Stinging Nettle, Yes, Food

Stinging Nettle, which is also referred to a itch weed, started out to me on the same scale as poison ivy. I was wrong. Not only is it a good weed to grow just outside of windows to detour windows from being used as entry and exits, it turns out that it has a place in the kitchen as well.

The first time I tried Nettle I steamed it and ate it much like you would spinach. I found the texture was hard to get over.

I had no interest in trying it again.

After doing some research I have found recipes for Nettle pesto, soups and even making a pasta with it and I will be testing some of those when I can. There are hundreds of recipes for this plant.

It is said that Nettles are very healthy for you. I have heard differing reports on the benefits.

A word of warning. It is called itch weed for a reason. Use gloves until you blanch the leaves and eat a small amount to make sure you have no allergies to it. Blanching is best done in salted boiling water.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Pineapple Weed

I went fishing this evening with one of my daughters. The weather was beautiful with just a few clouds streaming across the western sky. The wind was warm and just enough to keep the bugs down.

The lake was fairly calm with the exception of a group of children screaming and splashing nearby and throwing rocks near the fishing area. I knew there would be no fish to fry tonight. So we gathered up our gear and drove to the river.

We have had flooding here at the river since the snow melted and it is still over the banks. One look at how strong the current was and I knew I had no interest in trying but I did cast out a few times. Soon I found myself looking at the weeds.

The weed pictured here is a pineapple weed. Some call it wild Chamomile.

If you take the flowers after they turn more yellow and squeeze them a little, they smell a lot like pineapple.

You can make a tea with these flower heads that is much like regular Chamomile.

A few inches away I spotted a wild violet plant. No flowers yet but I had wondered what a tea made from the two would taste like.

I will have to try that when the violets begin to bloom.

As we drove home the sun was setting and bringing a beautiful bright pink to the clouds with deep insets of purple against a cobalt blue sky showcasing a sliver of a crescent moon and it just brought such a peace to the evening.

I hope you all had a wonderful day and if you didn't take advantage of natures beauty today, try to find it tomorrow.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

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The Dandelion Dilemma

Do you remember going out into the yard and picking a handful of these to give them to the most beautiful woman in the world?

I used to bring my mom a dandelion bouquet all the time, and when I became a mom it was my turn. If I had known then what I know now, I would have made fritters out of them!

Now, as my yard has been turning into a weed bed (I don't like chemical weed killers) the dreaded dandelion is gaining ground on me.

I have tried using sugar prevent them, which seemed to work for a while, but sugar is not a practical solution.

I am not going to make a long post about this because there are so many other blogs that have gone into such detail that I feel if you don't search out more information you may miss out on a lot. So please seek knowledge on this little wonder of a plant.

The main highlights I want to share with you is that, yes the leaves tend to be a bit too bitter for most people, but mixed with milder greens it is a bit nicer. You can make fritters or wine with the flowers. The roots can be used for a coffee substitute and for other uses. That said there are also great health benefits from the entire plant, from root to blossom.

Dandelions may be used for a wide range of conditions needing a mild diuretic treatment such as poor digestion, liver disorders and high blood pressure.

The white milky sap is said to be effective in treating warts and to heal other skin afflictions.

Be aware that there has been drug interactions with dandelion consumption and there is the possibility of other reactions. Don't be afraid of them. Just do some research before you proceed.

The following link is to a friend's page which has some interesting recipes. Please visit her site. I will be throwing caution to the wind and frying up some of those flower fritters!

Thank you Brenda!

Dandelions | thesustainablehome

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Lambs Quarters=Spinach with cooking suggestion.

If the thistles intimidated you, I have the perfect solution!

Lamb's Quarters.

These are quite common in my area and I really don't mind.

They are mostly green but can have a purple tint to them as well.

Pick the tender newer leaves and stay away from plants with damage to them.

I should have cautioned in my thistle post that when you forage for food you should know that food source and know that it is not in an area that has been chemically treated. Since this patch is in my own yard I know it is safe.

So now that you have gathered a big bucket full of these leaves, what to do...

Rinse them well in cold water. If you have a metal colander you can rinse them in there and then place the colander with your Lamb's Quarters over a pot of boiling water and let them steam until all the leaves are cooked tender. If you don't have a metal colander just steam them with what you can.

Put the hot cooked leaves in a serving bowl with softened Butter and Salt over top and the sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese over it all and mix so the butter melts completely and the cheese melts slightly.

When I have made spinach this way, even die hard spinach haters took a new look at spinach. Lamb's Quarters are so very close in taste you may not notice a difference.

You can also use these leaves in a fresh salad. Throw in some violet flowers and your salad will really be something cozy.

Thank you for stopping by!

Dee Dee

Thistle=celery

My garden has been neglected for the past couple of years due to an injury and now I am faced with more pain in trying to clean it up.

So I decided to use some of those nasty thistles for a treat.

You will need work gloves and some of those thorns will go through leather so be prepared to suffer a little.

I used a combat knife to chop the thistle and remove most of the outer thorns. I am at war with these weeds so the combat knife just felt appropriate.

You need to peel as much of the fibrous outer skin off that you can leaving the tender and soft inside core.

This is very much like celery and can be eaten raw or cooked in a stew.

All in all, this was not an enjoyable task. I found that I did not get enough of the fiber off when I cleaned it. The taste is very close to celery and when mixed with ranch salad dressing it was good. But it was a lot of squeeze for the juice.

Thistle is something that I would add to a wild stew to add fiber to the diet. In a survival situation or just when you don't have much money for groceries, this can help you stretch your pantry supplies.

I really have to say at this point that I am glad I planted asparagus though. I picked some tonight and had a plate of steamed asparagus with salt and butter.

Now THAT was cozy!

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee