Let It Snow....Winter Foraging Pt 2, Chickweed, Bittercress and a few other things

It's a most unusual winter this year. It's actually colder here in Texas than it is in parts of Alaska. While the east coast is enjoying spring-like weather, the western US is having record cold temperatures and blizzards.  In the south, it's been a record year of rainfall and tornadoes.  In east Texas, we usually have between 34-45 inches annually and already in 2015 we've gotten 67.77 inches as of yesterday. Here in the south we are in the process of hiring a construction company to construct an ark for us because it seems there's more water than dry land.  I try to remember as I slog through the mud and watch the horses and chickens do the same, that I should give thanks in everything.  I can tell you one thing, all that rain and mild temps are great for winter foraging. Now is a great time to watch the ground for tender, tasty greens and grab them while you can.

I was at the feed store yesterday getting hay and saw vast amounts of dandelions growing along the sides of the building and up against the steps going into the store and got to thinking about a wild salad or a wild stir fry and knew that's what I wanted to tell you about today.

Before I do that, I have a few other things I wanted to share with you. Occasionally I come across something that I find so wonderful and share worthy that I cannot keep it to myself.  I have 3 things I wanted to quickly tell you about:
1)  One Second After by William Fortschen and One Year After also by Mr Fortschen.  I had a friend tell me about these books that tell the story of the aftermath of an EMP and that they were so interesting he literally stayed up all night reading them,  I ordered them from Amazon and read half of One Second After last night before bed and he was right, it's hard to put down. It's equally hard to read as well. though.  It makes you reevaluate your habits and dependencies.  I was busy making notes as I read, of things I needed to do to be better prepared for any type of devastation that could come.  If you practice any kind of prepping, you probably have read it, but if not...you have to read these books.
2) Golden Milk. I came across the recipe as I was searching for a detox tea and it looked good in the picture and sounded good, so I made some.  It was good!  It has turmeric and ginger which are both good for detoxing but also have anti inflammatory properties. I'm a retired runner and my knees hurt much of the time so I decided to try this to see if it could help the pain.  I've only been drinking the concoction for 2 days so I can't testify to the pain relief but I can tell you it tastes so good, I'd drink it even if it didn't do anything at all. I tried a few recipes and the link above is the best.  I used fresh turmeric and grated it but the recipe here uses powdered turmeric and that's much more common to find than turmeric root. Doesn't stain your hands yellow either.

3) War Room. While I do enjoy a good, wholesome movie, this one isn't exactly what I would pick but because it is so powerful and so important, I'm overlooking some of my preferences and recommending it.  If you are soon to be married or are married, this could be a boon to you.  I gave it to my family members this Christmas. I encourage you to just buy the movie because you'll want to watch it over and over again.

Okay, now to the foraging part.  Let's talk about Chickweed and Bittercress.  These two tender greens L-O-V-E the winter. It can be 10 below and they will still thrive.  Both are so abundant that they are invasive, you'll do your lawn and your body a favor by eating them!  I usually share a medicinal plant as well as a strictly edible plant but this week these are both pretty much just edibles.  They both have mild medicinal properties but none that have been verified by me so we're just going to enjoy these as a nice, green winter treat.

Chickweed (stellaria media)...

,,, is found in virtually every corner of the world and its appearance doesn't vary from one place to another so it's super easy to ID and safe to eat.  When I was in my teens and first learning about foraging, this was the very first wild edible I tried.  I gathered a mess of it and made a bechamel sauce and wilted the chickweed into it - much like a creamed spinach.  It was tasty, but then, what isn't good in  gravy?  Now days, I prefer it in a salad over cooked because it's so delicate that I like to keep it as unadulterated as possible.  You'll find Chickweed growing beside buildings and in flower bed and sometimes around the base of trees.  In the spring it will have tiny, white  flowers with many petaled heads and vibrant green, somewhat heart shaped leaves.  The plant dies off as summer heat sets in but as soon as cool fall weather comes around, they come up en masse and will stay all winter long until they die off again in early summer. Locate a patch of it and just pull up the entire plant.  The stems are thin and spindly so it's easy to do so.  Wash them, pick off any yellowed or dead leaves and give them a quick chop.  You can pick each individual leaf off if you want but it's tedious to say the least so I just leave the stems in.  They are tender and mild, much like spinach.

Bittercress (cardamine hirsuta)...

