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!

How To Find Connection In A Disconnected World

Two  of my boys drape overstuffed chairs in my sister's cozy living room. Papa lounges on the couch, and he's telling tales of his days: stories that captivate and entertain, stories that weave a past, fabric to clothe and secure future generations.

A light breeze stirs these words that eddy, words bringing past to life, words concrete and meaningful in an age where words evaporate into seas of cyberspace and text messaging. Lilac smell drifts in the room, mingling with talk of high school days in the chemistry lab. There are laughs and pauses, silences and dialogues...all part of this incredible living history, the boys' history, our story.

Ben wears a pair of Papa's glasses...Papa is an amazing story teller! And they're all true (right, Papa?)

And in the end, isn't that what matters? The stories? The words that link heart and history, that connect time and space, that hammer our days into a rich existence? Because it's not just enough to survive. It's not just enough to make it through....

And where do we turn to know the past, to unearth treasure, to find the truth? We look to our grandfathers. And our grandmothers. The quiet woman sitting with greyed hair in a wheel chair, the stooped man sweeping the corners of the grocery store,  the farmer- skin furrowed by sun and harvest- leaning on the railing by the country store....treasure. They all have a past, brimming with life, waiting to be shared. What has happened when we no longer want to hear the stories of life? Of humanity? Of us? What happens to us when we stop listening, when we no longer find the value in the stories that make us who we are?

We become poor. Because without a past, there is no future. Without connection, we fall apart. Without caring and compassion, we become sterile and lifeless.

Paul says in the Bible:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2Corinthians 4:16-18)

As Christians know the truth:  with age, people only become more precious. Though our bodies are decaying, our minds are becoming stronger and wiser in Christ every day. We actually become more valuable as we age. Contrary to what the world teaches, our worth is not measured by our perceived usefulness.

But it's not enough to know it. We have to live it. Can you do something  to minister to someone older today? Perhaps write a letter to a relative, make a phone call to a shut-in,  talk to that man at the country store, visit an elderly neighbor? Most likely, you will be the one that is most blessed.

Why I Love Him

John Paul took these two lovely pictures of Spring in bloom. I like that he wants to use my camera, and I like that as he was walking around looking for a good picture he said, "Mother, the barn swallows are back!"
He was always our big "birder"....drawing birds, listening to bird songs, and even buying himself a camera to take bird pictures. Then it all seemed to come to a halt. Sometimes I think during the teenage years those interests go into hibernation; every now and then, however,  they spark, and the flame shines through. He still has his 'first love.'

Travis came home last night, and within the first hour managed to cheerfully repair many of the things that broke while he was away!
So...if I'm not posting as much as usual, if you get lots more pictures than words, please know that my heart is back in house and home...cooking more, cleaning more, trying to pamper the man that makes this happy, crazy home, our little nest.....a reality!

He works so hard to make my dreams come true, and that's why I love him!

Spring

 How I love a sunny day in Spring! The cows escaped today, and after having some fun with them in the yard (Emily was riding one like a horse!), Ben and I fixed the fence. Down at the barn my spirits soared when I saw that the Barn Swallows have made their return!! I am so happy that we can provide a nesting site for these lovely birds. They are the ultimate recyclers, as they reuse the same nests every year.

We've been having lots of eggs for breakfast....it's that time of year. Is there any comparison between the rich golden color of a farm egg and the pale yellow color of a store egg? Now I know all eggs come from farms, but that's how my kids distinguish food grown at home and food from the store....farm egg or store egg, cow's milk or store milk. Mary Margaret couldn't believe it (just last year) that the milk sold in stores comes from cows, too!

The children spent most of the day making a "village." They all made forts...Emily and Sam were running a flower and sandwich shop, and Oliver was the banker. They stayed busy all day in their forts, while I cleaned inside..with the windows open!

Here are the flowers bagged up to sell...amongst the hundreds of cans of tomatoes I bought dirt cheap at Martin's in the fall. I had actually bought two tubs that size, but we have used one of the tubs.

The children made their 'stores' in the basement and the surrounding out buildings...

A friend of mine told me about the Weight Watcher's cabbage soup...It is delicious. Sure to become a favorite!

I hope you are enjoying Spring, and that wherever this day finds you, you will have many blessed moments~