Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 8, 2011

NATURE & THE ENVIRONMENT

9

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

 Mountain Views News Saturday, October 8, 2011 


LET’S GET TO KNOW THAT VERSATILE, 
UBIQUITOUS WILLOW 

OCTOBER IS FOR OKTOBERFEST

 I have done stories and 
covered many Oktoberfests 
throughout the years. This 
is the best/accurate history 
of the celebration that I 
have come up with. 

 Oktoberfest isn’t just for 
Germans anymore. People 
have flocked to Germany 
from all parts of the globe 
to participate in the world’s largest annual 
festival for nearly 200 years. In addition to 
the two-week celebration in Munich, the Bavarian 
capital where the tradition began, Oktoberfest 
is enjoyed in one form or another 
in cities and towns worldwide including locally. 
Ludwig’s “royal” party. So how did this 
global party get started? (And why didn’t 
anyone think of it sooner?) Prince Ludwig of 
Bavaria, who was later crowned King Ludwig 
I, wanted his people to share in the celebration 
of his marriage to Princess Therese 
of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12, 
1810. Ludwig organized a horse race and 
invited all the people of Munich. The royal 
party drew about 40,000 guests—a major 
rager, by ordinary standards, but only a small 
fraction of the 6.4 million people at Oktoberfest 
in 2010. A good time, and copious 
amounts of beer, were apparently had by all 
that first year. It was decided that the horse 
race would be held again in 1811, this time in 
conjunction with the state agricultural show. 
Where locally to get your chicken dance on.

Consider these two spots

RED LION TAVERN

The star at this restaurant is the wide selection 
of beer - dark, light, bottled, filtered or 
on tap. The Red Lion Tavern in Glendale 
opened in 1962 and up until 5 years ago was 
operated by the same owners. The restaurant 
is two levels with bars on each level. My party 
enjoyed potato pancakes, schnitzel, a sausage 
platter, Hungarian Goulash and Beef 
Rouladen. Go to their web site http://www.
redliontave... for the complete menu. Prices 
range from $10 to $20. Portions are large , 
and very suitable for sharing. 
Ask for extra pickles 

 Reasons to go: Live music 
Thursday thru Sunday 
Night. Weather permitting, 
go to the upstairs patio 
and enjoy a cold beer with 
friends. Menu lends itself 
to sharing; Sausage Platter 
with Knackwurst, Bratwurst and Bockwurst. 
Atmosphere is very relaxed. 

 Hours: Monday through Sunday 11 AM to 
1 AM. Dinner starts at 5 PM Reasons to stay 
away: Sorry I don’t smoke, but you can stay 
at the bottom floor bar to stay clear of the 
smokers Service: I give the service thumbs 
up; Very pleasant and attentive; in the upstairs 
patio the bar maid was over worked 
and told us immediately to go to the bartender 
for our drinks

Address: 2366 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles/
Glendale (323) 662-5337

VERDUGO BAR

 Just up the 210 Freeway, consider 4th Annual 
Oktoberfest at Verdugo Bar. Traditional 
German breweries and local breweries pouring 
their German style beers! Authentic sausages, 
pretzels, 
and 
other 
delights! 
Music 
and 
Oktoberfest 
contests 
with 
prizes. Wear your lederhosen and dirndls! 
Tickets are $10 at the door and include a 
glass stein . (323) 257-3408 for address and 
directions.

Miss a spot? Contact me at thechefknows@
yahoo.com

 


 
Every now and then during one 
of my walks, someone will tell 
me that they have a headache. I 
peel off two slivers of bark from 
that ubiquitous plant of the 
streams, willow, and hand it to 
them.

 

 “Take two pieces of bark 
and call me in the morning,” 
I’ll tell them. Most people 
laugh when I say this, but some 
people don’t get it because they 
aren’t familiar with willow or 
its history. The inner bark of 
willow contains salicin and is 
the original aspirin. The bark of 
the younger shoots is strongest, 
and it is fairly easy to harvest. 
When steeped in water, willow 
tea is good for headaches, fevers, 
and even hay fever. Due to its 
strong antiseptic properties, the 
tea can also be used as a good 
mouthwash, or used externally 
on wounds. A willow wash 
is said to work wonders on 
rheumatism sufferers.

