Grandma’s Handy Tips

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Subject: Grandma’s Handy Tips Thu Mar 20 2008, 12:49

Hey everyone! Cris here, one of your Head Girls, helping out Professor Herby and setting you all a task… have fun! Grandma’s Handy Tips 436937

Imagine you’ve found a book full of Herbology tips from your grandma, the family-famous Herbologist who knows all the tricks to growing the most useful plants on the whole world! Not only that, she also seems to have gathered her entire Herbology wisdom just for YOU!

Part One:

Surely your grandma must have left you some sort of dedication, or maybe just some instructions, a handle-with-care-warning….. something of that sort, you know better than me what it is, don’t you? Grandma’s Handy Tips Devil

Share it with us!
Word count: 200 - 300

Part Two:

Imagine two articles from the book your gran left you - your task is to write them out - it can be about anything you want, from the description of a certain plant to the way of keeping the greenhouse in order to preparing the best fertilizer to … anything you can think of! Remember, you granny was a really creative person… maybe she even had some ideas different from what we believed to be true so far?
Word count: 400 - 500

Bonus:

Design the front cover of your granny’s book either in drawing or in any graphics software of your choice!

Part I and II: 230 points
Bonus: 20 points
Total achievable points: 250

Remember to cite your sources!

Subject: Re: Grandma’s Handy Tips Fri Mar 28 2008, 23:12

Part 1: Dear Violet,
I have decided to leave you this book. You, out of everyone in the family, are the only one who cared for me and helped me. In this book, it teaches you everything you will need to know about Herbology. What it is, where it came from, what is its use to you, everything. This book is over five hundred years old, so take good care of it. Look after it like it’s your life. Most of the plants in this book are really useful, like Crablake. Which, as you should know, helps acne and heal wounds. Never let anyone borrow this. I trusted no one with it and I will only trust you with it. In the back of the book, you will find a list of where you can find all these plants, plus, a place where you can find all these books at. Most people would die to have this book, seeing as it was the last copy Maria ever made before she died. When you feel down, go outside into the garden and help the plants. De-weeded them, fertilize them (use dragon dung, its better for the plants and keeps the bugs away!) If you read though this, you will find more useful things this book could help you in.
Love,
Grandmother

PS- I helped write it, but I didn't want my name on the front.

Part 2:Crablake: how to pick and replant it

This is my Favorite article, Violet. So I wanted to share it with you. I wrote this for the book and think you should read it to.

Hello, as you know, Crablake is hard to grow and hard to find. Mostly grown in Africa, it is known for its cure for acne and wound healing. Most people avoid this plant because it use to be known for suppurations and murdering kids for death. Its not poison as many people claim, but rather tasty. You can use it for cooking most foods, but enough of that. It’s really hard to plant and replant Crablake. First, you have to have your dragon leather gloves on because they may bite. You also have to have shears and fire. The fire burns the roots, which are where the biting comes from and it doesn’t hurt the plant. As the fire burns it also, its ashes will fall, but not like ashes, but as strings. You will need to collect the strings and carefully place them together. Take you shears and cute the top of the purple petals off, this will prevent you from confusing what is the main use of Crablake seeing as after ten minutes, the whole thing turns black. After you have gotten the purple leaves and the actually Crablake, you need to take it inside, along with the string. Take the string and put it in some cold water and leave it in the fridge. Take the purple leaves and cut them up into little pieces. This will keep it from turning black, who wants to eat black leaves in the food? Now, take the actually Crablake and chop the sides off so the juices will come off and fall into the cup, (I didn’t mention this because you should know most plants have juices in them). The juices will be used for fertilizer. Now, the actually Crablake seed is in the middle so that means you have to cut all of it til you reach the middle. The seed will be yellow, with green dots on it. Take the seed and cut it open and it will reveal an hundred tiny seeds, which it what we be used for replanting. And now, some good old fertilizer! Take whatever kind you use(I myself you dragon dung, easier and cheaper!) and mix it together with the juices and there you go. The best fertilizer which helps all your plants grow. Now, go back outside and plant the seeds and spread the fertilizer and you should have plants in a week. After over an hour, take the string out and it should have puffed up. Congrats! You made homemade noodles and the leaves are a good spice to use on it. I hope this helped some people who love this plant and never knew how to handle them!