...Bittercress (hairy bittercress) is a member of the Brassica family which also includes cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli and, like it's relatives, is pungent and flavorful.  the roots of the Bittercress can be harvested and mashed with a mortar and pestle and mixed with sour cream to make a sauce that is similar to mild horseradish.  The leaves are spicy and peppery and certainly liven up an ordinary salad. Like Chickweed, it can be eaten raw or sauteed lightly. It also has a long pagan history and is mentioned in the 10th century Germanic poem Woden and The Nine Herbs Charm as being one of the folklore herbs in the charm that is used to cure snakebite and poisoning. If you don't know if you have Bittercress growing near you, just look at the picture below, of the Bittercress seed pod and I bet you'll know then.

They stick to everything.  Eat them now so you'll have less to deal with later!

If you've ever wanted to forage but have been a little scared you'd get the wrong thing. these are the plants to start with.  Enjoy!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow....Let's Go Winter Foraging: Acorns and Pine Needles.

Just because it's nearing winter doesn't mean there's nothing to forage.  Granted there isn't much greenery but there is still abundant food sources. I've selected a few common fall/winter foraging foods to talk about and over the next few posts I'm going to tackle a couple of them each time so I can give you some in depth information about each one.

You might decide to forage in the winter just to familiarize yourself with what's out there or you may forage because you want to stretch your winter food budget or because of other personal security reasons. Whatever the reason, take a special note of today's selections - I think they are super important because of how common they are and because of their awesome nutritional values.

Today I'm discussing Acorns and Pine Needles..............

Acorns (particularly as flour products) have long been a staple of indigenous peoples diets and only within the last 100 years have they fallen out of favor as a food.  They are labor intensive so they became known a "poor people food", it was just easier to go buy wheat flour and truthfully, wheat flours makes a far superior bread due to the gluten content, whereas acorn flour is a starch and has no gluten.  There are other plants and roots that can be used as flours and/or starches but we're sticking with acorns today. Acorn flour will sustain and nourish you in a survival situation but you probably won't find it as satisfying as that soft, white Sunbeam bread.  Even so, Sunbeam won't be around when TSHTF so you need to have a backup plan and acorns will provide that.

As I mentioned earlier, they are labor intensive to convert into flour, but not so much that you will find it unworthy of your time. Acorns have tannins (different species have different tannin levels) and if you don't leach the tannins out prior to processing, you will have a bitter flour that will stain your teeth. dry your mouth up and can cause considerable constipation. Makes you excited to eat them huh?? lol. Okay, here we go.....
First thing you need to do is locate the species of oak you have growing near you.  Take a pic of the leaves and acorns from the tree(s) you have and look them up on Google and determine the species you have then you'll know how to process each one so it tastes best. I found an acorn webpage that has a wealth of good info on this wild nut and some recipes too.  It has a list of the best tasting acorns, which I thought was a great addition!

Acorns aren't just utilized as flour, they have a respectable amount of nutrients and are a decent source of protein, high Vitamin B and are a good source of minerals.  This makes acorns very versatile and are used as a coffee substitute, cooked and eaten as you would a chestnut, added to soups and even pressed to extract their oil to use in external applications such as massage oil.

Humans have eaten acorns for about as long as there have been humans.  The Greeks were one of the first people to utilize them as a flour, alone or combined with wheat or barley flour, and used to make bread.  The Confederate soldiers used acorns as a coffee substitute during the Civil War when the north cut off supply routes (take note of this fact, it might come in handy soon <wink, wink>) as did the Germans in WW1 and WW2.  The Germans called it Ersatz which literally means substitute and that name has turned into Ersatzkaffee which is still available as a product called Postum - a grain based hot beverage.  Acorns were dried, crushed and roasted to make "coffee" but it didn't resemble the taste of coffee at all except in that it's served as a hot drink and I'm sure as they were fighting a war in the brutal winter, it was a very welcome treat, regardless.

Oak trees and their acorns were a symbol of strength, longevity and family legacy.  Our Scandinavian, European and Germanic ancestors valued the oaks so much that the acorns were used as emblems on the shields they carried into battle and as military uniform patches,

 



Preparing acorns is a lengthy, but not overly so, process.  It's very rewarding to know that you have made flour or coffee from these lowly nuts.  Also, if you look back at my post on Yaupons, you'll see that you can roast the leaves as a substitute for coffee as well and they have a big supply of caffeine.  Add some roasted Yaupon leaves to the roasted acorns and you have a very acceptable coffee substitute. The same website I listed above that detailed the different species of oak according to taste also has the instructions to process the acorns from start to finish to make anything acorn you might want. There's even a recipe for a acorn flour cake that is the best I've ever had.

