| 895 | Summer Stories Pollen |
2013-12-18 |
Living in Tennessee, we have always though the pollen was bad, but this year (2013) when we visited the Colorado mountains, we were really in for a treat. If we happened to brush a branch, the pine pollen literally formed a cloud of dust (or pollen). The greenness filled the lakes and clung to our tent, tarp, and car. We found ourselves having to practice controlled breathing to prevent inhaling the green smoke.
We are not sure why it was so bad this year, but it was pollen in epic proportions. While we hiked, to pass the time, we tried to think of creative ways to make use of pollen. Here are a few, hopefully, comical suggestions ...
Pollen Tea - capture a cupful of the green tinted water and heat or chill the pollen to a delightful after dinner drink.
Soup de Pollen - collect a quarter cup of pollen (easier to do than you would think!), add veggie broth, juniper berries, and nutmeg. The soup is a sweet and sour delight.
Pollen Curry - add 3 to 4 jalapeno peppers, purple onion, cloves of garlic, ginger, grated, 3 tbsp bottled prepared lemon-grass, 1/2 tsp ground cumin,1 (loose) cup fresh pine pollen. For those with extreme allergies add more jalapenos to help open the pollen choked sinus cavities.
Pollen Spray - use as a self defense spray, the effects might not be as immediate as pepper, but the concentration might trigger a life long allergy to pollen.
Pollen Cleaner - use pollen to clean your dishes while camping. Yes, pollen may be used to scour the dishes. No need to worry about polluting, just strain the residue from the dishes and dump the water at least two hundred feet from the water source.
Of course none of these would really work, but it is always fun to dream of pollen or at least of a world without it!
Happy Pollen trails