Dent-de-lion

Friday I spent some quality time with one of my favorite spring plants, the Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).  If you've been following along with me, you know that I've been including the leaves of this lovely plant in my spring salads over the past couple weeks.  I love them in the early spring because they aren't very bitter.  They still have that "dandelion" taste, but no where near as bitter it will be in a few weeks. 

Before I get into what awesome dish I made with my dandelion, I want to talk a little bit about it -  what it is and why you should eat it.

For starters, the dandelion is a perennial, herbaceous plant with very deeply toothed leaves.  These "toothed" leaves are where it gets its name, dent de lion, meaning "lion's tooth" in old French.  While many people feel the dandelion is an annoying weed worthy of the worst kinds of weed killer, it is interesting to note that they were introduced by Europeans, particularly in the Midwest, in order to provide spring food for the honey bees.
Dandelions have since become well adapted to "disturbed" habitats and adverse circumstances, wide spread and more difficult to exterminate than most other competing "weeds" - but I'm sure you already knew this!

Why would anybody want to eat this lowly, annoying weed?  Well, for starters it is higher in beta carotene than carrots.  It has a ridiculously high iron and calcium content as well as vast amounts of B vitamins, C, E, P, and D, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc.  Not to mention the fact that it grows virtually everywhere, so you don't have to make a trip to the store or spend any money to obtain it!  (Although they do sometimes sell dandelion greens at the grocery store.)

A lot of people do not like the taste of dandelion because it is bitter.  Well, yes, yes it is.  But that bitter is good for you.  That bitter helps your stomach produce more hydrochloric acid, which not only aids in better digestion, but helps your body absorb more calcium from you food as well as help against an upset stomach.

Dandelion greens also help increase the amount of blood and water waste eliminated by your kidneys and urine.  This will help decrease fluid swelling and congestion.
I could go on and on about the wonders of dandelion - I have a few more recipes I'll be making in the coming weeks so I'm sure we'll get into dandelion more... - but for now I want to get to my yummy dandelion dish!

Yay for Dandelion greens!
The first thing I did was go into my yard and collect as many dandelion greens as I could.  I managed to fill a large bowl.  ** remember that when cooking greens, what seems like a lot, will cook down to not much of anything, so don't be afraid to get A LOT.**

 This was about as much as I was able to collect.  Sadly my yard isn't very big.
At this point don't worry about washing the greens, just place them in a dry 1-3 quart sauce pan (depending on how many greens you've collected.)  Boil some water in your tea kettle. 
When the water is boiling, pour it over the greens.  Stir them around for a minute or two, rinse and repeat.  I did this three times. 

At the third water change, I left the greens in the water and brought them to a boil for a couple minutes; until the greens were nice and soft.  I drained them, dumped them into a glass dish and added a little Braggs Liquid Aminos (you could us tamari or soy sauce instead) and some fresh garlic.

Tada!  Notice how much is left after cooking?  In order to make this more substantial, I wilted a ton of kale from my garden and added it.  Delicious! 

Let's Talk About Salad

I want to take this time to talk about salad.  In recent years, salads have become more than just ice berg lettuce, a partially green tomato, croutons and ranch dressing. Prior to that, a salad was anything containing jell-o.  No, really.

One of my favorite pastimes is looking through the old cookbooks for the 40's and 50's just for the pictures.

Today, however,  salads can have everything from pasta or rice, fruits and nuts to various forms of protein (chicken, tofu, steak, seitan) and all manner of veggies.  I love cooking up some orzo and mixing it with all kinds of chopped veggies from the garden and a little bit of oil and vinegar.  Incidentally, I could do an entire post on just using different kinds of oils and vinegars to make dressings.  But anyway....

