Today, there was a farmers market on campus. That in itself is awesome, but what's more awesome is that it's going to happen every Wednesday from now on! I'm talking fresh cheese, pasta, soaps, teas, baked goods, orchids, honey, little potted herbs, kettle corn, and, of course, Florida fruits and veggies. Which leads me to my purchase:
That would be five mangoes, a lemon, and a lime, which got made into this:
I've determined that mango pie is the tropical equivalent of peach pie; it smells almost the same, and it tastes really similar (no, I haven't actually eaten it yet, but I was using a 9" pie recipient and my pie pans are 8", so there was a little left over to make a sloppy turnover-thing, which I have eaten). I can't wait to try it.
In the process of making this pie, I've discovered how to have pretty crusts without a pastry cloth: plastic wrap. Yep, you use it just like a pastry cloth, and it works wonders. Wish I had had the insight to figure this out two weeks ago when I made that blueberry-strawberry pie (which was my first, ever, BTW, making this one my second ever). I've also become much better at the whole two-knives-as-a-pastry-cutter-replacement thing. So, this pie went a lot faster than the last one. I had my first mango-prep experience (those slippery little devils). The best part? I have a leftover mango :D
Speaking of making things, last night I dyed yarn:
About 13 yards of each color, Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool natural as a base. I used food coloring and vinegar to dye, with really concentrated dye, with microwave for heat. The colors are just the mixes you find on the back of the box - 20 drops green for the green, and 17 drops yellow plus 3 drops red for the orange (technically it's orange sunset, or something like that). I'm going to make white mittens, each with a little U on the back of the hand :D
I also finished this mini-laminaria shawl Monday, and it was done blocking yesterday:
I used Knit Picks Shadow, what was leftover from the aeolian; I split the plies to get cobweb weight, and then knit the setup, one star repeat, the transition, then the edging. The thing that took forever was splitting the plies, because the singles for this yarn are really delicate, so I had to split it like DNA - breaking the strand every yard or so to relieve twisting tension, then spit splice it back together. And then sometimes the yarn would pull apart while knitting because it was so delicate. But it was really worth it - it's for the Reducio Sock! swap, so I hope my spoilee likes it!