Next, let's talk about the wonderful Pine tree.  It's versatile in so many ways.  You can make your home smell good, make a waterproof short-term survival shelter, make pitch to waterproof a boat or building, it's nutritional and medicinal and it's awesome tinder to start a quick fire.  But since we're talking foraging here, we'll just stick to the edible qualities of the Pine.

A great way for a beginner to get an introduction to using Pine as food is to make Pine Needle Tea.  It's easy and nutritious - Pine needles have 5 times the Vitamin C of a lemon and is very useful as a survival food but is very useful medicinally, too.  It is used to treat coughs, colds, sore throats, hypertension, urinary ailments, as an antidepressant and numerous other uses.  While most all of the Pine is edible, not every Pine species is suitable.  There are 3 species of Pine/evergreen that should NEVER be consumed because they are toxic and arbortifacients in both animal and human, so be sure and avoid these.  Let's get these details out of the way:

The toxic Pine family are:
Yew (Taxus)

Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)

Norfolk Island Pine (Araucana heterophylla)

The safest Pine for beginners is the White Pine (Pinus strobus), which is also one of the most commonly found.

Let's make some tea!!

Pine Needle Tea
Gather a good sized handful of White Pine needles, chop small and place in mug.  Pour 8-10 oz boiling water over the needles, cover and set aside to steep.  As soon as the needles have settled to the bottom, the tea is ready (about 30 mins). Warm back up if necessary, add some honey or orange juice for sweetness, if desired and enjoy!

Hope For The Best, Prepare For The Worst

Usually my life is chaotic but lately I've had a lot of down time and too much time to think and stew for me is a recipe for T-R-O-U-B-L-E, I usually end up getting in political debates with people on facebook but I channeled that brainpower into something constructive this time. I've been wanting to do an instructable blog about making your own MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) and since I had some down time last couple of weeks, this is what has come out of it.

I know everybody and their grandma is on the Emergency Food Supply bandwagon lately and I know how expensive it is.  I ordered a couple of buckets of MRE's from Mountain House and thought, how do people stockpile this stuff?? I paid around $67.00 a bucket for 12 packages and I know several people who have $$$$ invested in these MRE's!!!  I didn't like the food choices nor the variety, it just wasn't the foods my family would eat. I know in a SHTF scenario beggars can't be choosers but when we are without our basic comforts that we're used to like running water, electricity and convenient foods in the fridge, we will want something that will make us feel like it's not the end of civilization. That something is food.  Food comforts us, nourishes us and lifts our spirits and makes a difficult time more bearable.  I decided to figure out how to make my own MRE's using recipes that my family liked so when times are hard we will have that extra security knowing we are at least eating and eating well.  I found several websites and blogs by people who were already doing this (I was shocked that I wasn't the only person doing it! LOL) but most were vacuum sealing convenience foods like crackers, granola, jerky, etc and that's not what I wanted. I wanted FOOD. I found a website for Thrive Life Emergency Food http://www.thrivelife.com/shop and they had an awesome recipe database but the recipes are geared toward families who use dried foods at home as a way of cooking and most of the recipes required 30%-70% fresh ingredients with the remainder being the dried foods. Since I am wanting to create entire meals to be used in an emergency situation, I didn't find that too practical. I mean, when the grocery stores are empty or there's a natural disaster and you can't leave your house to go to town, what are the chances you're going to have breadcrumbs or tortillas or fresh fruit just laying around? Not likely, I'd say.  I wanted everything you'd need for a complete meal in one bag and all you'd have to do is add boiling water.  When the world is in chaos, you need something to be easy.  I had a like-minded friend tell me that www.walmart.com  had a large dried food supply - who'd have thought? - so I looked into it and they do and it's quite reasonably priced as well! The name of the products are Auguson Farms so, that's where and what I ordered my supply to experiment with.

I ordered (either in dried or freeze dried) and it totaled up to be $197 (free shipping):
Onions
Celery
Bell Peppers
Carrots
Potato Chunks
English Peas
Broccoli
Cheese Powder
Cream of Chicken Soup
Tomato Powder
TVP Beef Crumbles
TVP Chicken Crumbles

I used my own herbs, spices, garlic, bouillons and salt that I already had and just added those to the pouches. These are big cans of product so you can make lots of MRE's before you run out. I spent last week making recipes and spent the morning today making pouches.  The pouches I used are food grade Mylar bags I ordered from Amazon and they came with the oxygen absorbers and they figured out to be around 38 cents each.

First MRE I made was Chicken Noodle Soup. I packaged the noodles in a separate little bag because they have to be cooked separately and heat (don't vacuum seal them, they'll puncture the bag) sealed them with my Nesco sealer.