 

 Willow plants are somewhat 
diverse in appearance. Some are 
small and bushy, and others are 
tall trees. Their leaves are nearly 
all thin and lance-shaped, and 
the plant is always found along 
streams. I have seen them at sea 
level and higher than 8,000 feet. 

 

 They are found throughout 
North America. You might not 
know offhand how to identify a 
willow, but I can assure you that 
you have driven by one or hiked 
by one each time you were by a 
stream.

 

 Willow is also one of the 
best sources of craft material. 
Whenever I collect willow, I 
go into the thickest patches 
and I carefully cut only those 
branches I need with a sharp 
ratchet cutter. In all cases when 
I have returned to those areas, 
I find the best and healthiest 
growths of new willow where I 
had done my careful pruning. 

 

 I collect straight dead pieces 
of willow branches for use in the 
primitive bow and drill for fire-
making. Dried willow makes 
the best drill for fire-making. 
It is also an ideal wood to use 
for the baseplate in fire-making 
-- the flat piece of wood onto 
which the drill is spun.

 

 Willows make interesting 
looking, lightweight walking 
sticks, and I have made many of 
these. Willow is a soft wood, so 
the walking sticks can be easily 
carved with either faces or your 
name or anything that your 
abilities allow.

 

 Long straight willow stems 
are perhaps the single most 
useful plant in basket weaving. 
Willow is one of the most 
traditional materials used in 
baskets because it is light, easily 
worked, and it becomes flexible 
when soaked in water for about 
five minutes. Always scrape off 
the bark before using willow in 
your basketry projects. 

 

 Because of willow’s flexibility 
and common availability, I 
typically use willow whenever 
I make a sweat lodge frame. 
The sweat lodge frame is dome 
shaped. Once the perimeter of 
the sweat lodge is drawn in the 
dirt, I dig holes into which I 
secure the willow poles. Then I 
bend them down and lash them 
together at the top to create the 
desired dome shape. The sweat 
lodge is covered with tarps 
and very hot rocks are brought 
inside. Once everyone enters 
the lodge, it is closed up so that 
it is dark inside, and water is 
slowly poured onto the rocks, 
creating a high temperature 
sauna or steam bath. This was 
and still is a tradition among 
Native American peoples from 
North America through South 
America.

 

 I have used the long dried 
willow stems as pipes, and -- 
following in the tradition of 
Native Americans -- I dry the 
bark of red willow and add it to 
my smoking mixture. I have sat 
outside my shelter made with 
a framework of willow, after 
sweating in my willow sweat 
lodge, and sat around the fire 
which was made with a willow 
drill, smoking some willow 
bark in my willow pipe. Indeed, 
willow is a good friend.

[Nyerges is the author of “Guide 
to Wild Foods,” “How to Survive 
Anywhere,” and other books. 
A link to his blogs and weekly 
podcast can be found at www.
ChristopherNyerges.com. He can 
also be reached at Box 41834, 
Eagle Rock, CA 90041]

 


by Christopher Nyerges

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

 
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Arcadia Holly Avenue School

 E-waste Drive This Saturday

The Holly Avenue PTA and the Holly Avenue School Garden Club are sponsoring an 
e-waste drive this Saturday, October 8th, to take place from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM in the Holly 
Avenue School parking lot at 360 W. Duarte Road in Arcadia.

They will be accepting many types of electronics, including computers, telephones and 
telephone equipment, television and computer monitors, printers, fax machines, scanners, 
keyboards, copiers, DVD players, stereo equipment, miscellaneous computer parts and 
cords, lamps, toasters, and anything that plugs in. 

Wines For A 
Passionate 
Evening Of 
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and Grads at WFS....
Unique gifts for your home and 
offi ce, we specialize in local, 
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“Webster’s Fine Stationers (WFS) is a comprehensive 
lifestyle boutique offering stylish and functional 
products for your home and offi ce. Emphasis is 
placed on locally made and ecologically responsible 
merchandise.”
Webster’s Fine Stationers, 
where it’s what’s inside 
that counts!”
Saturday, October 15 
4:00pm - 8:00pm