Dried Up Stuff

Look what I picked up on my morning walk today? The basis for this unusual arrangement was a large prickly pear cactus skeleton. To that I added some frilly lichen covered branches and a few stalks of dried sunflowers that were hanging out behind the soap shop. While it may not be the most succulent piece, I found it interesting enough to place beside my desk for a while, but then, fresh flowers from the florist were never really my thing.

Here's a close up of a skeletonized cactus leaf. Pretty cool huh?


To make your own skeleton leaves, follow these simple steps. Don’t let kids do this without adult supervision, ok? While it doesn't emit toxic fumes, washing soda is very alkaline so wear gloves and take care not to get any on your skin or in your eyes. You can probably find washing soda in the laundry section of your grocery store. It's also known as sodium carbonate. (Not sodium bicarbonate dude, that's baking soda!) So here's how you do it:

1. Press large sturdy leaves between old telephone books for several weeks. (I'm not sure this would work on fleshy cactus pads, but it's worth a try. Look for dried up ones and press them longer. Or maybe you don't need to press them at all, just put them in the solution. I never said I had ALL the answers here.)
2. Make a solution of washing soda and gently lay the pressed leaves into the solution. You could also try a strong bleach solution instead.
3. When the flesh becomes soft and pulpy, take the leaves out and rinse them carefully in cold water.
4. Gently brush away the soft pulp with an old toothbrush.
5. Let your skeleton leaves dry before using them to decorate a package or tuck inside a nature journal.

To try our prickly pear cactus soap, go here.

It's Raining!!! (isn't it?)

Since it hasn't rained here in eons...this is the next best thing I guess.

Into The Wild

We live and work on 20 secluded rural acres but recently our family traveled into the wild...for real...well sorta. This was the panoramic view from our rustic stone cabin perched atop the nearly 1000 foot deep Palo Duro Canyon in the sprawling Texas Panhandle. Breathtaking, to say the least! Our grand-daughter took a moment to pose for this shot, but mostly, she was busy being a bona fide cowgirl. From her first rugged trail ride to dining at the infamous Big Texan Steak Ranch, she experienced the grandeur and the legend that IS Texas. We attended a performance of the 44th season of the outdoor musical "Texas", performed right there in the canyon, which told the heart warming story of the early Texas settlers and the hardships they overcame....a first class production. I highly recommend it! With plenty of hiking trails, rugged vistas, and wide open spaces, Palo Duro Canyon is truly one of our state's finest gems. Get your wild on and go there some day. It's definitely worth the drive.

Muddin' It Up

Here's what happens when a bunch of wild soapmakers get together in a posh hotel for a soap centered weekend in Dallas. They MUD themselves! You guessed it, I'm the one front and center. The guy with the Pebbles hairdo? That's my friend Robert with Round Top Natural Soap and behind me is Kathy Jones of Mama Says Wash. You should have seen the guy spew as he stepped off the elevator just as Robert and I were getting on! We couldn't resist roaming around just a little. Most of the people in the lobby couldn't even bring themselves to look at us. :o)

Now this is no ordinary mud you see. This is Dead Sea Mud, shipped all the way over here from the Dead Sea in Israel by none other than...The Mud Queen, Tammy Doering. Her daughter Jessica is to my left who we met for the first time. (Notice her gorgeous skin!) If you've never mudded up, you have NO IDEA how smooth and soft your skin can be! No joke. And if you've never goofed around with good friends, well, you need to lighten up a little.

Into the Carboy

More than 4-6 days have passed and I've been negligent about posting. (OK. So I was in Dallas partying with my soapin' friends....so what?) Jory strained out most of the solids, racked the fermenting wine into the carboy (left), and added 10 pounds of sugar for the secondary fermentation phase. The magnificent magenta brew's been fermenting for 6 days and will be ready to strain again when the bubbles stop rising to the top of the airlock (below). It's mesmerizing watching them glub glub glub to the surface like a laid-back little lava lamp. :o)

Homegrown Tomatoes

Juicy, red, ripe ... HOMEGROWN! We got over 300 pounds off our 12 plants so far (and it wasn't a particularly good season either!). Right now they're taking a hiatus, but they'll be back in the fall. This doesn't have much to do with living in the wild, but if you aren't growing your own, you should seriously reconsider your game plan and avoid that culinary bummer.

Guy Clark sums it all up in his classic little ditty. "Only 2 things that money can't buy and that's true love and homegrown tomatoes!"

