Calendula Soap

I usually buy soap from an etsy seller but have been wanting to make my own for some time now. Have made a few batches now and can understand how this can quickly turn into an obsession! Bad with reading instructions, I do my best to follow steps carefully and have so far successfully avoided a volcanic chemical reaction from mixing the lye solution.

For this particular batch, I wanted to make an unscented (always palm oil-free) cold process soap recipe with olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, avocado oil, and mango butter. At trace, I added some home-grown calendula (dried and ground) and a pinch of turmeric powder for color. The bars looked great after cutting and will cure on the rack for at least 6 weeks. 

A few years ago, I attended a talk at Stone Barns on forest gardening by Dave Jacke. He mentioned growing a native plant called pawpaw which produces fruit that tastes like custard. I've always wanted to try it and saw some at Union Square Greenmarket a few weeks after that talk. It was so good I wanted to get more but sadly have not seen it sold anywhere since.

This year, i saw the tree at a local nursery but don't have the space to grow it in the city. A native plant to the Southeast and Midwest, it is rare and endangered in NY state. So we found someone that knew a guy who has cultivated a few trees in PA and bought a few from him. I ate one and it was very good. So I ate a few more. Then I threw up. I should mention that the seeds are poisonous. But I didn't eat any seeds. I looked it up on Steve Brill's app and he also said he ate one and was fine, but vomited after making a smoothie. So if you're lucky enough to find some, proceed with caution! It's probably one of the best tasting fruits that's native to this country, but eat too much and it will be an emetic!

Kentucky Coffee Tree Seeds

There's a whole variety of foods we can eat that are available to us from all around our environment. While I still enjoy all the fresh veggies and fruit from my local farmer's markets, I'm also interested in learning about how to identify and use wild foods sustainably. On a recent walk in Central Park with "Wildman" Steve Brill, I collected Kentucky coffee tree seeds that were laying around under the tree, some in pods but many just scattered around on the ground. Steve had let us all try carob truffles/energy balls he made with them and I wanted to make some as well on my own. I don't drink coffee but I still like the flavor and aroma. 

So after washing, I roasted the seeds for 3 hours at 300 degrees, following Steve's directions from his app Wild Edibles. Raw seeds are poisonous and roasting them kills the toxins. It's a good idea to cover them while roasting as the seeds pop and can make a mess in the oven. Scoop out the inside of the seeds and grind in a blender. 

Use in place of coffee or to flavor any mocha, chocolate, or carob recipe. Smells just like coffee! Aside from the energy balls, I also made a raw cacao vegan ice cream with a few tablespoons of the powder. A good caffeine-free substitute for coffee, just lying around the park under your feet!