So easy, now just measure out your ingredients and dump them in the Mylar bag and add an oxygen absorber.

Now, you need to seal the bag. Most home kitchen sealers won't vacuum or seal Mylar bags because they're slick and the machine needs a rough surface (like the plastic bags that come with the sealers)
but you don't need to vacuum seal it because you have the oxygen absorbers.  I use the cheapest flat iron hair straightener I could find and it works beautifully.  I seal one side, then move to the middle and seal, then squeeze out excess air and seal the other side - easy peasy.

Label and date the bag with a Sharpie......

Keep going until you make however many you want.  When you get ready to eat them, just boil the water and pour it right into the bag and let it sit 20-30 minutes and you have a complete meal. If there's a pasta packet in your meal, just remove that, add the water to the Mylar pouch and then put the pasta on to cook while your seasoning pouch is getting ready.

I mentioned the cost of pre-packaged MRE's but I didn't really break that down for you so you could really appreciate the savings you'll get by making them yourself...it's a lot cheaper.  I figured up that Mountain House MRE's are around $2.34 per serving (not including any shipping) and the DIY ones are only $1.10 per serving (including all shipping) and you have food your family recognizes and will enjoy eating.  I only made 5 different main dishes today just so I could show you how but I plan on making some breakfast meals next.  This is great for kids to help with too and learn some math in the process.

Pack them in buckets (doesn't have to be airtight, just needs a tight seal), label the contents and date. This 5 gallon bucket from the paint section at Walmart held all 12 main dish pouches.

I will add that I used TVP (soy based Textured Vegetable Protein) because it's a fraction of the price of freeze dried beef or chicken and still has a high protein level.  If you think you might be hunting to supply protein to your pouch, you can omit the dried animal protein or TVP and use your fresh meat.  I'm just not brave enough to bank on a steady supply of game right off the bat, so I added my own protein. All vegetables in the recipes are either dehydrated or freeze dried as well.

Now, want some recipes?  Of course you do!

Beef Stew (4-6 servings)
2 T cornstarch
1 c beef, freeze dried or TVP
3 T beef bouillon
1/4 c carrots, dehydrated
1/4 c English peas, freeze dried
1/4 c celery, freeze dried
1 c potato dices, dehydrated
1/3 c onions, dehydrated
2 T tomato powder (or instant tomato soup mix)
1 T Worcestershire powder
1 t garlic, minced, dehydrated
2 t dried basil
1 t black pepper
1/2 t salt
When ready to use, add 6 cups boiling water and let sit 20-30 mins.  May also be cooked in pot for 10 mins and let stand 10 mins.

Chicken and Potato Curry (4-6 servings)
2 t salt
1 t garlic powder
1 T curry powder
2 T garam masala powder
2 t cumin
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 c onion, dehydrated
1 1/4 c potato dices, dehydrated
3/4 c English peas, freeze dried
1/2 c broccoli, freeze dried
3/4 c carrots, dehydrated
3 T cream of chicken soup mix
1 1/2 c chicken, freeze dried or TVP
Add 5 1/2 c boiling water and let sit 20 mins to serve.May also be cooked in pot for 10 mins and let stand 10 mins.

Cheeseburger Soup (4-6 servings)
3/4 c beef crumbles, freeze dried or TVP
1/2 c onions, dehydrated
1/3 c celery, freeze dried
1/3 c carrots, dehydrated
3/4 t dried basil
3/4 t dried parsley
1/2 t dried dill weed
1 t chicken bouillon
2 1/4 c potato dices, dehydrated
1/2 c cream of chicken soup mix
1/3 c cheddar cheese powder
1 c powdered milk
1/2 t black pepper
3 T sour cream powder (may sub with 1/4 t citric acid)
Add 5 1/2 c boiling and let sit 20-30 mins to serve. May also be cooked in pot for 10 mins and let stand 10 mins.

Chicken Noodle Soup (4-6 servings)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t butter flavored granules
3 T carrots, dehydrated
1/3 c onions, dehydrated
1/3 c celery, freeze dried
1 c chicken, freeze dried or TVP
1/2 t Italian seasoning
1 T chicken bouillon
2/3 c chicken gravy mix
1/4 t citric acid
2 c egg noodles (packaged separately within pouch)
Add 6 c boiling water to pouch. Meanwhile, cook egg noodles in boiling water in pot till done. May also be cooked in pot for 10 mins and let stand 10 mins.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (4-6 servings)
2 c broken thin spaghetti (packaged separately within pouch)
1 c beef crumbles, freeze dried or TVP
2 t Italian seasoning
1/2 c tomato powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 c onions, dehydrated
1/2 c bell pepper, dehydrated
1/4 t fennel seeds
1 1/2 t salt
1 t black pepper
1 T beef bouillon granules
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, dried and packaged separately in the pouch
Add 6 c boiling water to pouch. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in boiling water in pot till done. May also be cooked in pot for 10 mins and let stand 10 mins.  Add Parmesan  as desired.