Annebell Riddle

Cover of book:

Subject: Re: Grandma’s Handy Tips Tue Apr 01 2008, 04:56

My dear Grandson,

This is a Herbology book. Generations of our family have written part of it. This book was passed down to me from my Grandmother and her from hers. It holds the biggest Herbology secrets in the world, only our family’s eyes have seen it and I hope it will stay that way. I have given this book to you in the hope that you will also write in it, and share this family’s knowledge for many years to come. Herbology is a dangerous subject, just because I have given you this book now doesn’t mean you have to start brewing up some herbal potions now, my suggestion is to wait until you’ve gotton a bit older before you start potting any serious plants. Some of the herbs and plants in this book are very tricky to look after, attention and care is the key to good magical outcome, and it’s not just the plants you have to look after, as this book is older than the founders of Hogwarts I expect you to maintain the high standard of care towards it. In this book you will find many plants and herbs such as mandrakes (pg. 54) and fortune foliage (pg. 110) so this will be useful when you get into Hogwarts. This book should give you all the answers you need to cater the needs of every plant you can think of, so use it wisely!

Many hugs and kisses

Granny (244 words)

The gug-gug herb.

The gug-gug herb is often found in forests near the south of Ireland. The herb is a main ingredient in such potions as the draught of living death and polyjuice potion. People would argue that this herb has no magical input, saying that the herb is only used to enhance the taste of the potion. The gug-gug herb tastes similar to the mint leaf, with the strong refreshing after flavour, this helps the revolting taste of the polyjuice potion, but it does have other reasons to be in potions too.

The gug-gug herb holds the extract that changes the colour of your eyes in a polyjuice potion; it also plays a big part in the colouring of your hair. The draught of living death has traces of the gug-gug herb in it to help the user sleep peacefully and fully, the gug-gug herb also helps you to wake up refreshed the morning after.

How to grown it.

To grow the gug-gug herb you will need;

· 12 pots

· A watering can or your wand

· A humid damp place

· Dragon dung

You will need 12 plant pots to grow this herb as it will need re-potting every month.

You can use a watering can or your wand to water them, the gug-gug herb needs plenty of water, and the water supply needs to be easy for the herb to reach, so fill up a basin of water and set the pot inside it, after that water the top of your plant too, this way your herb will have an easy to get supply.

You can always conjure a humid place in the corner of you shed if you want, but if you grow your plant in a natural environment then you and your herb will benefit in the long run.

Dragon dung is essential for a healthy large herb. Put fresh coats of dragon dung on your herb every 2 weeks this way it has time to absorb every last vitamin, from the dung.

How to pick the gug-gug herb.

The gug-gug herbs’ leaf is the only needed part of it, so to get the best of the extract pick the biggest leaves.

Grab the root of the leaf and pull, don’t pull the leaf too hard because if you bend the stem of the herb then you have destroyed it!

Once the leaf is picked you should squeeze out the juice quickly, the extract is best when herb is fresh.

· Time to grow- one year

· Amount of water per day- as much as possible don’t let the basin underneath your herb empty.

