Dreadlock Girl
25Jul/0910

Palolu & Hammock

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There are some things that are made to make you happy. Hammocks and Palolu (Licorice root in English) are two of those things. To just be able to hang there and suck on a sweet stick with the boys, is the perfect summer siesta time for me. Cuddled up and cozy, the hammock supporting every bit of our weight, and with the added joy of sweetness to satisfy my sweet tooth.

My mom sent the Palolu from Spain, I haven't been able to find it here. It tastes like very good and fresh black licorice, and no not the grocery store candy kind, way better. The boys share my delight in this tradition. I learned of Palolu and became enamored while growing up in Spain. It is also known there as Palodu or Palodulce, and grows by the river. We used to buy it along with other sugary delights at the local candy store. It was so fun to walk around with classmates in school all chewing on these yummy sticks.

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What do you like to do on hot summer days? What about summer memories from your youth that you wish you could have back now?

For more pictures like this check out my Flickr album: Summertime Bliss

17Jul/084

palo dulce: palolu

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Glycyrrhiza glabra (Palodú o Palolu)


In Spain I grew up eating sticks called palolu (from the spanish: palo dulce), and not just me, but all my friends as well. We would chew on them for hours, days with the ends slicking out of our mouths. Their nectar was potent, sweet and perfect. I decided that since I have a garden now, and I can plant whatever I want to plant I needed to find out what it really was that we were chewing on! I knew it as palolu, but it is known scientifically as Glycyrrhiza glabra. In Spain it is known as "the poor man's licorice" and has an intense and woody black licorice taste. I now use it all the time, since at the Beanery (local coffee shop) they sell it all cut up into little pieces for infusions or teas. I drink that almost every night...but that stuff has been dried and isn't as good to chew on, I want the real fresh stuff. So, I found some seeds...which is a little iffy...but I would love to have this memory to share with my boys.

Some things will always make me ache for my young days, for the free and careless days that I will never own again. All of my childhood memories are from Spain, and there are about 3 people that I can share them with without explaining it all out. Sometimes that gets to me, a sense of loneliness of unshared memories.

What brings you to your youth, smells, songs, games? I think I will do a full post on this including all my childhood memories....I can share them even if I need to explain them right!? I'll let you know how my search for palolu goes!!!

Glycyrrhiza glabra plant

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