DragonMarsh Riverside California

Greetings Live-Journalists, 

It's been quite some time since we've posted anything here (most everyone seems to have gone over to our FaceBook page these days). But I figured it was time to check all our social-networking pages and see if there were any messages, posts, or inquiries....... So far the last message we got was inquiring about the shop's Peeps Show pictures which were uploaded to MySpace. We're having trouble editing them........

Right now the next event that we are preparing for is the SCA's "Potrero War" down in Potrero Park. It's about a week away, so we're going over our equipment, checking the stock, and preparing for the journey. For those of you who've never attended the Potrero War, there is a link for more information on the Kingdom of CAID web-page ( Http://www.sca-caid.org/ ). It's a 5-4 day event. We merchants show up on Wednesday to set up, some members will show up Thursday if they don't have to work, and the majority of folks show up on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. As will most all SCA Wars, there are a variety of events, classes, and gatherings for everyone's enjoyment. Siege Cooking and the Iron Chef competitions for those with culinary inclinations. Home Brewing competitions. Textile Artisans gather to share their skills in spinning and weaving. It's just an all-around good time. We hope to see all our friends there.....

Greetings Revelers!

Sage Blackthorn here with an update for you on the goings on in Downtown Riverside! As part of Downtown Riverside's "Easter Egg-stravaganza" on Saturday March 31st from 12 o'clock noon to 4 p.m. DragonMarsh will be putting on The Peep Show! 

Right about now I can tell many of you (if anyone is reading this these days) are thinking "Oh my God! They're going to do a Peep Show in PUBLIC!" Relax, this kid friendly. We're going to be doing things with Peeps Marshmallow Candies. There will be an Art Contest, a Best Dressed Peep Competition, Stack-A-Peep, a Historical Peep Display and Peep Museum, Peep Jousting, and much more. 

In honor of the upcoming Peep Show, I thought I would share with you, our readers, a fun Peeps Recipe we found last year....Peep Sushi. Now I love Sushi, it's one of my favorite foods and we have an excellent Sushi Bar around the corner from us called Pacific Cabin Sushi. They do all kinds of traditional and modern fusion Sushi, but Peep Sushi is one item that is not on their menu. This type of Sushi uses Peeps and other candies (such as Fruit Roll-Ups) for filling and Rice Crispy Treats instead of sticky rice. They are very easy to make and the only limit is your imagination. Here are a few pictures to get you started:



The Serious Eats website has a great page on how to make Peep Sushi (aka Peepshi):
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/03/peeps-recipes-how-to-make-peepshi-sushi-rice-krispies-treats-easter.html

What Are The Different Types Of Sushi?
First off, you need to know what the different types of Sushi look like, so you can re-create them as a confection. (Top Left)Nigirizushi: This consists of a oblong mound of sushi rice that the chef presses into a rectangle between the palms of his or her hands. The topping (the Neta) is then draped over the top of the rice and sometimes held in place with a strip of  Nori (sheets of roasted and dried Kelp). (Middle Right)Makizushi: This category covers a variety of Sushi made in Rolls. Some with the Nori on the outside, followed by a layer of Rice and then the filling. Some with the Rice on the outside, then the Nori, then the filling, these are called Urumaki (Inside-Out Roll). Then you have Futomaki (Thick Roll), and Hosomaki (Thin Roll), and one of my personal favorites, Temaki (Hand Roll, pictured in the lower left corner of the graphic), which resembles an ice-cream cone with the rich and filling inside.

 Oshizushi(Box Sushi): This is a style of Sushi from the Kansai Region of Japan, and a specialty in Osaka. It is made by using a special box mold called an Oshibaka. The chef lines the bottom of the oshibako with the toppings and presses the rice into the mold to create a compact, rectangular block, which is then cut into bit-sized pieces.

For a quick overview of what Sushi is, you can check out this page on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi

Peep Sushi
Peep Sushi Rice: The basic idea is pretty simple. Make a batch of Soft Rice Crispy treats, but instead of putting them in a deep cake pan, spread them out on a shallow cookie sheet and press them down to about 1/2 inch thick.

