, the same way you accurately, say, throw a ball--rather than sighting down the arrow.
Because I have done some fencing, and because the foot placement is similar, I keep shifting my weight onto my back foot, something I'll have to overcome. [1]
* * * * * *
Dandelion and Dock Seeds
As I touched on, on Monday we went to a park in Issaquah to do some harvesting. It was quite wet and muddy, and the path was flooded in a couple of places, making it necessary for us to pick our way around the edges or balance on logs. Since my boots were ostensibly waterproof, I plunged in. And only one foot got a little damp.
We harvested dandelions and dock seeds.
According to Karen, dandelion greens are actually best in Fall, though most sources will tell you that they're best in Spring. And they're still a good Spring green, but they are better after those plants have gone to seed, and then sent up new leaves again in the fall rain; they tend to be less bitter.
Dandelions are a familiar plant, but there are many look-a-likes. Things to keep in mind when gathering:
--Dandelions have only a single stalk, which does not branch, and a ring of leaves at the base.
--Dandelion leaves may vary a bit in shape--some are more serrated than others, for instance, but they will always be [i]hairless[/i], on both sides of the leaf. Many similar species will have fuzz or hairs on their leaves, and can be distinguished from dandelion in this way.
--Don't go for the older leaves; they can get leathery and more bitter. Bigger isn't necessarily better here.
--Be nice to the plants, don't take every leaf off.
Later we made dandelion pesto, from blended-up dandelions, walnuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. It is still a bit bitter for my tastes; I will have to get used to that and expand my palate.
As for dock seeds, those are a good fall and winter food, because they will remain on the stalk for a long time. They can be very easily harvested by just running your closed fist up the stalk and stripping the seeds off that way. They don't have a very strong taste, but they are nutritious, and can be used like a grain, ground for flour, etc.
Some pictures from GIS:
Dock seeds on a stalk:
A bunch 'o dock seeds in someone's hand:
As you can see, they are pretty small, but numerous.
The actual seed part is hard to see there; the seeds have three leafy-looking "wings." You can crush them all up and winnow those parts out, or just grind it all and get some extra fiber in your diet.
We mixed ground dock seeds with equal parts flour and made crackers out of them.
I had never made crackers, and it was fun, and they were certainly a great deal better than store-bought. Making crackers is pretty simple--mix up flour, a little bit of oil, some salt, and some water, enough so that the dough sticks together, but it shouldn't be very moist at all. Then you roll it out thin, cut it into desired shapes, and stick it in the oven for about 12 minutes, watching to make sure they don't burn.
The end.
