Quote of the Day: Wild Food

What wild food could be more common than dandelions? We all know what they are. Even children in New York high-rises have probably picked and blown on the feathery white glove of seeds, as children everywhere do. Those ethereal floating seeds land then grow into the tasty and nutritious plant that all gardeners wish a speedy death. It wasn’t always so. European settlers brought dandelions to the New World as a necessity for medicine and food. The young leaves emerge in late winter, providing large doses of vitamins A and C just when they are needed after a winter diet. Traveling with us, dandelions have been brilliant in colonizing every sate. Where’s their habitat? Anywhere we are.

Connie Green and Sarah Scott The Wild Table: Seasonal Foraged Food and Recipes

Oddly enough, I have a few dandelions in my basement right now. They are growing out of a few of the potted trees I overwinter down there. Now that the grow light is on, the dandelions are lush and green. I’ll be harvesting them this week for a meal.

Even though there’s still snow outside, the wild spring greens will be here before we know it. I know my body is craving the bitterness that they will bring to my plate.

Do you eat dandelions?

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Old Wisdom

As I look out my window and more snow and ice that fell on Wed/Thurs, I’m thankful that I waited a little later than usual to start my seedlings.  I had a feeling that spring would be long in coming.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the old wisdom that told you to plant things when other natural elements were at a certain stage (aka phenology). This is much better than the current “8 weeks before last frost” that most gardening books and seed packets give.


A few that I have heard are:
“Sow corn when the oak leaves are the size of mouse’s ears”
“Once the forsythia are in bloom, it’s time to direct sow your cool-season crops in the vegetable garden. These include: spinach, lettuce, peas, carrots, chard, beets, and radishes.”
“Plant potatoes when the first dandelions bloom”
“Plant tomatoes when lily-of-the-valley are in full bloom”

What planting wisdom have you heard?

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Friday Favorite: New Meals

It’s always great to discover a new meal that you love.  A few weeks ago I made sourdough naan for a party.  The next morning, while making breakfast, I spotted them in a container and tried to think of how to incorporate them into my breakfast.  I was in the process of scrambling eggs, which are on the menu most mornings.  I remembered the cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeños in the fridge, spotted an avocado on the counter along with a red onion nearby and remembered the cilantro that had been chopped to top soup the night before.

I made a batch of guacamole, fried up the onion and then put it all in the naan. It was delicious and now it’s one of Mr Chiot’s favorite breakfasts. Discovering a new way to eat something you every day is always great. I’m looking forward to enjoying this in the summer with garden fresh tomatoes on top!

Have you discovered any great new meals recently?

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Jewels

Since we try to eat seasonally we’ve been enjoying a lot of root vegetables with our dinners. Carrots, celeriac, parsnips, beets, potatoes and a few others. Not only are a delicious break from summer vegetables, they are very warming from the inside. Root vegetables help our bodies produce energy to stay warm!


Last night we enjoyed a mix of purple carrots and golden beets, they were beautiful and delicious. They are so colorful, just like jewels!

Potatoes also grace our plates quite often, I grow loads of them in the garden. Every year I more and more winter storage crops to my must grow list. They are well worth the effort and time.

What’s your favorite root vegetable?

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Patiently Waiting

As I was thinking about what to write about for the 5×5 Garden Challenge post this week, I realized I don’t really have much.  I’m patiently waiting for it to thaw out.  This forecast isn’t helping, snow, and lots of it.

I am seeding things indoors, but nothing for the 5×5 Garden. What I need to do it get out my seeds and plan out where I’m going to be planting things when it finally does thaw. Here’s my post from last year about planning your garden.

Is the big winter storm going to be affecting your garden? Or are you happily soaking up sun in the South?

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