Brooklyn Porter

Scientific name: Asplenium Septentrionale Common name: Northern Spleenwort I found this growing on a rock in between Owen and Turlington Residence Hall. The Northern Spleenwort normally grows in clusters. It can be grown in soil or on rocks. The leaves can be simple or have 1-2 forks on them. It also appears to look grass-like. The Northern Spleenwort is brown at the base and green on top.  Sources:  https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=14601  Group Check-In Gracie, Branch, and I met on Friday, October 28 from 12-12:30. I think we all enjoyed the break-baking activity even though not all of us had the best outcomes. Neither I nor Gracie enjoyed the insect photos because we did not like getting super close to the bugs to take pictures. We all have been enjoying the blog posts and find the activities fun because it forces us to try new things that we otherwise might not do. 

  I planted an apple seed in hopes of growing an apple tree. I have very low hopes for this because although I planted it in an area that gets a good amount of sun my supplies were limited. All I had was a spoon and an apple seed from the apple I had just eaten. Therefore, I am not expecting it to grow much or even at all because I am unsure if I planted it correctly. It was still an overall fun experience and will be very exciting if I do eventually see any growth. 

  A walk in Beech Mountain 

Recipe   Ingredients: ⅓  teaspoon active dry yeast ⅓  teaspoon sugar ⅓ teaspoon salt ½  cups warm water not over 110°F 1 and ½  cups All-Purpose Flour Instructions: In a large bowl mix together the yeast, sugar, salt and water. Let this stand until the yeast is dissolved. Gradually add the flour to the liquid and mix thoroughly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead.  Knead It: Fold the far edge of the dough back over on itself towards you. Press into the dough with the heels of your hands and push away. After each push, rotate the dough 90°. Repeat this process for 5 minutes, sprinkling only enough flour on your kneading surface to prevent sticking. Let It Rise: Return the dough to the bowl and turn it over once to grease the top. Cover with a damp towel and keep warm until the dough doubles in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours. Shape it: Punch down the dough with your fist and briefly knead out any...

Gracie, Branch and I meet on zoom on Tuesday, September 20 from 2:00-2:30. We all found it hard to keep up with all of our trash because we were out in public a lot and it was hard to keep your trash with you all day so we would end up throwing it away. However, we were able to make mental notes of some things that we threw away. Personally I found it hard to keep my food scraps because I ate most of my meals in the dining hall so I didn't have a way to transport the excess food. Most of my trash I was able to keep consisted of food wrappers from snacks in my dorm, Nespresso coffee pods/packaging, climbing harness packaging, paper towels, and a Patagonia clothing tag. We both were surprised at how little amounts of trash we felt like we accumulated and didn't feel like we needed to change our trash consumption patterns because most of it was basic necessities other than a few items. Overall this was a cool experience to see everything you end up throwing away and definitely mak...