Peep Sushi "Nori": This is simply going to be your favorite flavor and color of Fruit Roll-Ups. My mom use to make these at home, only she called them "Fruit Leather". You can try making Fruit Leather yourself, but buying the Fruit Roll-Ups is honestly much easier.

Peep Sushi "Neta": These are the Peeps themselves, as well as any other soft candy fillings you might want to throw in. Sushi Chefs have an incredible variety of fillings to choose from between different types of cooked and raw fish, fish row (fish eggs, think caviar) and vegetables. They are always artfully arranged as well as having flavors that compliment each other. You might take some Strawberry Red-Vines or Licorice Red-Vines and cut then into julienne strips like the Chefs do Carrots for color. Rainbow or Chocolate Sprinkles might be used to look like Fish Row, particularly if you use a little corn syrup to make them sticky. 

For "traditional" style Nigirizushi, you'll cut the Rice Crispies into bars the length and width of the Peep you place on top of it. Then using a strip of Fruit Roll-Up, wrap a band around the middle of the Peep/Rice Crispy stack. For Makizushi (sushi rolls), a Makisu (bamboo rolling mat) will be helpful, but isn't absolutely required for Peep Sushi. You simple lay down a Fruit Roll-Up "Nori", place your 1/2 inch sheet of Rice Crispies on top of it, then place your Peeps and other fillings, whole or sliced, on top of the Rice Crispies and roll the whole thing up into a log. You then slice the "log" into bite-sized sections. How you arrange your fillings will determine how your Makizushi looks when it's cut.

Now for Oshizushi, you'll want to "skin" your peeps and use the colorful outside coating. You can slice the outsides off giving a profil of a Bunny or a Chick. You can also cut your Fruit Roll-Up "Nori" into fanciful shapes using scissors or stencils and a sharp knife. In Japan, they have Nori "Punches" for making decorations for Sushi, Onigiri (Rice Balls), and Bento (Traditional Lunch Boxes). And with a wide variety of Cookbooks for Sushi, Bento, and Traditional Japanese Food Meals, you can use your imagination (and Licorice, Red Vines, Peeps, and Rice Crispy Treats) to make candy versions of not just Sushi, but Onigiri, Taiyaki, Takoyaki, and many other traditional Asian foods.

I hope you enjoy making Peepshi, but don't forget there is also Peepza (Peeps Pizza) and many, MANY other ways to serve your Peeps for Easter. Try the Peep Sushi, kids love it and it may even amuse an adult or two...or three!

Morigianna just told me that we got in a small batch of the Seasonal Holiday Chocolate Mint Tea, as well as a few others. Remember, Valentine's Day is right around the corner. If your Significant Other likes Tea, NOW is the time to come and get some! 

This is also a reminder to everyone that we have Pendulums back in stock and we've brought in some new Stone Necklaces. There are still some elegant Tea Sets to go with the New Teas we have in stock. 

The Manager's Sale Of The Month is 25% Off Incense (does not include Incense Charcoal, Sea Salt, or Incense Burners.... just the sticks, cones, resins&woods, blends, Sage Bundles.... Red Tags, basically.)

Greetings Live-Journaler's and Loyal Customers,

Sage Blackthorn here with another update for you of the goings on at DragonMarsh, Riverside California's Most Unique Downtown Store!

We've just gotten finished receiving and labeling new Pendulums, more Crystal Necklaces and Books this morning. We now have a fine selection of both Stone and Metal Dowsing Pendulums, including 4 very special Merkaba Star-Stone Pendulums in Quartz, Black Obsidian, Purple Fluorite, and Green Jasper. Each Star-Stone is held within a spherical frame which is set with a natural Quartz Crystal Point. Metal Pendulums are available in Brass and Steel, both solid and spiral. We also have more of the Carved Stone Point Necklaces, Tumbled Stone Necklaces, and a small assortment of necklaces of Black Tourmaline in a White Quartz Matrix. 

