Chickweed...It's What's For Dinner!

Do folks trample potential dinner fare, abundant treasure trod underfoot? Or worse yet, are nutritionally rich "salad greens" killed chemically in the name of the 'perfect lawn?' Next time you weed out those dandelions or yank up some wood sorrel, think about tossing it into the salad bowl instead of the compost pile!

For years I have been interested in and reading about wild edlibles. Not only are they free, healthy, abundant, and easy to use...they may become a necessity in years to come. It is only recently that I have been using Nature's harvest consistently in my diet. Yesterday on my walk I gathered an abundance of Chickweed for my salad. Today Travis is taking the boys hunting for wild mushrooms (Morel). There is something very satisfying about foraging and consuming wild foods.

Pictured here is the graceful  seed stalk of the Shepherd's purse plant, named for its delicate heart shaped seed purses. I love the way each little seed pocket gracefully suspends from the stalk, gently cupping upward. The base leaves of the Shepherd's purse can be used as salad greens or cooked like spinach.

Here is the feature of my walk...the lush prolific chickweed carpeting the floor of the pine woods. My sister, Colleen, made me a lovely salve concocted from chickweed, beeswax, olive oil, and essential oils. It smells so good and earthy and can be used for all manner of purposes: cuts, dry skin, rashes, insect bites....I love it!

Colleen's husband, an amazing chef at the Clifton (in Charlottesville) has been using fresh foraged chickweed in his cooking. Chickweed usually grows in abundant patches, and the top tips of the plant should be harvested, flower and all..and used as is (in salads) or cooked like spinach. if you are serious about using any wild edible, here is the man you want to get to know : Wildman Steve Brill

Foraging can quickly become a creative and enjoyable pastime! A word of caution, however: Please make sure you know what you are doing! Identifying edible plants is not hard! But there is some know-how involved, and some plants do have poisonous look-alikes. Don't let it scare you; for the most part all the edible plants that you would ever want to eat are very easy to identify! Start out with something easy and go from there.

I continued on my walk, savoring the beauty of the valley in Spring...all newness of life cloaked in green...

The next picture was from a couple of days ago. Doesn't it look different? Still beautiful in its own way.

I love looking out my kitchen window in Spring... seeing the laundry blowing in the breeze, the apple tree blossoms, mint coming up in the 'Mary garden,' chickens scurrying under window, children's loudness carrying in, blue of mountain a backdrop to unfolding green...

And there's a funny happiness and satisfaction that comes from perfecting cream biscuits...the perfect accompaniment to sauteed chickweed!
Oh...and here's the recipe for the biscuits:  How To Make The Best Biscuits Ever

Happy Foraging!

A Little About Beetles And Oatmeal Cookies

All the children insisted we walk yesterday, despite my pleadings to stay warm and cozy inside. They wouldn't hear of it! So we braved the cold....See the snow falling on the mountains (pictured above) ?

Mary Margaret packed her Teddy, a basket to collect treasures, and a journal to make little pictures of what she saw. The boys were intent on building forts.

By the time we got to the pine woods, or at least what is left of the pine woods, the sun had come out. It was still blustery and very cold, but the sun warmed, anyway!

Unfortunately, the pines are slowly being destroyed by Pine Beetles. When I was young, I watched a favorite pine forest get completely stripped by Pine beetles, so I had a suspicion the same pest was responsible here. Our investigations confirmed my theories.

photo courtesy:  NFS

The children learned about the role the bark plays in protecting the tree, and how a minute creature can cause widespread devastation. These beetles are only as big as a half a grain of rice (half of a wheat berry, Oliver said). Their numbers are so great, they do massive damage. Doesn't Nature teach us life lessons in such a gentle manner? There is strength in numbers, and it can be for good or bad. Even the little good we do has great effects. Conversely, the poor choices we make also affect everyone. There is no such thing as a "personal" sin.

Before we left the pines, we found evidence of another insect pest. Do you know what this is? I don't. I can see where the insects exited the gall, but I don't know what made it.

We headed home; no-one wanted to leave. A good friend of mine's mother used to say "Always leave the party while you're still having fun." I think that's good advice with children, too. Head home, if possible, before everyone is cold and fussy and dying to leave.

When we got home, Emily gave me the nicest compliment I've ever had in my life. She said:

"I love the way our house is always cozy and warm with good things to eat."

Doesn't it make it all worth it to hear something like that? I may only hear that once, from one child, but I'll take it, and remember it forever. It's a handle to lean on for the not-so-complimentary days.

When Emily said that, we had just made oatmeal cookies. I actually used all whole wheat flour, and only brown sugar. The children loved them! I'll end by posting the recipe.

Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks butter melted  (I melt in microwave)
1 Cup brown sugar  (stir into melted butter with a spoon)
1 tsp vanilla  (stir into butter-sugar mixture)
1 egg  (again, stir into mixture)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (stir in)
1/4 tsp cloves (stir in)
1 tsp baking soda (stir in)
1 3/4 cups of flour (stir in- I used whole wheat. You can use white or a combination of the two)
2 cups oats (stir in)
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (stir in)

Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
This recipe is adapted from: Winnie The Pooh's Cookie Book.
Have fun!

Please remember to leave a link to your blog in our Kindred Spirit's Connect corner. Click on the link under the Kindred spirits logo and enter the URL of your special place..and Thank you!

A Lovely Day

A friend of mine came to our home to celebrate her birthday on Tuesday. Our conversation led to the topic of clutter. We decided that sometimes, in the name of "decluttering," we can make our homes stark and unappealing. It is the small touches that make a house a home. I found the wooden fruit stand (pictured above) at our local thrift store, for a dollar. I like the home we made for our little wooden bird.

Speaking of friends, we were graced today with a visit from Molly, our long-time, treasured friend. She taught English to Travis many years ago, and she held Will, our first born, when he was only minutes old. Molly came through our doors,  bursting with her contagious charisma and enthusiasm. She brought some wonderful gifts for the children. Molly never had children of her own, but you would never know it. She knows just what children like and want!

Molly prepared the most darling valentine kit for Mary Margaret, and she brought Sam a VERY cool electronic kit. Needless to say, the children were busy all day!

John Paul played with the set for about three hours this evening. He said: "You can really learn a lot using these things!" What I love about this kit is that you DO learn a lot, but the projects are very easy and snap right together. My nine and ten year olds easily do these on their own.

Emily was busy today making valentines and "frames" for her special pictures. She has detailed some of her craft ideas on her blog: Mish Mash Dezine

Molly brought a special gift for me, too. I can't wait to start reading  this book!

We had tortellini soup for lunch. So easy to make. Recipe follows picture.

Saute a chopped onion in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add two small (I think 14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Turn down. Add six cups of chicken stock and one small package of chopped frozen spinach. Add seasoning: salt to taste, Italian seasoning (about 3 tsp), garlic powder (about 1 tsp). Simmer a couple of minutes. Add one can of drained kidney beans, then one package of cheese tortellini. You could add Italian sausage, too, but I prefer to serve this soup meatless. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I like this soup because you can put it together so quickly-  about 10- 15 minutes, start to finish.

To accompany the Tortellini soup, I made cheese-herb bread. This morning I made cream biscuits for breakfast. I had doubled the recipe, so for lunch I took the remaining biscuits, sliced them in half, buttered them, sprinkled them with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and cheese. Then I broiled them for about 2-3 minutes. Makes a great snack, too!

All and all, it was a lovely day. And now comes the best part....goodnight!

Just One Crumb

 "The sky is the daily bread of the eyes."~ Emerson 

I look at their sweet faces and am made giddy. We pray together and they say, "Mom, why are you so silly tonight?"
"I can't help it. I am so happy to be here with you, praying, just being together."

Nature, my children...they ARE sustenance to me. But I know there is something even more solid. Can there possibly be more than mother love?

"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the WORD OF THE LORD STANDS FOREVER." ~1Peter1:24

MY DAILY BREAD NEEDS TO BE HIS WORD.

We become what we feed on. If we watch meaningless or even immoral Television shows, read trashy books, and listen to crummy music, that's what we become. That is what we are choosing to sustain our souls: mental junk food. We can't go on forever feeding our minds with ugliness. WE have to  CHOOSE THE BEAUTIFUL.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." ~Philippians 4:8

Is it any coincidence that God chose the form of bread to be in Eucharistic Communion with his beloved?  He is the bread of life. Every time we go to Mass we are fed, nurtured by his own body, so that we are able to then FEED OTHERS.

Every day I need to take time to let Him speak to me through HIS words.Just as the five loaves of barley bread fed thousands,  a single crumb of his Holy Word can sustain me through the day!

And for some daily bread that you can put on your table, I highly recommend the following book:

Artisan Bread Baking In Five Minutes A Day

This book revolutionized bread baking for me!
One tip: use LESS salt than called for. For example, the basic recipe calls for 1 1/2 TBS salt. I use a scant TBS. The first loaf pictured (above) was made using the basic recipe and freshly ground wheat kernels. The cinnamon loaves were made using the buttermilk recipe, and then I iced them with a powdered sugar-milk icing.
This is how easy it is: While on the phone with a friend I mixed up the buttermilk dough in a big plastic container. No kneading. Just mix until all ingredients are combined. I left the dough on the counter. Two hours later, I shaped the dough and baked it. It really can't be more simple.

I was excited about these gingersnaps because I found a recipe that uses vegetable oil instead of butter!Here's the recipe:

Place ALL wet ingredients in a big mixing bowl:
3/4 C oil
1 C brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

STIR.

Add: 2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. ground cloves.

STIR.

Finally, stir in 2 1/4 C flour. Roll pieces of dough into one inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar, and place balls 2 in apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 min.