Whew! This is a long blog post, I know, but there's a lot of good info here!  Hope you enjoy experimenting with making your own MRE's.  I'll post new recipes and tips as I get them.  Enjoy!

An Unlikely Pair: Wild Persimmon and Beautyberry

Wild persimmons (diospyors virginiana). You either cringe when when you hear the name or you smile and think of the spicy deliciousness. If you've ever had an under ripe persimmon you know what I mean by cringing,  The unbearable bitterness of the under ripe fruit is so memorable that you will never make the mistake of biting into one again.  However, if you wait until the fruit is almost to the point of being overripe and spoiled, you will be rewarded with an indescribably tasty treat.  To me, a soft, squishy ripe persimmon tastes something like a pumpkin pie - just as spicy and just as sweet. The wild cousin contains vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants and fiber and it's sweet - in fact it's 25% sugar! Normally I wait until the first frost but I have heard of people picking the fruit while still under ripe and placing the fruit and some persimmon leaves in a paper sack for a few days and it ripens them. I don't have any firsthand experience with that - I just wait for a frost.

American Indians made fruit leather from persimmons, mashing up the entire fruit and spreading the pulp out on logs and rocks to dry.  When it was dried they removed the seeds and hung it from poles in their houses as a food source during the winter. Also, a nice fruit butter and a moist bread can be made from the persimmons but my favorite way to enjoy them is to make a version of the English dessert Sticky Toffee Pudding using persimmon puree and topped with a Salted Caramel Sauce - it's delicious.

Persimmon Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
1/3 C butter, softened
1 C white sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
2 C persimmon pulp
1 t baking soda
1/4 C hot water
2 1/2 C flour
3 C milk
Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and pulp. Dissolve baking soda in hot water and add to milk. Alternate adding milk and flour to persimmon mixture, mixing just enough to incorporate. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and spread mixture into pan and bake for 60-75 minutes or until set. Serve warm.

Salted Caramel Sauce
1 C heavy cream
1/3 C brown sugar, packed
2 T butter
1/8 t salt
Add all ingredients to a deep skillet or saucepan, bring to boil and cook on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Be careful while cooking, it tends to boil over!!

Even the persimmon seeds are useful. They can be dried, roasted and ground for a coffee substitute.  If you add a helping of roasted Yaupon Holly leaves, you have a coffee-like caffeinated beverage - a gift from the wild.  I remember going to visit my grandmother in the early winter and all of us cousins would go walking down the oil road, gathering persimmons. We didn't eat many but we did collect the seeds and crack them open to see the insides. Have you ever used a persimmon seed to predict the coming winter? According to early American folklore, the inner part of the seed comes in 3 different shapes - a spoon, a fork or a knife.

The shapes can be interpreted like this;
Fork - means it will be a mild winter
Spoon - means there will be a lot of snow
Knife - means it will be a hard winter with cutting winds

Whether it's accurate or not is up for debate, but kids (and adults) love to look at the seeds regardless!

Did you know persimmon wood is prized in furniture making?  It's in the same family as Teak, Ebony and Mahogony and it's considered an especially rare and beautiful wood.  Now, I'd argue the fact that it's rare because probably 60% of the trees here are persimmon but I can understand how it would be hard to come by - the trunks rarely get to be more than 4"-5" in diameter here.  Still, it is gorgeous wood isn't it?

The persimmon has several important medicinal uses depending on the stage of ripeness:
Anti diarrheal, laxative, soothes upset tummy, cough suppressant and several other ailments.  To see the list, here's a great website to explore.

American Beautyberry (callicarpa americana)
This is another of my favorite wild foods. It makes the best jelly, better than many other fruit jellies I've eaten and it's super plentiful.  Beautyberry grows well in zones 5-10, but are a nuisance the farther south you go.  Good thing they are useful! They bloom pink to white blossoms on long branches with large oval, serrated leaves in June-July, followed by heavy clusters of bright magenta BB-sized berries (make sure they are magenta berries - not white, those are not the edible ones!) in late August thru late October. The berries will remain on the plant long into winter, providing a food source for birds and other wildlife. If you just pick a berry and eat it, it's less than impressive but when cooked and the turned into jelly, it is magnificent.