· Temp- 22 degrees

(444)

Grandma’s Handy Tips Plants-1-1

Subject: Re: Grandma’s Handy Tips Thu Apr 03 2008, 19:13

Part One

Elana, my dear, I'm leaving this book to you. Inside, you will find more than just a few tips on how to keep your garden weed free (although that is also included). As you've been growing up, I've tried to instill in you a number of ideas - life lessons, really. In case those haven't settled in yet, read into the words in this guide and you'll find them and more here as well, since I am no longer able to teach you. But don't worry, I'm not going to preach to you through this guide, you know me better than that. I'm simply trying to help you, as I always have. You'll learn the secrets of my garden, find out how I grew those beautiful little flowers you always loved, and, hopefully, will carry on our family's gardening traditions. I know you will - it's why you're getting this instead of your brothers (though you can chose to share, of course). You've shown promise, dearie, a budding green thumb, and don't let it go to waste! So what are you waiting for? Turn the page, get reading, gather your tools and get out to that garden!

Love always,
Grammie

(200 exactly, hehehe)

Part Two

Pumpkins - From Seed To Pie!

Darling, no garden is complete without a nice patch of pumpkins.

Find a nice sunny spot and get down on your hands and knees - you've got some dirty work to do before you can plant the seeds. Make a few small hills (four seeds to a hill) around three feet across, and, if you're feeling like over achieving, make a moat around each. Try to make the moat four inches deep and four inches across, but it doesn't have to be perfect, and I don't expect you to bring out a ruler. If you can stick your hand inside comfortably, it's just fine. Fill it with water, and now, after all of this, you're finally ready to plant the seeds. Put them in a circle, spacing them evenly.

And now, we wait.

Make sure to water them (that yellow duckie one I got you for your last birthday should do nicely) daily, but gently, darling, don't want to disturb them. You'll know it's time to pick them when leaves become tattered, and the color has turned to a fiery shade, anywhere from a cheery yellow to a deep red-orange. There you have it - pumpkins looking good enough to eat!

That brings me to my next set of instructions - the perfect pie.

Pick out a nice large, round pumpkin for your pie, and take it inside to gut. Make sure to cover your countertop with newspaper first, so you don't get it all dirty. With a long knife, carefully cut out the "handle" and then grab a spoon, or just use your hands, to get out the seeds. Separate them from the gooey insides and put them on a cookie tray for later. Once the seeds are out, get out the rest of the mush and put it into a large bowl. Get away from that pumpkin - you can carve it later. Focus on the pie making for a bit longer, all right? It's time to cook that mush. Boil it in a pot filled with lightly salt water for twenty five minutes, and then put it through your mom's food processor. Make sure to clean it out later, but just leave it for now.

Here are the rest of the ingredients, make sure to get them all:

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 3/4 cups fresh cooked, pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk, scalded
egg white
1 unbaked pie shell, 9-inch

Preheat your oven to 375, firstly. Mix up the sugar, salt, and spices, and then add in the pumpkin, corn syrup, eggs, butter, evaporated milk, and hot milk. Brush the bottom of the pie crust with the egg white, and pour in all of the stuff you just mixed. Pop it into the oven, and wait for 25-30 minutes. During that time, you can lightly salt the seeds and put those in as well, but not for more than fifteen minutes.

Enjoy your pie, seeds, and pumpkin carving!

(539 Grandma’s Handy Tips 436937

)

(Hope it was okay to do the whole recipe thing XD Needed more words! Hehehe)

Bonus

Grandma’s Handy Tips Gardening

Sources

http://www.sadako.com/pumpkin/growing.html

http://southernfood.about.com/od/pumpkinpies/r/bl30622r.htm

http://southernfood.about.com/cs/pumpkins/a/pumpkin_recipes_2.htm

and my mind :D

Subject: Re: Grandma’s Handy Tips Thu Apr 17 2008, 10:05

Part One:

To my dearest granddaughter Rachie,

Now, I know you’ve long admired the book that has sat above the sink…and, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, here it is. I always told you that as soon as you came of age in the wizarding world-seventeen, right?- you could have this book. Well, so you might not be of age yet-June is about two months away- but I think we both got very tired of waiting for that day to come, didn’t we?

In here you’ll find everything you need to keep a good garden. From what you’ve told me about your house, Hufflepuffs appreciate everything that is good and important about gardening-or “Herbology” as I believe you mentioned on one of your vacations. That is a fantastic word, isn’t it? “Herbology”. But I’m getting distracted.

