Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Visioning Porch Time ~ Dandelions

I've been watching the location of the sunrise each morning, and it's getting closer and closer to "porch time" once again.

Until then, I continue to clean and organize.  I'd like to do some stencil painting in one room, but I'll have to wait for open-window weather.


I am looking forward to spring dandelions.  I recently borrowed this book from the library.  It is packed with recipes and many tea recipes.  I'm looking forward to trying a few new ones.  One in particular. 

We warmed up to a -2°F this morning.  Once again we'll dip below zero tonight, but then the snow will fall.  Maybe I'll get my Hemingway book read, after all.
 



10 comments:

Mama Pea said...

Funny but I've been thinking of things I want to do around the house that require "open window weather" too! It will happen. It will happen.

Lawdy, lawdy we are scheduled for a 20 ABOVE reading today and Sunday and Monday. That will feel like utter spring time!

That dandelion book looks intriguing. The only experience I've had using them was trying a couple of times to cook the greens (I know you have to get the greens when they are young and tender), but they were awful each time. Maybe I need that book!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, I've made the dandelion jelly, but the kids love our Queen Anne's better (a stronger flavor and less work). I read that dandelion is full of calcium, so I'll have to pick before farmer's spray around here.

Mary said...

As in Queen Anne's Lace? I remember my 6th grade science teacher, a great one for taking our class on nature walks, a real Euell Gibbons type, teaching us about many of the old uses of Queen Anne's Lace, one of which was as a dye I believe as well as medicinal uses and one other thing I recall was he said it's also called the wild carrot.. but he also scared the heck out of us, and this really stuck with me, the poisonous plant hemlock looks almost the same and foragers have mistaken the two.

EMMA said...

My neighbor does a sort of spring detox every year with the young dandelion leaves in salad but try as I might I don't like the taste. Would be interested to hear about tea recipes maybe they taste a little better.
still snowing here so not much chance of seeing any flowers just yet.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Emma, years ago I dug up dandelion root and made tea that way. For me the flavor was too strong, but I hope to try some new things this spring.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mary, yes, hemlock looks like it but it doesn't grow on our property. A few years ago, I actually went around the property and identified everything I could (and kept a nature journal). I use the flower part, and make a tea, and then make the jelly with that. The recipe I use actually comes from a book I bought at a book sale. And with all plants, I am sure there are rules regarding pregnant woman and eating it too.

RB said...

Cold and rainy and damp here, but thankfully, no snow this time - good snuggling under the comforter weather.

Our mother use to love to eat dandelion green salad and wilted dandelion greens fried with diced onions. She said it was delicious. I tried it many times, but each time I found it too bitter for words. I've seen dandelion jelly made with the flowers; it's a gorgeous yellow and makes me curious as to its taste.

God bless.

RB
<><

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

RB, as a child, my mother made us dandelion fritters. I didn't like them at all. I have made the jelly, and posted the link in today's post. It is pretty, but has a very mild flavor.

Sam I Am...... said...

You have the neatest books at your library!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Sam I am, I do order many of the books through the "interloan" program, where we can order from other libraries and have it delivered to our local library.