I spoke at a conference in Arkansas a couple of months ago and Beautyberry was one of the featured plants.  I pointed out that it was an excellent money-maker for the stay-at-home mom or for anyone that wanted to make some extra money by making and selling the jelly.  I make hundreds and hundreds of jars of this jelly and sell the half pint jars for $3 each. I need only to buy jars, lids, sugar and pectin - the fruit is free for the picking.  It also makes a great gift item - just in time for Christmas!

Beautyberry Jelly
6 C Beautyberries
4 C water
1 pkg pectin powder
4 1/2 C sugar
Combine berries and water in pot, bring to boil and cook on med high for 20 minutes. Strain mixture through cheesecloth or a tea towel, squeeze as much liquid from the berries as possible and discard the solids (or give to the chickens, they LOVE them). Return the liquid to the pot, add pectin and bring to full boil. Add sugar all at once and return to full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, ladle into clean jars and seal.  Makes approx 6 half pints.

I know you can make wine from the berries but I never have, so I can't tell you how it tastes but there are a couple of recipes on the net that can give you some info, like this one:

 http://eattheweeds.com/forum/index.php/topic,2052.0.html

The leaves of the Beautyberry are an effective insect repellent - especially for fire ants and mosquitoes. Make an oil from the leaves and use that in a salve and you have homemade OFF and is just as effective as DEET!  The Agricultural Research Service (a branch of the USDA) spent probably a million dollars of your tax money studying it and if the info comes  from the government it MUST be true...right???  Any way, it really is pretty effective even with sweating,  but needs to be applied more frequently than OFF. Here's the recipe:

Beautyberry Insect Repellant (Homemade OFF)
3C water
1C Beautyberry leaves and stems, chopped
2T emulsifying wax (Amazon.com has it)
1/3 C almond or coconut oil
1 T Vitamin E oil
10 drops essential oil of your choice (eucalyptus, mint or rosemary is nice)
Put water and Beautyberry pieces in small saucepan and cook on medium low for 20 minutes, strain off solids and pour half of the liquid into a quart canning jar. Add emulsifying wax and almond or coconut oil to jar and sit jar in pan of hot water. As soon as wax is melted, whisk in Vitamin E oil and essential oil and the remaining HOT Beautyberry liquid. Place lid on jar and shake briskly until well blended.  Let sit at room temperature until completely set. If you notice the water separating, give the jar another shake.

Go make some Beautyberry jelly and some Persimmon Pudding to give as Christmas gifts and the lucky recipients will thank you forever!

Wild, Unbridled Passion....Passion Fruit and Goldenrod, That Is!

Who doesn't love a little passion? Especially if it's wild and it's free. Come on now!! I'm talking about Wild Passion Fruit - what did you think I meant?? I'm talking about one of those wild fruits that is almost as delicious as it is indescribable. It grows as a wild native in US Zones 5b-10 and is also known as Maypops and in those warmer climes it becomes invasive and a downright nuisance.  I could almost detest it if it weren't for the delicious fruits it produces. Its civilized cousin grows in tropical and subtropical regions and is also called Lilikoi.  It is red when ripe and slightly larger but lacks the sweetness of the wild version. Heck, it's even one of the state flowers of Tennessee! The Wild Passion Fruit (passiflora incarnata) is a vigorous, low growing vine that puts out three-lobed leaves in late May like this:


Followed by stunningly beautiful blooms like this in July:


Then by fruit in late August through September:


When the fruit is not yet ripe it has a most foul odor but as it ripens it becomes sweet smelling and perfumey - very tropical.  They are the color of Granny Smith apples when unripe but when they are ready to eat they will turn a lemony green color and fall from the vine. You'll find them laying on the ground all underneath the vines canopies, pick one up. break it open and just smell it. It's amazing, to say the least. Now, the seeds aren't quite as appealing to look at. They are a grayish green color and they are covered in a thick. squishy, juicy membrane. Yes, I know, it doesn't sound nice, but just taste them.....they are delicious.