Also, we received a small shipment of Pewter Mugs and Tankards the other day, the Herb Board has been recently re-stocked, and we are having a Manager's Sale on Incense this month (some restrictions apply).

Greetings and Welcome to the last of our three part discussion on Tea,

Today I want to talk about the equipment used for making Tea. Some of them are basic requirements and used by everyone. Others are optional and while they are convenient, are not absolutely essential for making tea for those on a budget.

The Kettle. This is the cooking vessel that you use for heating your water. Some people use a Stainless Steel kettle that is available at most grocery and home stores these days. I have seen beautiful Cast Iron Tea Kettles, Handmade Ceramic Kettles, and some very elegant Pyrex Glass Kettles. Whatever type you like, you must have a way of heating your water up to just below boiling temperature to make your tea.

The Tea Brewing/Serving Pot. These are not a requirement if you are using tea bags, muslin bags, or Tea Balls to strain your Tea. Also it is traditional in many countries to leave the tea leaves in the Tea Pot and to pour them into the Tea Cup when serving, especially if you want your tea leaves read to tell your fortune. We currently have some Tea Sets that include a Tea Pot that has a mesh strainer that sits inside the pot itself and will strain the leaves from the tea. It is usual to first take some hot water from your Kettle and swish it around in your brewing pot to warm it up. This makes for a better tasting tea as the cold brewing pot does not leech the heat out of the tea. It's also recommended to do this if you brewing cup of tea at a time with a tea bag or Tea Ball. Once your brewing pot or cup is warmed up, discard the water, add your tea leaves and add fresh hot water to begin brewing your Tea.

The Tea Cup. These are the cups you will be drinking your Tea out of. Some people have a special set of Tea Cups that they reserve solely for serving in. Others of us use what ever ceramic or glass cup or mug we have handy. I stress CERAMIC or GLASS drinking vessels for a few reasons. First of all, they retain heat better and prevent your Tea from cooling to fast, unlike plastic. Secondly they do not heat up to the point that you may burn your lips as you sip your tea like metal mugs and cups can. Trust me on this, I've sipped hot beverages out of a Pewter Mug before. The metal conducts heat VERY quickly, so it heats up fast. Ceramic is an Insulator, so it retains the heat and keeps your tea warmer, longer. As for size, in my opinion that is a matter of personal choice and what is appropriate for the setting. I use a 12-oz. mug for my tea on a cold day at home by myself. For Victorian High Tea, you may use a 6-oz. matching set of Fine Bone China Tea Cups and serve out of a Silver-Plated Tea Pot. In Russia during the time of the Czars, Tea was drunk from Glass Fine Crystal Mugs set in holders of Silver or Gold. For the Gong Fu Tea Ceremony practiced by Tea Master and students of Zen in China and Japan, Tea cups are very often small, ceramic cups of simple and elegant design prescribed by the sect of Zen Philosophy known as Teaism, (which is also where the Asian Tea House draws much of it's inspiration for a quiet, serene and contemplative environment with it's rather sparse and spartan lack of decoration.)

The Tea Strainer. In the West, most people do not like having tea leaves floating in their tea, so we strain them out using a Tea Ball, Brewing Basket, Tea Infusion Spoon, muslin bags, or tea bags (either empty that we fill and seal ourselves, or more commonly the convenient-for-travel ones filled by the manufacturer....which very often in my opinion contain the lowest common demoninator of teas that appeals to the widest market..... Loose Leaf Teas may take a little more attention during their preparation, but they can taste worlds better when brewed by someone who knows what they are doing. Of course this is true of most things in life, and this is one of the lessons that Teaism teaches in these modern times.)

The Tea Jar. If you drink Tea regularly, you may want to invest in a Tea Jar to store your Loose Leaf Tea in. Very often these simple containers will match your Tea Serving/Brewing Pot (aka The Tea Pot) and Tea Cups in design style and decoration as it is traditional set out with them when brewing Tea for company and for Tea Ceremonies of all kinds (High Tea, Gong Fu, etc.) since you scoop the tea out of it when you are preparing your tea. Which brings us to......

