Skirret Saturday

[Kittykatt]

Triple Dog Dare!

Pick 3 things
Do them
Post your TaDas!

»»—-Cheers! WTG! Ygg!—-««

Don't think about it. Just do it!
~~ I Triple Dog Dare ya! ~~
Good Morning!
»»————　✼　————««

[Kittykatt]

Sium sisarum, commonly known as skirret, is a perennial plant of the family Apiaceae sometimes grown as a root vegetable. The English name skirret is derived from the Middle English 'skirwhit' or 'skirwort', meaning 'white root'. In Scotland it is known as crummock and in Irish cearrachán. Its Danish name sukkerrod, Dutch name suikerwortel[2] and German name "Zuckerwurzel" translate as 'sugar root'.

Skirret has a cluster of bright white, sweetish, somewhat aromatic roots, each approximately 15–20 centimetres (6–8 in) in length. These are used as a vegetable in the same manner as the common salsify, black salsify and the parsnip.

The plant is of Chinese origin, but had arrived in Europe by Roman times. It is presumed to be the siser mentioned by Pliny the Elder as a favourite of the Emperor Tiberius, though this may have also been a reference to a parsnip or carrot.

The twelfth-century Benedictine abbess Hildegard von Bingen discussed the medicinal properties of skirret in her work Physica:

"Skirret (gerla) is hot and dry. Eaten in moderation, it is not very helpful or harmful. If someone should eat a lot of it, its heat and dryness would stir up fevers in him and harm his intestines. A person whose face has weak skin, which easily splits, should pound skirret in a mortar and add oil. When he goes to bed at night, he should rub it on his face, continuing until he is healed.*

A 1390 manuscript The Forme of Cury used by King Richard II of England's master cooks included two recipes for fritters that included 'skyrwates'.

When boiled and served with butter, the roots form a dish, declared by the seventeenth-century agriculturist John Worlidge in 1682, to be "the sweetest, whitest, and most pleasant of roots".

Skirret grows about 1 m (40 in) high and is very resistant to cold, as well as pests and diseases. It can be grown from seeds, but may also be started from root divisions. The roots are best eaten when the plant is dormant during the winter, as in the spring, the roots become woody and covered with small hairs. Lack of moisture can also make the root more fibrous. The plant prefers sandy and moist soil.

Skirret is still eaten today. The roots are scrubbed, cut into lengths, boiled, and served like parsnips or carrots. Skirret roots can be stewed, baked, roasted, fried in batter as fritter, or creamed, and also be grated and used raw in salads. A woody core may be present in some roots, though this seems to be variable in different plants. If present, it should be removed before cooking because it is difficult to remove afterwards.

[Kittykatt]

Good morning, everyone, and happy Saturday!

Gma, I agree with you that when you get to 101, quality of life is what's important. Funny story, when my DF E 99yo was 94-95, her then doctor told she she should stop putting g Bailey's in her morning coffee, ( one of her little pleasures she's still able to do!) as it would "shorten her life". Well, she sacked that doctor and got another one! Of course, alcohol can be damaging, but by the time you reach those advanced years, the important thing is that she's happy. And, I find it a good measure of her general well being. If she doesn't want her coffee & Bailey's, then it's time to be worried !

Today I need to put the second coat of paint on the bathroom ceiling . I. Fact, as it's such a small room, I'm seriously thinking about taking advantage of DH's absence and decluttering and deep cleaning that room. I also need to fold laundry that I didn't do yesterday, give downstairs a good hoover and dust (I don't need to tidy, as it's just me ATM! ) and maybe do a little decluttering in my bedroom. The spare room / office also needs attention -DH left a mess before he left, and I haven't had time to sort it out yet. And, of course there's his crate of "stuff" that he still hasn't found a home for, and which I catch my shins on every rhine I walk past Maybe I can have a quick look in that and see if there's any I could rubbish (biscuit wrappers etc) that can be thrown away.

And I would like to spend some time in my garden and maybe read a little out there!

Have a good day, everyone!

[Kittykatt]

To do:
Cuddles and treats with Matilda, Freddie and Jude
QT
Update latest Waitrose order
Cup of tea
Get up!
Shower/wash hair/moisturiser and sunblock/ clean and floss teeth
S/S bathroom
Physio exercises
Get dressed in casual clothes
Make bed
Scoop cat trays and give everyone fresh water
Cat breakfast and meds /supplements
Breakfast and meds /vitamins for me
Quick kitchen clean up
Load DW
Quick PUPA downstairs
Quick dust and Hoover downstairs
Wind clock
Quick PUPA upstairs
Quick dust bedrooms
15 minutes in tiny front garden
15 minutes in back garden
Go for my walk
Walk Freddie
Lap time with Freddie, Jude
and Matilda
Head rubs with Freddie, Jude and Matilda
Play with Freddie, Jude and Matilda
Run DW when full
Unload DW
Lunch
Cats' supper
My supper
Bake something?
Text DF E re coffee tomorrow
First load of towels in machine
Towels hung up to dry
2nd load of towels in machine to wash overnight
Clothes laid out for tomorrow

Extras:
Paint second coat on bathroom ceiling
Clean and declutter bathroom cabinet
Wipe down walls
Wash paintwork
Clean light fitting
Bleach spray on tiles
Sanitise and descale shower head
Fold laundry and PA
Clean sheets and towels out of airing cupboard
Start putting cat food order together (look for bank holiday deals?)

