Coffee Monday – August 13,2018 Cold Brew Coffee

Good morning,

With the triple digit temperatures we have been having, cold coffee has been a favorite.  Cold brewed coffee is our preferred method of brewing. 

In the past, I have put one cup of coarse ground coffee in a 2 quart container filled with cold water, let it set over night in the refrigerator, then strained it through cheese cloth and a coffee filter.  It was messy but worked.

Now you can find cold brew coffee accessories every where.

I found a fun one that uses mason jars. I particularly like this as I have a variety of mason jars around the house from my canning days.

I looked at several styles and this one had many five star reviews.

Cold Brew Coffee Maker – 2 Quart

by County Line Kitchen

They have other accessories that make serving the coffee a snap.  These only fit wide mouth jars.  The lid below seals so it doesn’t leak.  It makes me want to get out all of my old mason jars!  The company also sells the individual parts, filters, replacement seals, and lids.

Dragon Thursday – Bendigo Dragons Part 2

Good morning,

Last weeks Dragon Thursday post about Bendigo’s Dragons was inspired by my friend Sally.  She sent a link to an article about the dragons and the city’s quest for a dragon maker to create their next dragon – Dai Gum Loong.

The articles appear in Zolima City Mag

The Immigrant Dragons – Part I: How Australia is Saving a

Hong Kong Tradition

The article is three parts and follows members Anita Jack, managing director of the Golden Dragon Museum and Daniel Beck, vice president of the museum from  The Golden Dragon Museum , along with and Ben Devanny, from the Bendigo City Council and their translator Heidi Yeung on their search for dragon makers. 

Loong, (pictured below) was the first imperial dragon brought to the museum. It is the oldest imperial dragon in existence.  The climate in Hong Kong is humid and the silk and paper used to make the dragons rot over time.  The article states:

When that happens, these dragons are curled around their heads in preparation for a ceremonial burning, their tattered remains returned to the heavens out of respect.

This photo is of the 126 years old Loong  going to Melbourne in 1901

The abve photo is Sun Loong.  Thought to be the longest imperial dragon.   Golden Dragon Museum

In the following weeks I will share the other two parts of their adventure. 

You can learn more about Hong Kong by going to   Zolima City Mag   

Find out more about this magazine click here:  About

Dragon Thursday – Bendigo’s Dragons

Good morning!

My friend Sally from Australia has been keeping me updated on the wonderful imperial dragons from the city of Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. 

The imperial dragons are at the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo.

This video gives you the history of the museum and some information on the two Imperial Dragons that reside there.   Loong, 126 year old, is the world’s oldest imperial dragon and Sun Loong, the longest imperial dragon in the world.

This article from ABC Australia

Sun Loong:

The Dragon that changed a town’s identity

 

These are beautiful dragons with a fascinating history.   Next week look for more on these dragons and how the curators of the Golden Dragon Museum are helping save a Hong Kong tradition. 

Golden Dragon Museum Facebook page

Dragon Thursday – Let your dragon fly

Good morning.

My daughter had a party last week.  She and her friends used some colorful windsocks as decorations.   They were so summery and festive.  I decided we needed our own windsocks.  Of course in my search for windsocks I found this dragon.

This is from Into The Wind.  They mainly carry all kinds of kites and this dragon windsock is found under their section  Wind Art.  They have some beautiful wind art.  I love their banners too.  Be sure to check out their selection.

There are also wind spinners like this one from Pro Kites USA

They also carry this great dragon kite

Wind sock

Coffee Mon…Tuesday… Our trip to Hawaii continues.

Hello!

One of my friends on Facebook shared another locally owned coffee farm in Hawaii.

She highly recommends them.

Pumehana Farm

From their website:

In 1998, longtime residents of Pahala, the Dacalio-Kekoa Ohana set out on a new adventure in their hometown. The town of Pahala is located in the Ka’u District on the Island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island. Pahala is located between Hilo and Kona, bordering Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The closest town is Na’alehu. Pahala was once a thriving sugar plantation town. With the closure of Ka’u Sugar Mill in 1996 and it’s main source of income, the townspeople had to search for other means of surviving. Longtime residents were forced to move away or travel long distance in search for jobs. An opportunity came knocking in 1998 and that is when Verna dacalio and her ohana started their family owned coffee business, Pumehana Farm. With long hours, dedication and lots of patience, the agriculture lands were cleared, prepped and cultivated. The farm is located on the slopes of Mauna Loa, five miles above town and at an elevation of 1,800 feet. The trees are the Guatemala (Typica) variety and belongs to the Arabica species. These specific Typica beans come from Guatemala, located in North Central America. The Arabica species, which comes from the Ethiopian Plateau, grows at a higher altitude and have a more refined flavor. Arabica coffee is a higher quality coffee. Each coffee tree was planted manually. During harvest season, only the red, ripe beans are hand picked. Once the beans are picked they are pulped in the evening, fermented overnight, washed early the next morning and then sun-dried. After the drying process, the best of the best beans are selected and roasted. Pumehana Family’s specialty is Medium Roast.

Click on any of the above photos to go to the websites gallery

Click here to Buy Now

Coffee Monday – Let’s go to Hawaii

Good morning,

Wishing you were drinking coffee in Hawaii this morning?  Me too.

Instead, I am grabbing a fast cup of coffee and heading to work. 

Instead of moping, I found some small coffee growers in Hawaii that have shops on Etsy. 

These are small farms and you are buying directly from the farmer.

First one is from  Moukulele Farms

From their Etsy About page:

A family farm producing 100% Kona Coffee and handmade chocolates

We purchased a very run down farm in 2005. Since that time we have planted nearly 4,000 coffee trees, 50 cacao trees and cared for the 30 macadamia nuts trees that were horribly overgrown. We now produce award winning 100% estate Kona coffee as well as dehydrated mac nuts and handmade artisan chocolates.

We have added two catchment tanks to collect and store rain water for use in irrigation. We raise chickens to eat the bugs which allows us to farm organically. We have large trees on the property providing shade and habitat for native birds.

In 2013 our coffee won the chef’s award at the international Kona Coffee Festival. Every bag of coffee that we sell has been planted, harvested, pulped, dried, milled and roasted by us on our farm. It is a labor of love.

This is a link to their website: Mokulele Farms

The next small farm I found on Etsy was Wolfpack Farms Coffee

From their website:

Wolfpack Farms is a 5 acre coffee farm on the slopes of Hualalai. Long ago these lands were known as the Kamehameha Farmlands.  Our coffee is grown at a 2000 foot elevation in the heart of the prime Kona region.

Please let me know if you have tried either of these coffees or if you know of more small coffee farms in Hawaii you would like to see added to this post.

 

Dragon Thursday – How Many Dragons

Good morning,

How many Dragons?

This is not just a question but a fun shop on Etsy.

How Many Dragons

From their About page:

My dragon-making was an on-and-off hobby for many years, but I decided to really start focusing on my skills in late 2012 and have since become a full-time artist. I run my own business, How Many Dragons?, and sell both online and in person at a number of conventions every year. I also accept commissions – I love custom work and collaborating with others! It fills me with joy that people want to own my artwork.

From the description:

Handmade dragon and book figurine is crafted from high quality polymer clay, sealed with a gloss glaze
* The colors/pose that you get are a surprise
* Approximately 2 inches (5 cm) long and 1.5 inches (4 cm) tall
* Signed, dated original
* Made to order item – turnaround time may vary from 1 business day to 2 weeks, depending on whether I have any book babies in stock

Be sure to take a look around her store.  So many fun dragons.