The Tea Scoop/Spoon. This can be any spoon from ones you have on hand that are convenient, to special long-handles spoons that are only used to scooping either Loose Leaf or Powdered Tea from your Tea Jar to your Tea Pot.  They are different from the Tea Infusion Spoons however, as they do not strain the already brewed leaves from your tea. They are normally of a long-handled design in order to reach down to the bottom of your Tea Jar. In some cases they are very specifically designed for certain traditions. For example, the traditional Tea Scoop for the Gong Fu Tea Ceremony is fashioned out of an elegantly curved strip of Bamboo and is designed for scooping the proper amount of Powdered Tea out of the small Tea Jar used as part of the ceremony. Trying to use it for Loose Leaf Tea tends to be difficult as it is so small.

The Tea Board/Tray. A Tea Board or Tea Tray is a special box with drainage holes or slots in the top used to catch spills when pouring Tea. Again, they are not a requiement for making and serving tea, but they do make the presentation and clean up much easier.  They can also serve as a way to transport all your tea equipment from the kitchen to the table when serving your Tea. 

The Tea Towel. This one is pretty self-explanatory. It is small towel used both to mop up liquid and to protect your hands while handling hot Kettles. Usually of Cotton or Linen, or some other soft, natural fiber fabric. Synthetics are not recommended for handling hot Tea Kettles as they have a tendency to if the kettle is to hot. Trust me, molten nylon on your skin is a bad thing!

Certain traditions require specialty equipment. The Gong Fu Tea Ceremony, as I mentioned above, uses Powdered Teas. As part of making a Powdered Tea, you need to mix and froth the tea powder into the hot water. This is accomplished traditionally with a Bamboo Whisk. Brick Teas and Tea Cakes such are Pu-Erh require a Tea Knife to separate the Tea Leaves for brewing. There are travel Tea Sets that fit into a satchel where you brew the tea in a Gaiwan. (I have one of these travel tea sets, they are wonderful, we can get them by special order.) 

Greetings and Welcome to Part 2 of our discussion on Tea,

Making herbal infusions and decoctions to flavor plain drinking water is a practice the goes back literally thousands of years. No one really know when it first started. It could be that humans noticed that the flavor of certain plants could be enjoyed by soaking them in water and drinking the water. Later on someone may have been cold and heated up the water on a fire, adding raw leaves for flavor. It is likely that herbal brews have been around since shortly after we discovered Fire.

But we are here to discuss one such brew in particular, Tea. A drink made by either steeping or boiling the leaves of the Tea Bush (Camellia Sinensis). Tea plants are native to South and East Asia, and it is here that it has had one of the largest influences on the cultures of China, India, Tibet, and Burma. There is even a sect of Zen known as Teaism, and it was of Tea that Kakuzo Okakura wrote about in his most famous work "The Book Of Tea". Okakura was a Japanese Scholar who lived between 1862 and 1913 who was responsible for contributing greatly to the arts in Japan. 

According to "The Book Of Tea", the first teas ever made were Boiled Teas. They tended to have a strong flavor and a high tannin content which gave then a harsh, astringent flavor. Traditionally, these Teas were cut with cream or whole milk and salted to taste..... yes, they use to put salt in tea. If you've never tried Mongolian Suutei Tsai (Milk Tea) which is an ancient style boiled tea you are missing out!

The next Era of Tea is one we are a little more familiar with, thanks mainly to the surviving Gongfu Tea Ceremony, and that is Powdered Tea. By this time, teas were no longer being boiled and people had stopped adding salt, and so had a lighter flavor. Teas were ground into fine powders and mixed with hot water to make Tea. 