Garden extras:

[vergerswife]

You are so knowledgeable about plants kitty

[Doggedly]

Thank you for starting us off, and for the interesting information. I have never tried skirret. Did they used to leave it in the ground to sweeten over the winter as they used to do with parsnips?

Hi, vergerswife. It is nice to see you.

I played hookey yesterday and am just getting to bed now so I don't expect that tomorrow will be my most productive. Have a good day in the meantime.

[Kittykatt]

Vergers -thank you! I used to have an allotment and enjoyed trying things that were a bit different. Skirret definitely came under the category of "different". It was good for growing organically, as it wasn't troubled by pests, but it wasn't an experiment I repeated!

Dogged - I didn't leave our skirret in the ground over winter -maybe the cold temp would have improved on it! We all deserve a day off from time to time.

Taking a break, as Ive finished painting the bathroom ceiling. I e also wiped down the walls and decided they "will do". After lunch I'll wash the skirting and rinse off the tiles where I sprayed the bleach spray earlier. Currently, the bathroom window is wide open, and the door is shut!

[Kittykatt]

To do:
Cuddles and treats with Matilda, Freddie and Jude
QT
Update latest Waitrose order
Cup of tea
Get up!
Shower/wash hair/moisturiser and sunblock/ clean and floss teeth
S/S bathroom
Physio exercises
Get dressed in casual clothes
Make bed
Scoop cat trays and give everyone fresh water
Cat breakfast and meds /supplements
Breakfast and meds /vitamins for me
Quick kitchen clean up WIP
Unload DW that ran overnight
Load DW
Quick PUPA downstairs
Quick dust and Hoover downstairs
Wind clock
Quick PUPA upstairs
Quick dust bedrooms
15 minutes in tiny front garden
15 minutes in back garden
Go for my walk
Walk Freddie
Lap time with Freddie, Jude
and Matilda
Head rubs with Freddie, Jude and Matilda
Play with Freddie, Jude and Matilda
Run DW when full
Unload DW
Lunch
Cats' supper
My supper
Bake something?
Text DF E re coffee tomorrow - she rang me, show sounds much better, and I'm going to see her
First load of towels in machine
Towels hung up to dry
2nd load of towels in machine to wash overnight
Clothes laid out for tomorrow

Extras:
Paint second coat on bathroom ceiling
Clean and declutter bathroom cabinet WIP
Wipe down walls
Wash paintwork
Clean light fitting
Bleach spray on tiles
Sanitise and descale shower head
Fold laundry and PA
Clean sheets and towels out of airing cupboard
Start putting cat food order together (look for bank holiday deals?) WIP Ive gone old school and written down the price of everything I need from 4 different online stores, so I can compare (there is a huge difference in price!)
Place cat food orders

Garden extras:
[/quote]

[Bama]

Good morning!
Skirret is new to me. I doubt I could find that locally.
Kittykatt, love your friend ditching the critical doc. Of course we should all do what’s good for us and apparently Baileys is good for her, or at least not going to do any harm now. Enjoy life!
Hi Vergerswife!
Doggedly, I thought you were here early but looks like you were pulling an all nighter, we may not see you for awhile now.

Yesterday flew by. We had to run errands, picked up a Facebook marketplace item (copper wired string art deer mom and baby ), Hollywood to bush hog (got rained out) and drop off some stuff so visited with dsil, ran into a cousin while there, fast food most of the day so I’m feeling stuffed but not satisfied. Need to find some veggies today.
Gotta knock out dailies, maybe go out for breakfast, pu some auction stuff (old civil war book, some pictures), then the world is our oyster. I was going to go to a habitat store for some 50s diner looking chairs and table but I think I’ve talked myself out of them. They’re super cute but kind of low so not sure we would use them (at Hollywood). Do I pass or grab them? I could go either way. I think I’ll save that spot for a Hoosier cabinet if I can run across one. It’s in the kitchen and the house came with an old table in the dining room, just needs chairs. It has a cigarette or incense burn on the top but other than that it’s nice. Just throw a tablecloth on and call it good.

To Do:
Cat bathroom
Feed
Water
Spot clean floor
Scoop litter
Wipe down counter and toilet

Bbwif!

[Bama]

Gma, I went back and read your comments re the nh options. Seems a little different than here. Alabama has been seen as a backwards state, left in the past, and in ways it still is. Healthcare is one such area. Our only options were self paid nh, the cost running $5-8000/month, which is MUCH more than anyone’s monthly income (think children trying to be responsible and take care of elderly parents) so to even attempt that on top of one’s regular bills is preposterous. Only the wealthiest of doctors and lawyers (engineers, etc) could afford that here and most definitely not us. The other option is Medicaid pays for the stay, to qualify you must not own ANYTHING. We had to list dmil’s ownings, down to the smallest items, including clothes (would they sell her garments to get money back?). It really was humbling and hard to deal with. Dmil lived below poverty level her whole life, so it wasn’t really too hard for us but most people would be in a bind, required to sell parents home and car and give to the govt before their loved one could get care. So nothing could be left for an inheritance. I keep putting off our own futures as it is now so confusing, wills, trusts,…. I need to get that settled so our daughters aren’t left with a mess. Off my soapbox ramble now.