First spring greens salad

Even though spring has been so slow in coming it's astounding what is already growing all around us.  This is what our first spring greens salad looked like yesterday - dandelion, spinach, lettuce, kale, chard, tatsoi, endive, mizuna, chives, nodding onion, oregano, thyme, parsley, and some violets added in.  A mix of sweet fresh young leaves from the cold frame, with the deep bitter wild dandelion that our bodies crave after our long cold winter, what a taste of spring!  No salad dressing needed!

This Moment

{This moment} - This moment - an end of week ritual, no words, just a special photo to remember, savour, enjoy.

Dandelion Harvest

There are so many benefits of dandelions.  Falsely known as troublesome "weeds", dandelions are actually a powerhouse of health, easy to harvest, and readily available.  All parts of the plant are useful - the roots in teas, tonics, tinctures, and vinegars; the leaves as salad greens; the flower blossoms for wine, syrup, juice, garnish, fritters, and so much more.

We had our first big dandelion harvest today - we like to wild-harvest them around town in parks where we know they have not been sprayed.  It's best to harvest the flowers at their peak when they are fully opened, and then use them as soon as possible so as to get the most healthful benefit from them.  We still have dandelion jelly and syrup from last season, and we weren't ready to start dandelion wine today, so we opted for a quick use: dandelion lemonade.  It is delicious - and offers benefits for the liver, acts as a diuretic helping to flush out the body's toxins, and even aids with insomnia, stress, and even depression.

Making dandelion lemonade

You will need:
2 cups fresh dandelion blossoms
1 gallon glass jar (4 litre), with cheesecloth and elastic for the top
honey
4 organic lemons

1) Fill jar with cool fresh water.  Add juice of 4 lemons.  Then add 2 cups dandelions and stir well to combine.
2) Cover jar with cheesecloth and secure with elastic - then set in a warm sunny place outdoors to steep.
3) Steep for several hours, then strain out dandelions and add honey to taste.  Enjoy!

Dandelion harvest recipes

After our seedling sale, the remainder of this long weekend included a lot of relaxing...tending to the garden...visiting with friends...and a chance to harvest dandelions.  We have a variety of good friends who are urban wildcrafting enthusiasts, and with one family in particular we've gotten together throughout the season to harvest mulberries, service berries, cherries, and now, dandelions.  It was a great activity for the kids, and, since we were harvesting in a nearby park, there was also the chance to run and play in between the harvest.  As with any wildcrafting, it's important to know the area you are harvesting has not been chemically sprayed; is fairly well removed from a dog walking zone, roadways or other sources of pollution/contamination; and is not in danger of being over-harvested.  It's wise to take no more than 1/3 of the wild plants in one area, although with dandelions it really didn't look like we made much of a dent, even after picking for almost an hour!   Oh yes, and if you find any dandelions that have gone to seed, make sure to send them off into the wind to populate the landscape with this wonderful, healthful wild weed.

I was inspired by the rhubarb and blueberry syrups that had been used to serve natural fruit spritzers at our seedling sale, so I tried making a dandelion syrup - delicious!  I also boiled down half my collection to make dandelion jelly, also something I have read is subtle and tasty.  It comes out a faint golden colour, beautiful.  Here's the recipe:

Dandelion Syrup
2 cups fresh clean dry dandelion, just the yellow petals cut off the heads
8 cups water
8 cups sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Bring dandelions, water and sugar to a boil.  Let simmer for 15 minutes.  Strain well.  Then bottle in glass jars or bottles.  Store in refrigerator until use.  For use, take 1/4 cup syrup per glass, top with sparkling water, then add lemon slices, lime slices, fresh berries, ice cubes, or mint sprigs as garnish.

Dandelion Jelly
2 cups fresh clean dandelion, just the yellow petals cut off the heads (no green stems or leaves)
6 cups water
6 cups sugar
juice of one lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
8 tsp pectin

Bring dandelions, lemon and water to a boil.  Then remove from heat and let steep for at least one hour.  Reheat, add sugar and bring to a boil again.  Let boil for 10-15 minutes.  Strain well to remove all petals.

Add pectin and bring to a boil again, for about 10 minutes.  Ladle into clean hot sterilized jars and top with hot, sterilized lids.  Process in hot water bath canner according to regular jelly making directions (generally this is canning the jelly jars for 5-10 minutes at a rolling boil to ensure that lids seal).

Makes about 18 x 125 ml jars of jelly.  Beautiful gifts, for the perfect taste of summer in the midst of the winter season...

Spring weekend at the homestead

Dreaming of Dandelions

The ground is still covered in snow, but spring is just around the corner - in fact, it's literally here in just two days! I'm dreaming of the first fresh wild greens in our yard - nettles, purslane, and dandelions...which start to poke out their leaves in the next few weeks.

All parts of the dandelion are edible, and have long been used for medicinal and culinary uses. Dandelions are liver tonics, best taken in the spring when our overburdened winter livers need a good toning and cleansing. The roots can be steamed, sauteed or fried, or dried and used as tea (great with chickory root); the leaves fresh or steamed in salads, spanikopita, and stir-fries; the flowers battered or chopped into salads, even made into drinks (dandelion wine) or icecream! The leaves are rich in potassium, antioxidants and vitamins A and C. Harvest leaves and flowers when small and tender, generally mid-April to end of May, so they are not too bitter - and remember that urban harvesting should be done carefully in non-sprayed, non-toxic areas (and away from dog walking zones too).

Here are some recipes taken from the latest Mother Earth News, featuring dandelions as the main ingredient!

Wilted Dandelion Salad
1 block firm tofu, cubed and marinated, then fried until crisp
1 small red onion, diced
2 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 bunch dandelion greens, wash and dried, stems removed
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Fry tofu in skillet until crisp. Add onion and stir in sugar and cider vinegar. Pour hot dressing over the greens, tossing greens so as to coat them with dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Dandelion Salad with Fresh Goat Cheese and Apples
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 bunch dandelion greens, washed and dried, stems removed
1/4 lb fresh white goat cheese, crumbled into pieces
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and dry roasted (if desired)
1 apple, cored and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

Whisk vinegar, oil, mustard, honey, salt and pepper together. Pour over greens and toss lightly. Top with goat cheese, nuts and apples.

Dandelion & Mushroom Calzone
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb mushrooms (shiitake is best), sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch dandelion greens, washed and dried, stems removed
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 lb whole wheat pizza dough
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 500F (or fire up your outdoor cob oven, as we do for best pizza results!). In large skillet heat 2 Tbsp oil. Add mushrooms and garlic, and cook overmoderately high heat, stirring occasionally until mushrooms begin to brown. Add dandelion greens and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt nad pepper and set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll or stretch out dough to form two 10 inch rounds. Transfer dough rounds to floured baking sheet or pizza pan. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese on half of each round, leaving 1 inch border. Add dandelion and mushroom mixture to the cheese layer, and top with remaining shredded cheese. Fold the dough over to enclose the filling, forming a half circle. Press and crimp the edges together to seal. Using a knife, poke a hold or two in the top. Brush calzones with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Bake for 11 minutes or until calzones are crisp and turning golden. Cut them in half and serve hot.