The Third, and Current, Era of Tea is is the one we are in now, Steeped Teas, and is only really began a couple hundred years ago according to Mr. Okakura's book. Most of us are familiar with Steeped Teas, we put water on to boil in a kettle, when it's boiling, or near boiling, we take it off the fire, pour the hot water in a mug and dunk our Orange Pekoe Tea Bag in it. But there is much more to Steeped Teas than this crude procedure. Teas prepared in convenient little mesh bags may be how we are first exposed to Tea here in America, but really good Tea takes a bit more effort. Starting with the type of tea you brew. As I mentioned in the previous Dragon-Blog, there is Black Tea, Green Tea, White, smoked varieties like Lapsong Souchong and Hojicha, highly fermented teas like Oolong, and then there are Teas mixed with spices.... Between the way the Tea Leaves are processed, and the other ingredients that can be mixed with them, the variety and subtly different flavors, and how to bring them out, is nearly infinite. 

Strong black teas, which have been oxidized more than either green, or white teas, are usually steeped for 3 to 5 minutes in water that has been heated to NEAR boiling. (Not boiling, which cooks oxygen out of the water and leaves it tasting stale if you use a ceramic or Pyrex kettle, and outright metallic with a metal tea kettle. I cannot stress this enough, for a good tasting STEEPED TEA heat your water to just below boiling point.) The type of water used will also affect the flavor of your tea. Fresh Spring Water is considered the best, next best is water from a clear natural running stream or river. Well water is considered the least desirable according to tradition. I would amend that traditional list to put Municipal Tap Water with it's chlorine and other treatments at the bottom of the list.... you can drink it, but it tastes like crap. Something I learned from studying how Japanese Sake is made, is that the dissolved minerals in water can have a dramatic affect on the flavor of the beverage you are making.... be it Tea or Sake.

A green tea has a lighter flavor than a black tea, and tends to be sweeter, less astringent. You can brew your green teas a little longer than you would a black tea. Perhaps steeping them for 6 or 7 minutes, again depending on the tea being used. One of my favorite Green Teas is a smoked Hojicha Green Tea, which has a stronger flavor than a standard green tea, so I steep it for 3-5 minutes just like I would a black tea....

So you can see that HOW you brew your tea can affect it's flavor, and different teas are brewed for different times. The water you use can affect the flavor of your tea. The kettle you use to heat the water can affect the flavor of the tea and the vessel you brew your tea in can also affect the flavor of your tea. Knowing all of these things can take a lifetime, and devoting a lifetime to the subject of Tea is why Tea Masters are so respected. Knowing how to bring out the best flavor from Tea can brew something that is truly magical. 

Next time, we will discuss Tea Brewing Equipment, such as "What Is A Tea Board, and Why Do You Need One?"

Hail and Welcome Friends and Customers,

Things have been busy here at DragonMarsh over the last couple days. We have a variety of new items that we are receiving and putting out for display. We have a variety of new Teas, including a large brick of Pu Erh compressed tea, famous for being one of the primary trade items along the Silk Road. We have new Crystal Necklaces in for those of you who have been needing a Quartz, Amethyst, Jasper, or other stones to wear. But the most exciting item to have arrived at the shop is the new batch of stones and semi-precious gems.... WE HAVE TANZANITE! Yes, you read they correctly. You've been asking for it and we've finally found some! Among other stones that have arrived are Moldavite, Opals In Matrix, Bismuth, Tumbled Kyanite and more!

What Is Pu-Erh Tea?

First we might ask "What Is Tea?" before we go into the specific types of teas in the world.  "Tea" is a label that most often refers to making an infusion of the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis, or Tea, plant. This is what Green Tea actually is. It is "made solely of the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing." In other words, it's been dried. Black Tea receives more oxidation, Oolong teas go through a special process of withering and fermentation and are made of particular species of Camellia, and White Tea is made from the young, tender buds and leaves of the Camellia then allowed to wither under natural sunlight and processed to prevent oxidation. This is properly what "Tea" is..... (And yes I know some people will disagree with me on my definition of what "Tea" is.)

We in the West, however, have come to think of any "infusion" as Tea, and most often as a beverage made of brewing plant leaves in hot water for sipping because we enjoy the flavor as opposed to drinking an herbal infusion to treat an illness (which more often than not can taste pretty nasty).

