|
Our yard is begining to be covered with those beautiful,
cheerful, yellow flowers that are known as dandelions.
Sadly, many people consider the sweet little darlings to be
a nuisance and an unwanted weed. Yards are sprayed and
doused with chemicals each spring to prevent the beneficial
plants from spoiling well-manicured lawns. This is sad to
me. I recall living in a subdivision when I was a child
where spraying for dandelions was the norm and those who
did not conform where ridiculed by neighbors. We begged
our mom to spray, but she wisely refused. So, we were
picked on by the other neighborhood children for having a
yellow lawn. These days I often have a little mason jar
stuffed full of dandelions sitting proudly in the middle of
our table. I understand now why my mom liked the flowers
and it is just too bad for all of those ladies who missed
out on fists full of dandelions for the sake of green
grass.
I have many more reasons for loving dandelions, too. They
are chock full of good vitamins and minerals and make a
wonderful food source...that happens to be free! Here I go
again, telling you about free food that grows without your
help right out in the backyard! Send those kids outside
and start them picking! Dandelions are good sources of
iron, calcium, vitamins a and c, magnesium and more. They
are are very beneficial to the liver and the urinary tract.
They make an excellent spring tonic and cleanse and purify
the blood. The easiest way to eat them is by picking the
young greens and adding them to salads. You can also pick
the yellow blossoms and gently fry them in a bit of flour,
egg, and butter. We like to make dandelion jelly...
Dandelion Jelly
4 cups boiling water
3 cups dandelion blossoms
2 cups honey
2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 TB orange juice
1 box of sugar free pectin (follow directions)
Allow blossoms to simmer in the water for 30-45 minutes and
strain out. Add honey and juices. Follow directions for
adding the pectin. Pour jelly into clean, sterile glass
jelly jars. Allow to set up until jelly is thick. Enjoy
as a delicious spread for biscuits or muffins!
**Visit my etsy store...www.farmsteadorganic.etsy.com!
|
