Lambsquarters flour and seed preservation

I went over to help my son clear a lot and noticed a tall stand of lambsquarters which had gone to seed.  What a find!  I helped clear the lot and gathered food for the coming winter.... food that is high in nutrition, no pesticide, organically grown :-)

Everything Hot

A day for creating hot things. Hot salsa, pickled jalapeños, pickled mouse melons and purslane stems and black nightshade, and last but not least habanero hot sauce. Remind me not to touch my eyes :-). Don’t worry I wore gloves :-)

Making a healing Salve

I have used comfrey for a very long time for healing.  I have used it to immediately stop bleeding from cuts, and to stop bruising.  It can even make an already bruised area decrease or disappear.  It is pretty amazing.  I think everyone should have one if these growing at their house.  Here I am extracting the healing properties of the plant so that I can use the infused oil in making a healing balm that can be used throughout the year when the plant looses its leaves in the winter.  I have also thrown in a little plantain, rosemary, lavender, also grown in my yard.

Making tea

I found out last year that there are tree leaves in my yard that can be used in cooking for flavoring and in tea.  I was really surprised especially by the fig leaves.  They have a very distinctive coconut scent and flavor.  I am not much of a griller but I bet they would be a great addition to someone wishing to smoke a chicken or some other meat that they might wish to add a hint of coconut to.  My mother in law has asked that when ever we come to visit that we bring a branch from our mulberry tree as it is one of the trees that her African Grey bird is allowed to eat, berries, leaves, bark and all.  Anyways here is my little drying contraption.  I also added a bit of lemon grass and mint to the mix.

A meal for a mouse

 I was in the garden picking things for a big person mail when I ran across these tiny things fit for a mouse. There were mouse melons, and that’s what they’re really called,  and black nightshade that taste like little tomatoes and then there are berries called Goji berries which are the little red berries in this picture. I don’t really like them much but I’m going to dry them and add them to soups and things in the winter but the rest are perfect mouse size and I thought they were cute. All of these fruits and berries are the size of my thumb or smaller...

Picky eaters

I remember working with juvenile delinquents when I was younger.  There were a few dare devil kids who I loved to take into the woods around the home where I worked as a resident counselor.  They were always game to experiment with wild foods that we could gather together.  I think that is a powerful tool when trying to get kids to eat healthy.  If they learn about it, gather it, and learn to cook it in a flavorful way, it is something they are more likely to taste and eat and hopefully, carry with them into the future.  I have talked to parents who without prompting, told me that after reading the book with their child, the child asked to do research on wild things they could eat from their back yard.  They told me that they found that redbud blossoms ( and seed pods ) were both edible and they had already gathered and eaten some.  Kids are curious by nature.  Cash in on that curiosity and join them in the wilds of your own back yard!

Foraging.... well kind of... Water melon rind pickles

Well if foraging is finding and using the often over looked.... maybe this will qualify.  I remember these from my childhood.  Mom was never one to let something go to waste... a hold over from the depression era... and watermelon rind was one of those useful things the people often threw out after eating the melon.  All I had to do was google a couple recipes and I was on my way.  I took out some of the sugar, added a little stevia and some heat ( red pepper ), and a bit more turmeric than called for, and I had a pickle that I loved.  Very pretty too.

Keep Picking the Poke!

I just keep snipping off the new shoots from my poke plants and bringing them in.  That way they produce well into the summer and I do love poke greens  Please remember to boil 2x and pour off the water each time.  or you may be sorry ... pictured here too are my purslane plants that look as big as cultured purslane.  I kept seeds back last year and threw them into a planter and garden  and have beautiful plants this year.  They are super high in nutrients.  Add to salads, soups, greens.

Elderberry Flower Fritters

I went outside this morning and was greeted by a sweet smell that I traced to the pretty elderberry flowers in the corner of my yard.  I know the birds are going to get most of the elderberries ( they usually do) but I remembered that you can make delish fritters ( pancakes ) using the flowers.  So I picked some that were fully blossoming and then my husband was late coming home so they kind of lost their flat selves but I decided to make us a desert w them anyways and they were very good!  Basically I just threw together some pancakes using some coconut flour and wheat flour... basically pancake batter, dipped the blossom ends in and there you have it.  If I were doing it again I think I would strip off the flowers and throw them in the mix as we didn't eat the stems.  Oh, sprinkle w confectioners sugar when hot.

Making Wine and Service Berries

I went to sweep off the stairs for the garage apartment and noticed that the mulberries have started to drop and so decided to make some wine. I intended to make more dandelion wine this year but never quite got around to it. I threw a few dandelions blossoms in for good measure. I also thought it might be an interesting taste to add just a slice or two of ginger it’s an experiment. In front of the jar or something that I have never tasted before but planted a serviceberry tree a couple of years ago in my backyard and this year I got to the berries before the birds did. They were very few and too good to throw into the wine. They taste a little bit like blueberries, but have a delicious flavor all their own that is kind of sweet. Wish me luck on the wine

Making your own wild herbal mix

I am in love with my dehydrator.  I had been gathering wild onions ( traveling onions given to me by a Native American Airbnb guest ) and rather than toss the very ends, I decided to dry them.  I added wood sorrel, green garlic tops, and then thought, " I can add as many garlic and onion leaves as I want... they will just keep producing anyways, so I took my scissors to the garden and just lopped some off, leaving the bulbs and a large portion of green leaves to continue their growth.  I also added a lot of oregano, both Greek and Italian, that I have growing in the garden.  In the past I also threw in some lemon grass as well.  A few hours in the dehydrator, a second or two in the blender and I have my own 'no salt' mix.  In the past I have also added a few other wild greens like lambs quarters, purslane. but only a little as I want the flavors of the herbs to come through but for cooking soups and such, it is nice to have the extra vitamins/minerals offered by the greens. 

Poke, Garbanzo Korma

Thanks to Trader Joes this meal only took the time it take to boil water twice.  I picked a bunch of Poke, chopped it up, boiled it, poured the water off, boiled it again w fresh water, poured it off, opened a can of garbanzos, and a bottle of Korma cooking sauce and there was our meal.  I am sure you could add your favorite veggies and it would be just as wonderful but for a light meal with little prep time, this was perfect and sooooo good!

Lives Forever

Although this is considered a wild plant, I have never run across it in the wild, but I did run across it in my own front yard a few years ago ( planted from a cutting made from a friend's plant ) This plant is so easy to propagate. Anyways, I almost forgot I had it and then remembered that I used it last year all summer long in salads.  It is very crispy while being very juicy too, succulent like.  It's leaves remind me of cactus, minus the spikes.  With a little research I found it had numerous medicinal uses as well.

wood ears

I gathered these little gems last year and dried them for future use.  They are wood ear mushrooms.  I reconstituted them in chicken broth, took them out and chopped them up and threw them back in the broth for an excellent egg drop soup.  Yum

Make your Easter salad pretty

Did you know that you can eat the flower of the redbud tree?  I throw a bunch of them on my salads... along with violet blossoms at this time of year.  So pretty!