Month / December 2021

by Perry

Cornbread

1 1/2 cup corn meal
1 cup self rising flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 or 4 eggs, depending on size
1 stick butter, melted in skillet
1 cup of buttermilk
1 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven 400 degrees
Melt butter in skillet
Whisk dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine.
Heat skillet with a tablespoon of vegetable oil and whatever remains of the melted butter on stove while spooning batter into skillet.
Bake 20 minutes.

by Perry

Gum Arabic

Gum Arabic is a water soluble sap from the acacia tree. This is the binder for watercolor and gouache paints. We use it also in the fountain solution for polyester plate lithography.

Here’s the recipe, thanks to Natural Pigments.

  • 150 grams of gum arabic powder
  • 500 ml distilled water heated to around 140°F
  • a couple drops of clove oil as a preservative, optional

For a watercolor binder, it’s common to add a small amount of glycerin or honey as a humectant/plasticizer.

Refrigerate, especially if not using a preservative.