Wordless Wednesday: Hay Maze

 

 

Odkrywają

pronounced Ohd-kriv-ayom

 

They are discovering

 

 

 

Na razie...

Word(y) Wednesday: Mushroom

Following yesterday's post, today's word is Mushroom.

 

 

Grzyby

pronounced gzhih-bih

Mushrooms

Note:  The "rz" sound in Polish is like a softer z, almost like if you pretend to make a vacuum or lawn mower sound, or the sound of some other loud machinery.

Since the sound is hard to describe without hearing, here is an audio you can listen to of the pronunciation.  Check out the audio for ż (rz) - żaba, rzeka, tworzy. 



Singular form for Mushroom is Grzyb.




Na razie...

Wordless Wednesday: Agrest

Agrest

pronounced Ah-Grehst

Gooseberry

 

Czerwony

pronounced CHehr-Voh-nih

Red

Na razie...

Teach Kids Polish: Body Parts (Belly and Belly Button)

My kids have known the words for Belly and Bellybutton in Polish as long as they remember because of this simple little game.




Belly

Brzuszek

pronounced Bzoo-shehk with the z sounding as if you are trying to say "Sh" or "r" at the same time*. 




Belly button

Pępuszek

pronounced Pehm-poo-shehk with the sz sounding as though you are slurring (imagine how inebriated people say their S or Sh, if that helps).



Make a circle with your finger or palm around baby's belly while saying slowly "Brzusiek".

Then, gently touch the belly button while saying "Pępuszek" quickly. 

Baby will laugh at you, this is a great thing.  When babies laugh, they are enjoying learning from you.






When my second daughter was born, my older daughter played "Brzusiek Pępuszek" with her little sister.  Sometimes, they still play that game together, along with "Idzie Rak" and "Round the Garden with Teddy Bear".

I remember being a little girl and my mother playing "Brzuszek Pępuszek" with me and later adding it to a Polish version of "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes".





* The "rz" and "sz" sounds are very difficult to describe and sounds which need much practice.

Na razie...

Word(y) Wednesday: Garden Inspiration, Cabbage and Violets

Kapusta i Fiołek Ogrodowy

Kapusta
(pronounced Kah-poo-stah)

Cabbage

Fiołek Ogrodowy
(pronounced feeoh-wehk Ohgrood-ohvih)

Viola
The literal translation is Violet of the Garden or Garden Violet.


Fiołek
(pronounced Feeoh-wehk)

Violet


Bratek
(pronounced Brah-tehk)

Pansy
The word loosely hints to the fact that the Pansy is the brother or friend of the violet.  Or that the Bratek is the brat (brother) of the Fiołek.

Violas are related to violets and pansies.  Violas tend to last better through the winter, so some gardeners prefer to use them.  You can use any of these plants interspersed and bordering your cabbage, lettuce, and other plants to protect them from garden pests.

Violet, Viola and Pansy petals and leaves can be eaten: 

• As part of a beautiful salad or dish garnish
• Crystallized on a dessert
• Make a jelly from them
• Use to delicately flavor a cake or icing
• Make a very traditional Torun dish called violet soup which is not common in modern cuisine
• Even the leaves can be cooked like spinach.

I must stress, however, that if you decide to eat the flowers and leaves, do not eat them if they have been sprayed with pesticides.

These photos come from our last trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden's Vegetable Gardens.

I hope this inspires you to garden and to think about non-traditional ways to grow your own food.

Watch for the next few Wordless (Wordy) Wednesday posts for gardening ideas and to see what we are growing in our own personal garden. 

The majority of my seeds come from Dom itp. Some seeds they offer are sunflowers, pickling cucumbers, Polish wild strawberries, several different flowers including violets and garden violas, parsley roots (I highly recommend trying this in some of your recipes), and many other varieties.  Their prices are comparable to going to your local chain or gardening store.  It's like having a piece of Poland in your backyard.

Disclaimer: The links and banner for Dom itp are part of an affiliate program. While the company does not pay for me to post their links and banner, I do receive a portion of all sales made using the links and banner in compensation. If you do purchase something from them this way, I sincerely thank you.

Na razie...

Related Posts:

Word(y) Wednesday: Our Polish American Garden

Word(y) Wednesday: Chicago Botanic Garden

Word(y) Wednesday:  Piękny Jaś

Wordless Wednesday: Our Polish American Garden

The children and I started a garden...

Rzeżucha (Garden Cress) one day old indoors...

The same Rzeżucha three days old...

Another planting of Rzeżucha over a week old planted outdoors...

Baby Beets...

Baby carrots...

A garden friend hiding from falling raindrops...

Pumpkin...

Radishes planted around the pumpkin patch to keep out uninvited bugs naturally...

Sweet Peas...

Brussel Sprouts...
(Oops, turns out these were planted next to the Brussel Sprouts, which never came up.  These are another variety of pea)

Maki (Poppies) to bring bees and other pollinators to the garden...

Baby cabbage (Kapusta) I need to transplant...

Our Piękny Jas (5 growing total in this bed alone)...

The little red bird we rescued a few days ago after it was hit by a car while flying.  After a few hours of rest, he flew to his tree where his mate greeted him and they returned to their nest together...

Our home made Worm Farm in the shed...

We also planted other plants, such as Alpine Violets, wild Polish strawberries, curly parsley, Polish Dill, red and white carnations, and several other flowers and fruits and vegetables.  We are waiting one more week to plant cucumbers, heirloom and Malinkowy Tomatoes, and a few others.

What are you growing?



Watch for the next few Wordless (Wordy) Wednesday posts to see what else we are growing and how you can grow it as well.

The majority of my seeds come from Dom itp. Some seeds they offer are sunflowers, pickling cucumbers, Polish wild strawberries, several different flowers, parsley roots (I highly recommend trying this in some of your recipes), and many other varieties.  Their prices are comparable to going to your local chain or gardening store.  It's like having a piece of Poland in your backyard.

Na razie...



Disclaimer: The links and banner for Dom itp are part of an affiliate program. While the company does not pay for me to post their links and banner, I do receive a portion of all sales made using the links and banner in compensation. If you do purchase something from them this way, I sincerely thank you.