Even though I’m a “muggle”, as you call it, I still find this book-which has notes from the last witch in our line, your great-great-great-grandmother-very useful. I can’t do much of the magic aspect, but what I’ve found has been incredible. I’ve even managed to add a thing or two myself! And it’s thanks to me everything is so nice and neat and in this book. So, now it’s your turn to have it. Continue our legacy, peanut. Be sure to add your own recipes, bits of advice, tidbits of information, and whatever else you come along in your studies.

Use it well.

Or if you use it badly, at least make it entertaining

Love,
Grandma

P.S. All the stains are non-toxic…I promise.

Points: 20

Part Two:

Top Ten Herbs You Must Be Growing in Your Garden
Note: For specific details on how to use the herb in the uses detailed, please see the index at the back of this book.

1. Almond
Uses in general: Flavoring, oil can be used in cosmetics, cancer preventative (somewhat debated), edible, facial scrub, heartburn relief, recommended for diabetics
Uses in magic: Burn for money, riches, and wisdom, wood makes good wand, oils good for rituals
N.B.: Can be toxic if eaten in large amounts

2. Catnip
Uses in general: intoxicates cats, repels bats and bugs, can be used in salads or to flavor meat, usable as tea, treat colds, calm upset stomachs, reduce fevers, soothe headaches and scalp irritations, mild euphoria when smoked
Uses in magic: chewed for fierceness; marker for magic books; create a psychic bond between familiar and witch; promote beauty, happiness, and love; cat magic

3. Daffyd’s Mallow
Uses in general: makes good tea for coughs, hoarseness, bronchitis, inflammation of the larynx and tonsils, and irritation of the respiratory passage; also good for laryngitis, emphysema, chest catarrah, for catarrhal gastritis and enteritis; wash for wounds and sores; makes poultice to soothe irritation and inflammation;
Uses in magic: Influence a love to return, attract love, magical ointment to cast out demons and black magic
N.B.: Also known as High Mallow, Cheeseflower, Common Mallow, and Country Mallow

4. Echinacea
Uses in general: Reduces symptoms and duration of colds and the flu and alleviates symptoms; enhance activity of immune system, relieve pain, reduce inflammation; has hormonal, antiviral, and antioxidant effects
Uses in magic: Healing, protection, strengthens spells, defensive magic

5. Fenugreek
Uses in general: Used in cooking; relieves sore throat, tonsillitis, breathlessness, and cough; eases hyper acidity and burning sensations in stomach; remedy for dandruff
Uses in magic: Increase fortunes; used during Lammastide; gain access to the insight of the “Magician” in Tarot
N.B.: Also called Methi

6. Jasmine
Uses in general: Useful in teas, oils, perfumes, and incense
Uses in magic: Love, Money, Prophetic dreams

7. Patchouli
Uses in general: Perfume, relaxation,
Uses in magic: Money spells, success, job interviews, contract negotiations; earth related magic, healing, garden success, building a new home/moving; psychic awareness, anointing of the third eye before Tarot reading
N.B.: Some people find the smell offensive

8. Rose
Uses in general: High vitamin C content; making syrup, tea, jam, jelly, and marmalade
Uses in magic: Love spells, enhancing work, dreams of love, filling a home with love, potpourris and sachets, healing, divination, anointing, breaking the bond of love
N.B.: Watch out for the thorns!

9. Sage
Uses in general: ornament, strengthens lungs, makes teas or tinctures to prevent coughs, anti-inflammatories, cold tea will stop sweating, hot tea will produce sweating,
Uses in magic: Visionary herb, psychoactive properties, wisdom, psychic awareness, long life, protection, money, learning

10. Wormwood
Uses in general: repels fleas and moths; tonic; stomachic; febrifuge; anthelmintic
Uses in magic: Protection, communicating with those who have passed over, for when using clairvoyant skills

Points: 50

Bonus:

Points: 10

Total achievable points: 80

Remember to cite your sources!

