Maypole

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Varied

Here's How:

1. The pole was erected on the village green or common, or even a handy field -- thrust into the ground either permanently or on a temporary basis -- and brightly colored ribbons attached to it. Young people came and danced around the pole, each holding the end of a ribbon. As they wove in and out, men going one way and women the other, it created a sleeve of sorts -- the enveloping womb of the earth -- around the pole. By the time they were done, the Maypole was nearly invisible beneath a sheath of ribbons.
   
2. To set up your own Maypole dance, here's what you'll need:
   
   • A pole anywhere from 15 to 20 feet long, preferably made of wood
   • Guests who like to have fun
   Dig a hole in advance, a few feet deep. You don't want your friends to wait while you hunt for a shovel. The hole should be at least three feet deep, to keep the pole from flopping over during the ceremony.
3. Ask each participant to bring their own ribbon -- it should be about 20 feet long, by two to three inches wide. Once everyone arrives, attach the ribbons to one end of the pole (if you put a metal eyelet screw in the pole beforehand, it makes it a lot easier -- you can just tie each ribbon to the eyelet). Have extra ribbons on hand, because inevitably someone will have forgotten theirs.
   
4. Once the ribbons are attached, raise the pole until it is vertical, and slide it into the hole. Be sure to make lots of bawdy jokes here. Pack dirt in around the base of the pole so it won't shift or fall during the dance.
   
5. If you don't have an equal number of male and female guests, don't worry. Just have everyone count off by twos. People who are "1" will go in a clockwise direction, people who are "2" go counterclockwise. Hold your ribbons in the hand that is closest to the pole, your inside hand. As you move in the circle, pass people by on first the left, and then the right, then the left again. If you're passing them on the outside, hold your ribbon up so they pass under it. You might want to do a practice round beforehand. Keep going until everyone runs out of ribbon, and then knot all the ribbons at the bottom.
   
6. One thing that's always welcome at a Maypole Dance is music. There are a number of CDs available, but there are some bands whose music have a May theme to them. Look for the phrase "Morris music" or traditional pipe and drum tunes. Of course, the best thing of all is to have live music, so if you have friends who are willing to share their skill and sit out the dance, ask them to provide some musical entertainment for you.
   

Florial Ice Cubes

Using petals and small buds in ice cubes is charming and easy to add to edible flower recipes. There are a few things to know when doing this.

Ice cubes can look murky. But if you boil water for a couple minutes and then fill the trays, the cubes will be clearer. Also, the flower will want to float to the top of the water in the ice cube tray. So to fully cover the flowers, fill the water half way up, add the flowers, freeze, then cover the flowers with more water and freeze again. This will ensure they are completely within the ice cube. Unless, that is, you want the look of the flower peeking up out of the top of the ice. It’s also fun to have colored ice by using either fruit juice, or adding a little food coloring. In this case, in order to see the flowers well, you’d want to make sure they are near the tops of the cubes or poking out.

Edible Flowers
Violets,Squash blossoms,Tulips,marigold,Anise hyssop,Calendula,Cornflower, Red and Pink,Clover,Honeysuckle,Hibiscus,Pansies,Nasturtiums,Roses,
Lavender,Lemon blossoms, Orange blossoms,Jasmine,Borage,
red and blue Beebalm,Apple Blossoms,Plum blossom,Peach blossom
Flowers of the Chive, Onion, Garlic, Leek Family

just make sure you get your flowers from an organic Source for safety reasons

Bottle Cap Candles

What you need:

20 clean, flat bottle caps

1 1-pound package microwaveable soy candle wax

20 2-inch, pre-waxed candle wicks with wick clips

glass liquid measuring cup with pouring spout

baking sheet lined with aluminum foil


• Evenly space the bottle caps upside-down on the lined baking sheet; set the tray on a workspace in a room-temperature area away from breezes, or, for best results, place the baking sheet in a low oven for 3 minutes. (Cool bottle caps won’t bond well with wax.) Set one wick in the center of each bottle cap, ensuring the wicks stand straight up.

• Following the wax manufacturer’s instructions, microwave about 2 cups of wax flakes in the measuring cup until the wax is completely melted and measures 180 degrees on a thermometer (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).

• Pour the melted wax into the bottle caps until each is full but not overflowing, and let the tray cool 2 hours.

• Store candles in a cool, dry container or refrigerate. Before burning, trim wicks to 1/4 inch. Each candle should burn 1 to 1 1/2 hours.