And they make a fabulous jam! It doesn't taste quite like the fruits smell, more like pineapple when it's finished, but very tasty indeed. Great way to make a little extra money is to make jelly out of foraged fruits like this.  All you need is sugar and jars! Here's the recipe:

Wild Passion Fruit Jam
20 ripe passion fruit
juice of 1 lemon
4 c sugar
Scoop seeds out of the hulls and set aside. Reserve half of the hulls and place in a saucepan, cover with water and cook 30-40 minutes or until soft and translucent. Drain cooked hulls, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Let cool and scrape the flesh from the hulls. You will be left with a paper thin skin, discard that. Place the cooked pulp into a food processor and process until you have a puree. Add the seeds, puree, lemon juice and sugar into a deep saucepan, bring to a boil and cook on medium low heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Strain seeds out (if desired, I leave a few in there. They're crunchy and they make a nice contrast) skim and ladle into 4 oz jelly jars, seal. Makes nine 4 oz jars.

Now, jam isn't the only use for Passion Vine.  The leaves are a potent calming agent and sleep inducer. Just gather healthy green leaves and dry them slowly in a cool room on a cookie sheet or in a dehydrator then lightly crush them and add a tablespoon of the dried leaves to your favorite herbal tea blend and relax.  They are pretty potent and it's not recommended to use them more than 3 times a week.

The next plant I want to tell you about is Goldenrod (solidago canadensis).  Yep, I can hear some of you fussing already about seasonal allergies and blaming the poor Goldenrod for them but it's not the Goldenrod causing those allergies, it's the Ragweed plant.  It's easy to confuse the allergen source since they grow alongside eachother and they bloom about the same time. The species name, solidago comes from the latin word "solido" which means "to make whole" and that it does. Goldenrod is your friend and by the time you read about it, you'll agree with me!

This is a blooming Goldenrod as well as a closeup of the leaves:



Have you ever brushed up against a Bull Nettle plant and felt like you had been lit afire? It causes a painful burning sensation that can last for an hour.  Want that burn to stop immediately? Grab a handful of Goldenrod leaves, bruise them in your hand and rub them on the painful area - gone. Just like that. Teach your kids that and they won't come howling in pain! That's just one of its many redeeming qualities.....

Goldenrod blooms from late August to September and will last until early October, giving you plenty of time to harvest them.  It has many properties such as an antiseptic, antifungal, diuretic and antioxidant and has been historically used to treat urinary tract infections, kidney stones (although this is probably more folklore since it hasn't been medically proven yet), vaginal and oral yeast infections, diarrhea and minor skin irritations. It is also used as a substitute for tobacco in a pinch.   The blossoms are used to make oils for salves, soaps and ointments and the leaves and stem are used for tinctures and teas. I make an oil from the blossoms to make a healing salve that is very soothing for skin irritations such as poison ivy, heat rash or bug bites.  It has some anesthetic qualities so it's great for numbing the itchy areas too! Make the oil first by collecting 8-10 flower tops, place in a small crock pot and add 1 cup of either olive, almond,avocado or coconut oil and set on low, let it go for 24 hours. Strain and use the oil for salves, creams and soaps.  Here'e the recipe I use for the salve:
Stop the Itch Goldenrod Salve
1/2 cup Goldenrod oil
1/2 ounce beeswax, chopped
30 drops grapefruit seed oil
30 drops Vitamin E oil
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on low until beeswax is almost melted. Remove from heat and stir until wax is completely melted, pour into jars and store in a cool place.

If you like to make homemade lye soap you can add 1/2 cup Goldenrod oil and 1/2 cup dried Goldenrod blossoms to the soap for an anti itch soap.

If you're using it for tea, use the leaves and stems, dried slowly, and add 1 tablespoon to an herbal tea blend of your choice in 8 ounces of water, up to three times a day.

So....do you love Goldenrod now???? I hope so!

Thank you for reading my blog and get out there and forage!

The Wild Supermarket: Elder and Dock

The Wild Supermarket:  Elder and Dock

I'm always amazed at the secrets plants hold.  I shouldn't be I guess, because after all, our ancestors were healthy and knew how to use the same plants we have and because of that, we're here.  They used plant medicinals because that's all they had and while we have the luxury of doctors, Walgreens and CVS, that might not be the norm in the future.  Be prepared, whether it's because you fear an uncertain future or because you want to be healthy without chemicals or because you don't have money for medicines from the store, being prepared makes sense.

My very favorite herbal medicinal as of late is Elder (sambucus nigra) and after you learn about it, it will be one of your favorites too! It's very simple to identify and is one of those plants where nearly every part is useful. Below are photos of Elder foliage, flower and fruit:

    

As early as the 14th century Elder was being used in many ways from making pipes for smoking to being used as a tasty beverage and a powerful medicine. Elder is an adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon word aeld or Eldrun and loosely means "fire".  Probably because stems of the Elder are hollow and were used for making pipes for smoking or to blow on a fire to get it started. I thought that was pretty cool but if that weren't enough, there's more....