Even though was have "recreated" (if you will) the idea of the salad, we still stick to "safe" food ingredients.  For most, the idea of going in the back yard and collecting "weeds" to put in their salad bowl would never cross their mind.  It's a sad state of affairs, really.  With spring finally (I hope) being here, there are plenty of fresh greens springing up all over your yard that you could add to your salads, or eat on their own.  Why waste money at the grocery store on "spring greens" that were grown half way across the country when you can take 10 steps into your own yard and know exactly where the produce is coming from and what environment it was grown.  Not to mention, the vitamins and minerals you'll get from the weeds you pick will far surpass anything you'll find at the grocery store. 
That being said, what does one put in their salads?  Well, there are plenty of different plants to choose from and unfortunately, living in a very urban environment, I don't have as wide a variety as I would like, but this is what I do have:

This is broad-leaf plantain, hiding in some clover.  It has very similar properties to lance-leaf plantain, but for most it is more common.  It is just beginning to come up in my driveway, so I only collected a few leaves to give her a chance to get more sun and grow.  The leaves are very mild, like a mild lettuce.  Very yummy, and perfect for beginners - one of my favorites. 

The other two that I'm using pretty regularly are ones that I have already talked about in previous blogs, but I'll give a quick refresh -

The top picture is dandelion and the bottom is purple dead nettle.  The dandelion greens are quite tasty right now as they are young and not very bitter.  Once the flower head starts to form they become more and more bitter.  When I add them to my salads, I only do a handful of leaves so as not to overpower everything else.   The purple dead nettle has more of an "earthy" taste to it.  Not like beets do (I don't care for the taste of dirt) but you can definitely tell they are not a cultivated plant.  I enjoy them, and you can eat everything, stems, leaves and flowers.

I suggest collecting  some of each of the above mentioned greens and adding them to your salad, not making an entire salad out of them.  Slowly begin incorporating them into your diet - enjoy going out into nature to collect your lunch instead of the refrigerator.   Not only is it delicious, but it is relaxing and enjoyable too.  Spend a few minutes sitting in the sunshine (it's a fabulous way to get your Vitamin D!) and enjoy your lunch!

April Snow Showers

It's times like these that make someone like myself insane.  I took 5 days off of work in order to prepare for a class I was teaching, a show I'm participating in tomorrow and to work in my garden.  You would think that the middle to end of April would be an appropriate time to get in there, "weed" turn the soil, mix in some compost and maybe start some colder weather crops like chard and kale. 
Well, Weds. was an OK day, but I had grocery shopping to do, a house to clean, a dog that needed a walk and a class that evening to prepare for.  Thursday was GORGEOUS!  It was 81 and sunny!  My plum tree finally bloomed!

 I came home, looked out the window and Tada!  It was amazing. 
I had an aromatherapy session first thing in the morning and then it was off to check out my community garden plot with my friend.  Unfortunately we couldn't really do much with it because they want to till at the beginning of May; so all we really got to do was plan.  I did get to pick some tasty chives and anise that was left behind from last year though. 
So, Friday I was hoping to get into my yard.  Surprise!  It's raining.  All day.  And it's cold.  Mr. X and I decided instead to do some shopping to spruce up our house.  We scored some sweet throw pillows (one of them has a lady bug on it!), a whole new bed set and we re-did the bathroom with a new shower curtain, towels and rugs.  So my house looks nice, but my yard is still sad.
Okay, so it's Saturday.  I'll get in there today?!  Nope!  Guess what?!  It's SNOWING!  I guess it's just as well I haven't done any planting yet, but come on!  Mother Nature needs to get her act together. 
Tomorrow I have my show for most of the day and then it's back to work on Monday.  Such is life I suppose. 

My Yard

I love my yard.  It's taken me a long while to appreciate it for what it is, but I've gotten there.  When I first moved it I thought it was small and ugly.  I was thrilled the backyard was fenced in so Roxy could run around, but beyond that - yikes.  The previous tenants had planted some flowers along the fence, but they moved on and the plants died.  The grass area that I did have was barely 20x20 and the whole back half was shaded by a maple tree.  That first year I only used the yard if I had friends over or Roxy had to use the bathroom.  I paid it no mind.