The name "Pu-Erh" comes from a village in Southern Yunan Province in China where the technology for making compressed tea "cakes" was first developed. There is Black Pu-Erh Tea, Green Pu-Erh, Pu-Erh with Sticky Rice.....all sorts of types. What they have in common is that they are compressed into cakes of various sizes and shapes while slightly damp which allows for some microbial action on the leaves after they have been processed. Compressing the leaves into cakes helps to prevent further oxidation by stopping the air from getting to the leaves. Pu-Erh Tea, much like wine, gets better with age and there are stories of 100 year old tea cakes tasting much like fresh Pu-Erh, but only being a little darker in color. Talk about a shelf life! 

To brew Pu-Erh tea is a bit of a process, starting with breaking up the Tea Cakes into individual leaves. This is done with a special "Tea Knife".... which looks remarkably similar to a short, blunt letter opener.... The leaves are then placed in a ceramic tea pot (usually a Xixing Tea Pot) with a little water and then steamed. This bursts open the cell walls of the leaves, releasing the oils contained within. More water is then added and traditional Pu-Erh is then simmered over a medium to low heat, producing a dark, strongly flavored drink, high in tannins with a flavor reminiscent to red wine. I have steeped Pu-Erh before (steeping is where you soak the leaves in hot water after you have removed the kettle or tea pot from the fire,) and it produced a very lightly flavored tea that I almost could not taste. 

In the next Dragon-Blog, I plan on discussing the Three Era's of Tea according to Kakuzo Okakura, author of "The Book Of Tea".

Morigianna just found a very nice review of our store on a Blog called "Existential Plastic" over on Tumblr. Here's what they said about us:

Text Post, Friday, Jan 13, 2012
Went To DragonMarsh Today!

As soon as I walked in, I started getting overstimulated because of all the energies at once hitting me, not to mention they have a young impish spirit that resides in the building, so there were a few instances when I had to crouch down to get my bearings again. A very fruitful trip! I had lovely chats with all three workers about all sorts of things, and I may very well be able to get my tea blends from there from now on in order to make my own Moriar Tea.

I got some small pillar chakra candles of every colour, cos I really needed them. A bundle of clove incense, as no place sells the elementals I like except Koroneburg, and I just can’t pay a $20 entry fee just to buy incense. However, they told me if I show up with some of the incense, they might be able to smell it and figure out whats in it to make me some. If they can do that, that would be fantastic. A got a small votive candle that smells like the ocean, cos my room needs more beach smells. I got a vial of Dreams spiritual oil, for both my candles and myself.

I got some crystals/stones, including some more amethyst and carnelian, but also aventurine, malachite, and aquamarine. And then I got some elemental bags to put them in, as I made sure to get each element.

Then my friends showed up and they got some stuff as well, then we had a great time chatting and grabbed a coffee, before they took me home

So all in all a great day. I love Friday 13th. Such a lovely, lovely day.

Thank You ClassicJules for such a nice review, we hope to see you again soon,
Sage

Greetings LiveJournalers,

While checking my FaceBook page last week, I stumbled across an article shared by Pagan Liberal that caught my attention. It was on the Science Daily website and talked about a study done showing that certain types of incense, in particular Frankincense, acted very similarliy to anti-depressant medication when in-haled. Now while I can't reproduce the entire article here, I can post a hyper-link for you all so you can check it out yourselves. The line that grabbed by attention was "Religious leaders have contended for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too."

Again and again, we are finding out that our ancestors were not so ignorant as we are told in public school history class. Did they know that Incensole Acetate activates the TRVP3 protein in the brain? No, I doubt it. But they were able to notice that they felt good while burning certain resins, woods, leaves, and flowers. But anyway, read the article yourself and make your own decisions.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm

I just received a batch of White Sage Bundles. As you all know, the Full Moon was on January 8th, about 6 days ago which puts us firmly into the Waning Moon Phase. This is traditionally a time for doing house cleaning, banishing, exorcisms, and in generally getting rid of anything negative in life. The New Moon will be January 22nd, you have approximately 8 days to do all your Smudging and Banishing for this month!