Making Fiddle Leaf Fig Babies

I have not been posting much as of late, as I have just started a new job. Having not worked for two months, it is both exciting and exhausting. 

I wanted to share what I did with my beautiful Fiddle Leaf Fig tree when I realized that it was growing a long, lanky branch. A couple of weeks ago I gave my tree a makeover and I am hoping for some beautiful babies to be born shortly.

Apparantly this is the season to take cuttings according to the www, and so I did. I think they look fantastic hanging out in their vases on my concrete bench. I put them right next to my dried leek flower stalks and I like the contrast of the vivid color of the living leaves against the memory of the flowers.  

I dipped my cuttings in a rooting powder and now, after a couple of weeks in water, there are tiny little knobs forming around the eyes of the branches!

This is what my tree looked like before the pruning...

...and this is what it looks like now. A little rounder, a little shorter and a lot more handsome.

Here is a link to my etsy shop:

www.etsy.com/shop/cloudberryandmoss

Bottling

I am following up on my post on how to make glögg, from late November. Here is a link to that post, if you would like to check it out: 

http://cloudberryandmoss.blogspot.com/2015/11/here-is-how-you-brew-your-own-swedish.html

It has been almost 10 weeks since I left my glögg on the lees to brew. You really only need to leave it for 6 weeks, but I have been lazy and busy, one after the other! 

I thought I would show you how to bottle this very lovely concoction, so here we go.

You will need:

a slotted spoon

soft plastic tubing

clean bottles

This is what your glögg is supposed to look like after a few weeks. The yeast is no longer active and all the sugars that could be transformed into alcohol have done so. At this point, you want to be careful transporting your bucket or bowl, as you do not want to disturb the sediment at the bottom. Take a slotted spoon and carefully scoop out anything floating on top. Make sure to only skim the surfaces so as to, again, not disturb the sediment. 

When the surface is clean, take your plastic tubing(I found mine at the pet store by the aquarium supplies) and put one end into the glögg. Make sure to keep the opening close to the surface. Place the bottle below the bowl so that gravity can do its job. Carefully suck on the other end of the tubing, to get the glögg flowing. 

Put your finger on the opening of the tube and release once it has been placed at the opening of the bottle.

Your glögg should now steadily flow from the bowl, through the tube and into the bottle. It is important to make sure that the part of the tube submerged in the bowl stays close to the surface! You do not want excess sediment in your bottle. 

When I get close to the bottom of the bowl I carefully tilt it so I can get as much glögg as possible out of my batch. There will, however be a little bit left at the bottom, as you try to avoid bottling the sediment. This brew will be very happy with just sitting on a shelf, maturing for the next 10 months or so, until you feel like the holiday spirit is calling again. 

Check out my Etsy shop, if you fancy:

www.etsy.com/shop/cloudberryandmoss 

Fire

Every night I light candles. I love how candle light creates patterns and casts shadows and living light. Fire is a basic element and it soothes me, just like the ocean or the sound of the wind in the trees outside my bedroom window.

 

And so, in my little apartment on Ivy Hill, I flip the light switches off and light candles to remind me of the pure and simple. For inspiration and to draw energy from what it evokes in me.

Lilian would rather eat her cereal and see what she eats. We compromise.