The following year I decided I would I would grow some veggies.  That required ripping out anything that got in my way.  I was able to clear both fence rows on the north and south side of the yard and managed a fairly decent vegetable garden.  I also discovered wild strawberries, a wild rosebush and some Althea growing.  That was what really got me paying attention to my yard.  After I cleared way for veggies, I made sure to leave a large part of the back untouched for the birds and other wildlife.  I learned to identify what was growing between the cracks in the driveway, along the garage and in the areas I wanted to plant veggies and herbs.  I made it my goal to learn each and every plant in my yard and what I could do with it.  Can I eat it, make medicine from it or just admire it for it's beauty?  It thrills me beyond words to go into my back yard and identify everybody. 

This afternoon I headed out and this is what I found waiting for me :

This is purple dead nettle.  I tried to get a better picture, but the sun was full on so this was the best I could do.  I'm sure you have this plant growing in your yard right now.  Does it look like anything else you know of?! - MINT!  It is a member of the mint family - although it certainly does not smell like mint.  It's called dead nettle because it doesn't sting like stinging nettle does, but that is a misnomer, because it's a mint.  It is edible, so I recommend picking some for your spring salads; it is very high in iron and fiber.  I think it has a very "earthy" taste, which I enjoy especially after a long winter.

The next lovely I spotted was Dandelion!

Yummy!  Since she hasn't bloomed yet, she is quite tasty and not too bitter.  A lot of people do not like dandelion greens because of the bitterness, but if you catch them early enough, it isn't too bad.  There are plenty of dandelions already in bloom in my neighborhood, but the ones in my yard are still taking their time. 

My plum tree and maple tree both have buds on them and the maple has already opened hers.  I can't wait for plum - it's intoxicating once she is in full bloom.
Maple:

This is plum. 

Lastly there are some white violets blooming in my yard beneath the plum tree.  They are tiny and I couldn't get the best picture with my camera -

Violets are edible as well and high in vitamin C, but given that I only have about a dozen little ones in my yard, I thought I'd leave them be and enjoy them only for their beauty.

What do you have springing up in your yard right now?

Final Countdown

Tomorrow is my first major show of the year.  I spent my morning running errands and now I'm locked away in my house getting ready for tomorrow and The Cleveland Flea.  I don't normally do this, but I've made a pot of coffee at 5:30pm.  It had to be done.  I have business cards to cut out, I had to totally redesign my note card display, I have more magnets to make and I might do a little more sewing.  I've got coffee, red raspberry leaf infusion and some vegan red velvet cake.  I think I've got this.

P.S.  If you are in the Cleveland area tomorrow between 10-4pm you should stop by the Flea.  There will be handmade vendors (I'm booth #33!), antique/"junk" vendors (I don't know what else to call them), food trucks, classes and demonstrations, beer and coffee.  It'll be a big time.

Prepping

It seems like I'm always prepping or preparing for something.  Always.  I don't mean this in an "apocalyptic" sense of the word; I just have a lot going on in my world.  For example, this Saturday (April 13) I'm participating in a new event here in Cleveland called The Cleveland Flea.  It's a huge event featuring handmade vendors, flea market vendors, classes and demonstrations and food trucks.  They are going to have a DONUT food truck.  Be still my heart.  In order to get ready for this,  I've been sewing, making new magnets, making sure I have a table and chairs, working on a new business card design and all the usual things one does to prepare for an event.

Next week Wednesday I'm teaching another class on Herbal Infusions, while that doesn't require a lot of prep because I've done it before, I still like to go over things once or twice; plus I have infusions to make and herbs to get etc...  That Sunday I am participating in another new event to Cleveland, EcoCle -  an event specifically for handmade artists/crafters who use recycled materials.  I'm pretty excited about this event, one because I love recycled materials and seeing how people use them and two, it's location is about 8 blocks from my house :)  So Mr. X is just going to drop me off and I don't have to deal with parking or a long drive!  Wee!

