Barley Pancake

Barley, an important crop in ancient Israel, is such a healthy grain that is often overlooked. My interest in the grain is due mostly to it being one of the seven species listed in Deuteronomy 8:8, and partly because barley is grown on our property here in Wyoming. 

I desired to make some barley pancakes using some ingredients from the seven species, but without wheat. So, I included pomegranate juice, grape seed oil, and honey into the recipe. Because barley has kess gluten than wheat, I was aware that it might not rise as well. Knowing that flax is harvested around the same time as barley, I decided to add some flax seed meal to the pancake recipe. Wow! The flax seed meal gave the pancakes some volume. Because of the density of the pancake, I found it best to cook slowly on a lower heat, so the inside of the pancake could thoroughly be cooked. My husband and I enjoyed the pancakes and found they were very sustaining.

Makes 4 average sized pancakes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup    barley flour, whole grain unifine
• 3 Tbl     ground flax seed
• 1 tsp     baking powder
• ½ tsp    baking soda
• ¼ tsp    sea salt
• 1          egg
• 1 cup    pomegranate juice
• 2 Tbl     grape seed oil or olive oil
• 1 Tbl     honey or agave
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• Non-stick cooking spray or oil.
  

  Barley pancake cooking

DIRECTIONS:  

• Combine flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
• In a second bowl, whisk he egg, and then add pomegranate juice, oil, and sweetener. Make sure the honey is mixed and is not clumped.
• Add the dry mixture into the bowl of liquid mixture, and beat with the whisk until combined.
• Spray or oil griddle.
• Pour batter onto the griddle for individual pancakes, and cook on a medium-low heat.
• Cook until batter is set, and then flip.
• Top with syrup or desired toppings.

Copyright by Beth Piepenburg, 2012. All rights reserved.

At the border of Wyoming and Idaho on Hwy 89 stands four lonely metal dinosaurs.

DINOSAURUS PHEASANT by Beth Piepenburg

DINOSAURUS FIDO by Beth Piepenburg

DINOSAURUS PRAYING MANTIS by Beth Piepenburg

DINOSAURUS MOSQUITO by Beth Piepenburg

Tomato Basil Soup

Nothing like a piping hot soup when the nights are cooler!  I greeted my tired husband who had come home from the hunt with a bowlful of homemade tomato basil soup blended in my Vita-Mix machine along with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1/2 C of Young coconut juice

2 T of Tapioca Pearls (tapioca or arrowroot starch may be substituted)

6-8 Fresh Roma tomatoes cut into 4 pieces (filling the blender 3/4 full)

1 Vegetable Bouillon cube

1/2 – 1  tsp of salt (either coarse or fine grind)

pepper to taste

1 slice of red onion diced

1 garlic clove diced

Fresh oregano

Fresh dill

Large handful of fresh basil

 

Soak the tapioca pearls in the coconut juice for about 5 minutes. Into the Vita-Mix machine, place the Roma tomatoes, a vegetable bouillon cube, salt, red onion, and garlic. Add the coconut juice and tapioca pearls. 

Cover the Vita-Mix machine with its lid, and begin at the lowest speed to blend. Gradually increase the speed, and then flip the switch to the high setting.  Continue blending until steam pours out at the top (5-7 minutes).

Prepare herbs by washing and taking them off their stems. After stopping the machine, open the top and toss in the oregano, dill, and basil.  Blend at a medium speed for a few seconds until the herbs are chopped, but not pureed.  The soup will be piping hot.

Serve and enjoy the herbal flavor of the tomato soup along with some grilled cheese sandwiches with those you love.

Beth Piepenburg

Blue Flax © by Beth Piepenburg

Another flower captured by my digital camera was the Blue Flax (Lewis Flax, Wild Blue Flax, Western Blue Flax) along the Greys River in Wyoming. Linum lewisii is the Latin name meaning Lewis Flax in honor of Lewis Meriwether of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The delicate blue flowers bestow upon its surroundings a beauty to behold.

Although related to the European species of flax, the Blue Flax is found on the mountains, foothills and dry plains from Alaska to New Mexico.  The inflorescences or flower clusters are grouped into cymes, which have a main axis flower and subsequent branch flowers. The flower is composed of five sepals, five petals, five stamens, five styles, and a five-celled yellow seed capsule.

Since the number five is deemed to represent God’s grace, the delicate beauty of the Blue Flax reminds me of His grace. The color blue was used in the tabernacle and is representative of  the Living Word and his righteousness. Ezekiel described God’s heavenly throne as the color of a sapphire.

Besides the flowers, the plant has been used by some of the First Nations tribes for cordage and herbal purposes. In addition, the seeds were roasted and ground for meal, or they were cooked as a condiment along with other foods. Having a nutty flavor, the cooked seeds are high in oleic acids. (Although the raw seeds contain cyanide, it is destroyed through cooking.)

If you should see a Blue Flax flower, remember what I told you about its numerical order and how the five petals reflect the beauty of God and his righteousness.

He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Ps 23:3)

Indian Paintbrush © by Beth Piepenburg

On our outing along the Greys River in Wyoming, I captured the above picture of the Indian Paintbrush. The other three pictures are ones that my husband took. Varying in colors, the Indian Paintbrush reminds me of the colors of sunset.

