高雄左營菜市場

 阿婆寫的扛棒。

Impermanent notes.  留不住的留言。

Spring Collection

Moxa Infused Olive Oil
艾草橄欖油

Rice Tea Infused Peppermint Shampoo
玄米茶薄荷洗髮皂

Lavender Parsley
薰衣草洋香菜

Hinoki Hazelnut
檜木橧果

Sprinkled with heather, violet, jasmine, parsley, rooibos tea, rosehip & love.
灑上歐石楠，小紫羅蘭，茉莉花，洋香菜，波斯茶，玫瑰果 & 愛.

Infused Olive Oil

Making infused oil is a great way to incorporate the properties and benefits of the herbs into the oil. The infused oil can then be used to make soap or lotions.

These are the olive oil infusions for my future soap and lotion recipes.  All have a very unique and soothing scent!

1.  Calendula: promote wound healing, reduce inflammation
2.  Moxa: dispel cold, warm acupuncture meridians, stop pain
3.  Pu'er Chrysanthemum: antioxidant, reduce inflammation
4.  Ginger Goji:  dispel cold, warm acupuncture meridians, antioxidant
5.  Lemongrass: natural insect repellent, reduce bad odor, anti-fungal & anti-bacterial


HOW TO INFUSE OIL:

1.  Clean a glass jar thoroughly.  Spray it with alcohol and let the alcohol evaporate.  Make sure it's completely dry before you put in the dried herbs.  I usually use a hairdryer to make sure there are no water droplets left inside the bottle.

2.  Fill the 1/2 - 3/4 full of dried herbs.

3.  Pour in the oil slowly to make sure the herbs are completely soaked and covered in the oil.  Stir the jar a little to get rid of the air bubbles.

4.  Seal the jar.  Sit the glass jar in a warm place (eg. windowsill), and shake the jar a little each day to make sure the herbs are "dancing" in the oil.  This will quicken the infusion process.

5.  It's ready in 4-6 weeks!  Strain the oil to get rid of any impurities.  Put the remaning herbs in a large teabag/soybean milk bag, and squeeze until every droplet of oil has been extracted.  Throw out the herbs.

6.  Label the bottle (oil type, herb & date) and store the infused oil in a cool, dark and dry place.  The infused oil is ready to be used immediately.

*The oil can become rancid or prone to bateria growth if moisture is introduced into the oil.  This is why it is crucial to completely dry the bottle and the herbs before infusing it together.

Pocket Light 夜燈零錢袋

In the daytime, it is a "pocket", or a small pouch for your spare change.

早上是個零錢包。。。

In the nighttime, put in a LED flameless candle and it immediately transforms into a small night light!  Make the corners of your home cozier.

晚上放個LED蠟燭，馬上變成小夜燈！讓家裡多點溫馨的氣氛。

How to Deseed Guava 切芭樂

The traditional way is to cut the guava, let’s say into 8 slices, then use a knife to cut out the seeds for each slice.

But I found a shortcut.  1)  Cut the guava in half.

傳統切芭樂的方式是先切片，比如說8片，再用刀一片一片的切掉芭樂子。

但我找到一個撇步。先把芭樂切一半。

2)  Use an ice cream scooper and in one scoop, take out the seeds.  It becomes a perfectly halved-sphere crater.  

用冰淇淋杓把子子一球全部挖出來。

3)  Proceed to slice the guava.  Put the scooped out seeds into the blender and make a guava shake!  Guava seed is rich in iron, but it is difficult to digest due to its hardness.  That's why I've always heard “don’t eat guava seeds, or it will make you constipated”.  However, my mother-in-law said if you can grind it fine enough in the blender, guava seeds can help with constipation, making it a smoother ride.

挖掉後再將芭樂切片。挖出來的子子留下來可以打芭樂汁哦！芭樂子含豐富的鐵質，但是因為較硬，不容易消化，我小時候常聽大人說芭樂子吃了會便秘。但是婆婆說，用果汁機打得夠細的話，喝了可通便，避免塞車。

Why Mouse? 小老鼠

Mouse Dimension: 5 x 2 x 2.5 (excluding tail)

What’s up with the mouse?  You see it in most of my pictures.  Well, it has a purpose.  It gives you a sense of proportion of the photographed object.  

這隻小老鼠為什麼常常出現在我的照片呢？因為它的用途是跟照片裡的東西做個比例。

Where did this mouse come from?  Chance encounter!  When we stopped over Gananoque, Canada this summer to see The Thousand Islands, we stayed at this B&B called The Athlone Inn.

我們去加拿大千島湖玩的時候碰到這隻小老鼠。它跟我們住在這個民宿裡。

The inn's charm (built in 1877), the cozy rooms, the  delightful breakfast,  and the hospitality of the inn owners, Jason & Miranda, made the stay so memorable.  You can feel their love for the inn by the care they put in it, the thoughtful details that catch you by surprise, like the mouse in the bathroom or the fresh flowers petals garnishing the homemade waffles.

民宿很溫馨！你可以感受到屋主對的愛，細心的想出不同的方式來讓主客的回憶更有趣，像放一隻小老鼠在浴缸邊，或是採新鮮花瓣來點綴早點。

We purchased the mouse as a souvenir and left a note in the guest book.  Friends from Taiwan.

小老鼠就買回家咯！走之前在留言本裡感謝屋主的熱心招待，也畫了台灣的地圖，形容遠方來的台灣朋友。