If that didn't seem like enough to worry about, let's not forget that it's SPRINGTIME!  And I must be starting in on my garden!  Thankfully it's been kind of rainy these past couple days, so I don't feel too guilty about not being out there, but I have plenty to do inside in regards to my plants. I need to get some onion sets yet, I need to get some compost/manure to spread down, I need to turn my soil, I need to find a new bowl for my bird bath (stupid me forgot to bring the old one in before winter....).  And... this is just what I need to do for my yard, this isn't including the garden plot I'm sharing with my friends!  Sheesh. 
And.... I have The Cleveland Flea next month, Crafty Mart June 1st and then I'm starting LEAF's Farmer's Market Thursday nights the second week in June through October.  I have recipes to perfect, weed walks to schedule, sewing to do, magnets to make, a dog that requires walking every day....
And I just remembered I have to file my taxes for Lakewood tomorrow too. 

Thankfully, the days are getting longer and I have a 5 day weekend coming up next week where I hope to get a SHIT ton of work done. 
How busy does spring make you?

It's been a minute since my last post and to be honest, I don't really know why.  I guess I just didn't have anything interesting to talk about - which is funny because I always have something to talk about.  The weather is finally starting to be "nice," so I've been enjoying that this past week.  It's wonderful to finally have the windows open, to hear the birds chirping back and forth, flitting about between trees.  Unfortunately, for me at least, one of the downfalls of living in the "city" I don't see much diversity in the way of birds.  The highlight is the occasional purple finch, if you're lucky.  Usually its a gang of house sparrows, a horde of starlings, a handful of grackles and a smattering of crows, blue jays and mourning doves.  Boring.  But, finally being able to hear them, and enjoy a slight breeze through the open window after 5 months of cold and quiet, I'll take what I can get.

Most of my seeds that I started a few weeks back are kicking ass.  Some are a little lanky, but I think once it warms up a bit more and I can move them outside during the day, they will perk up.  I try to not use much in the way of "fancy" equipment when starting seeds.  I figure, our ancestors didn't have heat lamps and grow lights and fancy liquid fertilizer and store bought dirt, so why do I need that stuff?  My tomatoes have already moved on to their second set of leaves and I think this coming week I'm going to get out and start my kale and chard.  The plan for this year, since I will be gardening in my back yard as well as on a community plot, is that I don't want to grow anything in my yard that will get to big and spread out into the neighbor's yard.  Living in a rental, I'm fortunate that I can garden at all, but I can only plant along the fence rows where there is no grass to begin with.  This can get tricky when trying to grow tomatoes or cucumbers that like to spread out and pop into the neighbor's yard.  A few years ago, my neighbor was awesome, and the agreement was she didn't care what went into her yard, but she got to eat it.  Works for me!  I'm glad it won't be going to waste!  Last year, however, my stupid neighbors hired and even stupider person to "pull weeds" which resulted in the hacking down of my poke weed and the destruction of half my cucumber plants because the were twining up MY FENCE, but on their side.  I almost cried. 

So, for my yard this year, I'll be planting things like kale, chard, a couple tomatoes because, well, I need those.... some beans, sunflowers, herbs.... plants that are pretty stationary and won't branch out.  My garden plot will have cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, herbs, flowers, and some other things that I am forgetting right now.  I'm pretty stoked.  I'll also have two friends helping with the garden plot, so I think we'll have a pretty epic garden.

Starting in June, on Thursday nights, my friend Morgan and I will have a booth at this year's LEAF pick up (Lakewood Earth and Food.)  It's our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, and they have vendors set up and sell as well.  We hope to have extra produce to sell, as well as homemade jams, jellies, pickles, baked goods and some ZombieSocks (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ZombieSocks).  I'm hoping to really learn a lot from this, meet local farmers and network.  I'll also use this as a platform for advertising my summer Weed Walks.  Not only will my garden be epic, but I think this summer will be epic in general.

On a final note, check this out:

 This is one of my tomato seedlings (Black from Tula via Seed Savers) that sprouted three leaves instead of the normal two.  Apparently in fruits and vegetables, "tri-cots" and even "quad-cots" are common; they are supposed to be hardier and more prolific than their two-leaved brethren, but saved seeds don't mean you'll get a strain of tri - cots.  I'm interested to see what this plant does.

And this is a picture of a most gorgeous Pileated Woodpecker I saw in the Metro Parks last weekend.