Indian Paintbrush © by Steve Piepenburg

Although the Indian paintbrush is generally native to both the North and South Americas,  Wyoming has claimed the perennial as its state flower.  Tucked away, the greenish flowers are surrounded by the colorful bracts that vary from red, pink, or yellow. Because the plant is semi-parasitic, the roots find their nourishment from other plants.

As far as edibility, the green part of the plant is considered toxic, while the colorful flowers (bracts), which are sweet, should be eaten sparingly due to the high selenium that the roots absorb.

Indian Paintbrush © by Steve Piepenburg

Indian Paintbrush © by Steve Piepenburg

Indian Paintbrush © by Beth Piepenburg

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same Yahweh’s name is to be praised. (Ps 113:3)

I miss family traditions at Thanksgiving.  Last night while talking to my son, he shared how he had made a pecan pie for some friends.  Although he admitted hating pecan pie, he enjoys making them for his friends.  Laughing, I said I don’t much care for pecan pie either.  However, we agreed nothing is better than a homemade pumpkin pie made from a real pie pumpkin for a Thanksgiving dessert.

I guess the tradition started when my sister and myself decided to cook up a real pumpkin.  In those days (70′s), the only type of pumpkin for sale were Halloween pumpkins. Boiling the pumpkin and sieving out the water, we managed to make an exemplary pumpkin pie. Later, I found out baking a pie pumpkin was so much better because they were much meatier and did not require sieving.  However, trying to obtain pie pumpkins before the 90′s was not easy.  Eventually, one of the farms began growing pie pumpkins and I could buy a dozen around Halloween.  So, my sons grew up with homemade pumpkin pie for the holidays.  When we traveled to relatives, I always brought homemade pumpkin pies as my contribution.

When we moved here to Wyoming, one produce place said they had had two pie pumpkins which had already sold. Fortunately, that autumn I headed back to California and before returning to Wyoming I filled my back seat with pumpkins.  My husband said, “What the heck?” Next year some farmer from central Wyoming brought over a load of pie pumpkins to sell in the grocery stores, and they sold quickly and has been a hit since.  I noticed this year that the stores have had plenty of pie pumpkins.  Many people are using these pie pumpkins for soup, etc.

Not only do I continue to make homemade pumpkin pie for my husband and myself, but I enjoy hearing how my sons continue with the family tradition of baking their own homemade pumpkin pies.

Beth

 Rocky Mountains

I took these pictures of the foothills of the Rockies from our front yard.  The verdurous landscape especially in July is a result of much rain.  Although we are happy to have some rain, we sure wouldn’t mind sharing the overabundance with our Southwestern neighboring states.  Between my toes I’ve noticed this growth, and sure enough it looks like webbing. Ha-ha  Even enjoyed the fireworks display in the light rain.

Rocky Mountain Foothills

O God, your judgment to the king give,

and your righteousness to the the king’s son!

To judge your people in righteousness,

and your poor with judgment.

Let the mountains take up peace to the people,

and the hills righteousness!

He shall judge the poor of the people,

and shall deliver the sons of the needy,

and shall humiliate the calumniator*.

And he shall continue as the sun,

and before the moon for generations and generations.

He shall descend as rain upon mown grass,

and as drops dripping upon the earth.

Righteousness shall rise in his days,

and a multitude of peace until the moon shall be cancelled.

And he shall dominate from sea unto sea,

and from rivers unto the ends of the inhabitable world.

Ps. 72:1-8 (BPV)

*calumniator = a person who speaks maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about another

 Stopped my car to take these scenic pictures. The top picture shows a double rainbow, and the second one shows the primary rainbow falling plumb in the middle of the puddle.

 

 

 

 

 

The Rainbow

William Wordsworth 1802

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!…

The child is father of the man;

I could wish my days to be bound each to each by natural piety

Dandelions

  

Above is a picture of a dandelion field against the Rocky Mountains that I took yesterday.  You can observe a small amount of snow on the two peaks in the background.  The bright yellow dandelions create a contrast with the stormy sky.

Dandelion, taken from the French dent de lion, means lion tooth. Some, like my husband, see it only as a weed.  On the other hand, I know that the plant has many nutritious properties and is very beneficial for the liver and gall bladder.

My neighbor makes homemade dandelion wine and dandelion jam. Personally, I will add broken bits of dandelion greens into the salad. At first my husband objected at the idea of a weed being in his salad, but being a good sport he doesn’t seem to mind. When I was in Italy, the Italians used dandelion greens in their salads as well. Before the plant flowers or after the first frosts, the greens are supposed to be delicious stir-fried. Here’s a recipe for dandelion syrup.

DANDELION SYRUP

100 dandelion flowers, or 1 and 1/2 cups petals
1 cup light agave syrup
3 cups water
Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

Collect unsprayed dandelions and ones away from the roadway.  Soak for a few minutes to rid any bugs.

Remove the petals from the sepal (the sepal consists of the small tight leaves that extend from the stem and grasp the flower). Be sure to not allow any green into the petals because it will give the syrup a bitterness.  Although some just use the tops.

Place the petals in a medium pot and cover with 3 cups water and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, cover. and let sit overnight.

Strain dandelion water into a bowl, while pressing on the flowers with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid or use a french press.

Return water to pot and add light agave, and lemon juice. Simmer over low heat until thickened.

Allow to cool, and pour into a clean jar. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes about 2 cups.

Beth