The Unofficial Grape Stomp

OK, so it's not your traditional grape stomp...nevertheless, soapmaker turned winemaker Jory is smushing grapes in this photo in preparation for our first ever wild mustang grape wine! He and his girlfriend Jackie gathered 20 lbs. of ripe grapes in hopes of getting about 23 liters of homemade wine. The next step was to pour boiling water over the smashed grapes, adding sugar and yeast, and stirring it all up in the primary fermenter (a seven gallon plastic bucket). Each day he stirs the concoction (called the must) until all the solids have floated to the top forming the cap (a crust of grape skins and pulp). In 4-6 days, he should be ready to strain out the solids and rack it (transfer it) into the carboy (a 6 gallon glass jug), leaving much of the sediment behind. We're on day 4 here, so we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, use some of the new winemaking terminology you learned here to impress your friends.

Peek-A-Boo

Wherever I go around here lately, I see these tiny little balsam gourds peeking out from the underbrush. They really stand out against the parched landscape, since they're one of the few plants that bloom and fruit during our extremely dry summers here in Central Texas. They look like miniature juicy cherry tomatoes, but I'm told they're neither poisonous nor edible. Ibervillea lindheimeri, also known as globe berry, is a trailing or climbing perennial vine who's showy fruit ripens in mid to late summer. Supposedly it has a very large tuber that makes it remarkably drought resistant, although I can't say I've ever dug one up to find out.

Birds and wildlife like this plant, but I can't help but believe it holds some undiscovered uses for humans too. There's a reason it calls out to me when I casually pass by.

Paisano Pete

I saw a roadrunner with a small snake dangling from its mouth on my morning walk today. I didn't have my camera so this isn't the actual photo (duh...there's no snake!). I just love roadrunners...they're super friendly and one of the most curious birds. And if that was one of our poisonous snakes he was about to dine on....then thanks Paisano Pete!

Don't you just love the way nature takes care of everything?

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Some of you may know that A Wild Soap Bar donates a portion of our profits each and every year to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center...but do you know why? The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes. Native plants do much more than add beauty to the landscape. They help conserve water, reduce mowing costs, provide habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife, protect the soil and reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides. They're also an important source of food and of traditional and new medicines and herbal remedies.

Lady Bird Johnson, our former first lady, and actress Helen Hayes founded an organization in 1982 to protect and preserve North America's native plants and natural landscapes. First as the National Wildflower Research Center and later as the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, this special place exists to introduce people to the beauty and diversity of wildflowers and other native plants. Every day, the Wildflower Center brings life to Mrs. Johnson's vision in its public gardens, its woodlands and sweeping meadows as well as in internationally influential research. In 2006, the Center became an Organized Research Unit of the University of Texas at Austin.

Decades ago, Mrs. Johnson recognized that our country was losing its natural landscapes and its natural beauty. As much as 30 percent of the world’s native flora is at risk of extinction now. The Wildflower Center was intended to help preserve and restore that beauty and the biological richness of North America. Since then, the Center has become one of the country’s most credible research institutions and effective advocates for native plants.

The Center’s gardens display the native plants of the Central Texas Hill Country, South and West Texas, while the Plant Conservation Program protects the ecological heritage of Texas by conserving its rare and endangered flora. The Native Plant Database contains information on more than 7,200 native species available online.

The Land Restoration Program applies knowledge of ecological processes to restoring damaged landscapes. The Center’s education programs for children and adults teach people about their natural surroundings and how to grow native plants in their own backyards.

We've been a member since they opened their doors in 1982 and we feel incredibly lucky that we can visit the world renowned Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center anytime. If you can donate $5, $10, $20 or more to this worthwhile cause, Mother Nature will thank you...and so will I.

Here's a brief video spotlight from Executive Director Susan Rieff.

Wild Grapes Anyone?

I gathered more wild grapes today to be used in our soaps. It reminded me that back when my kids were small, long before I became the soap bartender, I used to make fresh wild grape juice each summer. From my very first batch, I was amazed that it tasted so much like Welch's....only better! There was something distinctly satisfying about foraging organic wild grapes for my family, and what better way to spend the cooler morning hours than picking grapes with my kids. You had to watch out for rattlesnakes, but that was a given any time you ventured out during the warmer months.

Now... guess what? Our youngest son is planning to make wild mustang grape wine when he returns from his summer vacation in Colorado next week! I guess his tastes have matured just a bit over the years. But I'd like to think he got his inspiration from those early childhood memories. There's some things that just stand out in your mind, and fresh wild grape juice is one of them.

Here's a nice recipe for grape juice that uses California concord grapes, but I'm sure it'll work on any wild grapes in season. Drink up!