Sources:
http://www.thedemonsjumble.com/BoS/003-herbs1.htm

Subject: Re: Grandma’s Handy Tips Fri Apr 18 2008, 20:50

Part One:

Surely your grandma must have left you some sort of dedication, or maybe just some instructions, a handle-with-care-warning….. something of that sort, you know better than me what it is, don’t you? Share it with us!
Word count: 200 – 300

Beware!!! Stephy I know that you have found this book. I have hide it from your for years but I know that long after my death that your parents would not be able to find as many good hiding places as I was so I decided that I might as well as warn you, even though it’s not going to do much good. No matter how much I warn you about this book you will not listen to me and do as you please instead. Some of the information in this book isn’t so terrible but some of it is and for that I did not want you to find this book right away.

First off the book is bewitched so that if you mistreat it in any way it will let you know by beating you over the head. You could just curse at it or accidently drop it and you will cause the book to start beating you. It is a very sensitive book that hates to be abused in any shape or form so be nice to it and it shall be nice to you.

Along with that warning I should also warn you that there are a few spells in here that I created to help me take care of my plants and keep them in their place and I warn you that some of them also works on humans but please, please, please don’t use them on anything other than a plant. I did not create them just so that you could beat up others which of course I know you wouldn’t do that.

I sure that once you look through the book that you will be able to notice what else you should and shouldn’t do. I have listed on a few pages some advice and warnings for you that I hope that you will follow.

Love you
-Granny-

Part Two:

Imagine one article from the book your gran left you - your task is to write it out - it can be about anything you want, from the description of a certain plant to the way of keeping the greenhouse in order to preparing the best fertilizer to … anything you can think of! Remember, you granny was a really creative person… maybe she even had some ideas different from what we believed to be true so far?
Word count: 400 – 500

Devil Snare Can Save Lives

One day I was working in my greenhouse when once again my lovely Angic (my name for my Devil Snare) tried to strangle me. I was able to evade it’s tentacles as they tried to grip around my leg and as I ran away I saw that Angic still didn’t give up on it’s task of killing me. I then quickly looked around and saw a pair of garden sears that I used to cut off the tentacle that was chasing me. I watched as the plant drew away fearing that I would once again cut off another tentacle when I can up with something.

I quickly rushed off to pappy (that be my husband) and told him my idea. He was talking earlier about how he needed one ingredient for his potion and he would have the cure for werewolf bites. Once I cut off the tentacle of Angic I thought that maybe it could work. Pappy thought that he might as well as give it a try and he ran off to make the potion. In the meantime I returned back to the greenhouse to continue on with my work.

After being out there for a few minutes Pappy came running out saying that it did work. I screamed with joy and told him to quickly take it over to the Ministry and he quickly did as I said. I wanted to go with him but I couldn’t because I had to finish trimming Angic. I thought that since it worked than Pappy might need a lot f her tentacles.

Once he returned he looked sad and I asked what was wrong. He said that one of the Ministry workers said that someone had already tried that before and the juices from Angic’s tentacle and the salamander eyes mixed together cause a terrible reaction to his one witch and she almost died. He then returned back to his work sad.

A few years after his death I came across some bettle’s eyes and I knew that with these mixed in pappy’s potion would cause it to work perfectly without harming anyone. I quickly found his books with all of his work in it and created the potion that he had invented adding the beetle eyes and I took it to the Ministry. They tested it and found that it did cure bites. They then offered me a huge sum of money but I told them just to give it to the nearest orphanage and that is what they did. I then told them how to make it and was proud that I was able to save many wizards from turning into werewolves because of mine and Pappy’s potion.

Subject: Re: Grandma’s Handy Tips Mon Aug 18 2008, 12:50

Part One

My dear granddaughter Gem,

As you well know, I wasn't the richest of witches to have lived a long and healthy life. However I wanted very much to leave you something that would help you on your own way, and seeing the grande interest and fascinating talent you have for the art of Herbology, I chose to pass this precious book on to you. I have the hope that you will find it as useful as I always did, and handle it with the care it requires.

In this, you will find instructions, little hints, ways of using your self-grown plants and herbs, pictures to identify newcomers in your garden and a lot more. If you carefully consider all the information gathered in here, I believe you should be at least equally successful in your garden as I have been. Just take a look outside, at the blooming and blossoming, the beauty and utility, and you will know that this volume might be more important to you than galleons and sterling cutlery.

Explore this and you shall be amazed at the amount of what you will find in here. The width of everything in here is due to the long history, as it has been passed on for a great many generations. Surely, you will discover the next talent of this art in our family during the time of your life, and pass this treasure on to them.

And regardless of what your intentions are in reference to this book, remember my words:
Use wisely and to your profit the secrets of the Black Herbology, and nothing shall block your path.

Love always,
Grannie Black

**

Part Two

Black Herbology: The Garden & Its Safekeeping

As you will ere long ascertain, when exhibiting an orchard such as is traditional to the Black family, neighbouring families show the tendency of covetting and will not shy at purloining from thy grandeur. Hence it constitutes a necessity to shape what is thy in a fashion asserting that it shall stay thy. This first stage embraces the ideal arrangement of an orchard under the facet of convenience.

First and foremost, you shall decide which way you perceive your neighbours. If you for some reason unbeknownst to any author of this book come to like them, skip reading this chapter and skip right to something that is not related to safekeeping and its similarities. If you, however, feel the normal aversion against generally quite much every other being that is not of pure blood and proud heritage, read on and you shall find out the most necessary means of vindicating thy
orchard.

Lection One: Thy Orchard's Gate

To provide for the best of safety, the most elemantary, presumably supremely effective manner requires guarding of the orchard's gate. So long as not anybody may trespass into thy blessed privacy, not anybody will perish the idyll. A secured orchard's gate shall be lined with a variety of most helpful plants in this aim. You may choose thy own, both quality and quantity of those, though take long-maintained advice from thy ancestors:

Devil's Snare, one of the rather useable guardians for thy gate. Create around it a space of dark and damp, yet make it so this space can be invaded without further notice, lest a thief shall shy away. Be aware of it's place for thy own good health, you shan't invade its space thyself.

Venomous Tentacula, a further guardian. Allow this treasure some room to blossom, and if ever necessity arises, defeat it with splashes of almost-frozen water. Do never neighbour this one with the aforementioned, lest offsprings will develop you cannot assess. Remember were you grow this, else you may suffer a cruel end.

Fanged Geranium, one plant designed as safekeeper. Also well-used when scattered across the orchard, on account of harmless outer appearance and unpredictable inner core. Again one plant unknown in regards of cross-breeding, thence grow seperated from other guards.

Whomping Willow, the best since most lethal. Is the rare case present you can get hold of this precious one, plant it wisely afar from areas you use frequently. May be handy if unwelcome children, animals or other problems occur.

Alihotsy, intrinsically no guarding plant, of use as a dissuasive welcome. Fairly harmless, yet could have theft reduced if wrongly stolen and consumed nescient. Required merely in barely interesting cases.

For further security, creatures such as Cockatrices, Bowtruckles or Horklums might be desired. We refer to "Black Creature Knowledge" for further information, a volume presumably passed down as well in the family line of the noble Black family.

**

Bonus

Grandma’s Handy Tips Fm6lux

Subject: Re: Grandma’s Handy Tips Tue Aug 19 2008, 18:11

Good job guys, here are your scores:

Ravenclaw
Elana 80
Stephy 70

Slytherin
violetriddle 80
Gemma_Cullen-Malfoy 80

Hufflepuff
pickles 80
Just_Ginny 80

Gryffindor
NONE

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