Elderflowers are used to make Elderflower Cordial, a sweet, perfumey elixir used to flavor just about anything you can think of from martinis to lemonade to club soda.  Want to wean yourself or your kids off of sodas and artificially flavored drinks? Elderflower Cordial might do the trick. This is made from the flowers of the Elder, gather responsibly from different locations - don"t eliminate your patch by over collecting in one area. Here's how to make it:

Elderflower Cordial

1 qt water

4 c sugar

2 lemons, thinly sliced into rounds

1 orange, thinly sliced into rounds

1 t citric acid

25 elderflower heads, stems removed (about 2 cups flowers)

Remove flowers from stems into large bowl or gallon glass jar,  Slice lemons and orange, add these to the flowers and then add the citric acid.  Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan till sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temp, pour over flower mixture and stir to combine. Cover and put in fridge for 3 days.  After 3 days, strain liquid thru cheesecloth into a quart jar and store in fridge. To serve, pour 1 to 3 tablespoons into a glass and add mixer of your choice.

Another wonderful product of the Elder is the berries. This is the part that just amazes me....the berries have compounds in them that can prevent the flu or if you are already sick, can dramatically lessen the severity. When the doctor prescribes a flu remedy such as Tamiflu, the drug simply masks the symptoms of the flu and doesn't actually kill it.  Elderberry syrup or tincture (called Sambucol) actually coats the viruses and prevents them from attaching themselves to healthy cells therefore they cannot replicate and make you sick.  They are then just flushed out of the body naturally.  See how that works??? Tell me that's not amazing! There are two ways to make Sambucol - syrup or tincture. The syrup is nonalcoholic and obviously suited for children or teetotalers while the tincture is made with grain alcohol.  Either works, but I prefer the tincture, it is more potent because it hasn't been exposed to heat.

Sambucol aka Elderberry Syrup

2/3 c elderberries

3 1/2 c water

2 T fresh ginger or dried ginger root

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t whole cloves or ground cloves

1 c honey or sugar

Into a medium saucepan add all ingredients except honey or sugar and bring to a boil and simmer for 45 mins or till reduced by almost half. Remove from heat, let cool a bit, add sugar or honey and stir to dissolve. Store in lidded jar in fridge. 

Dosages:To prevent flu use 1/2 to 1 t for kids and 1 T for adults every day. If you are already sick use the normal dosages just take it every 3 hours daily until symptoms disappear.

Elderberry Tincture

2 c elderberries

Grain alcohol like Everclear or other high proof alcohol

1 c sugar

Pour berries into quart Mason jar, add enough alcohol to just cover the berries. Seal and let sit in dark, cool place for 6 weeks, shaking vigorously every few days.  After 6 weeks, strain off the liquid into a bowl and squeeze the berries to get every single remaining drop out of them, discard the berries. Pour back into the jar and store in cool, dark place.  

Dosage: THIS IS FOR ADULTS ONLY!!!

 To prevent flu take 1 T daily. If you're already sick, 1 T every 3 hours.

You could also make jelly and wine using Elderberries, but why would you waste these precious little gems on that?? If you do happen to have acres of the plants available and you want to make some, here a link to a great website that has tons of recipes and some cool trivia on Elder.

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/e/elder-04.html

  

o   Now, see the pics above?  Let's talk about some Curly Dock (rumex crispus), it's a versatile food and an important medicinal. You can recognize it by the unusual leaves that have a frilly, ruffled look or as it's called, curly. The seed heads form and when ready they turn a dark brown.  When I first started foraging, this was one of the plants I started with because it's easy to identify.  When the seeds are fully ripe, the leaves tend to develop a powdery looking mildew on them, making identification even simpler. The leaves, if picked very young can be added to salads or soups and have a pleasant tangy taste.  If you gather them a little older you'll need to parboil them in a few changes of water to get rid of oxalic acids that can be damaging to the urinary tract and also can flare up gout in some. Once you've parboiled them you can eat them as you would any cooked green.  The seeds are gathered when brown and ripe and then can be ground into a fine or coarse flour and used in oatmeal, breads, etc.  A word of warning about Dock seeds - they have a strong laxative effect in some people,  That can be a very good thing if that's an issue with you but if it's not, then it can be a messy surprise because it's like a stick of dynamite for your colon!.  I add about a teaspoon in oatmeal or sprinkle it on top of muffins before baking. The root is also valuable, it is very high in iron and can be used as an iron supplement when dried and powdered and added to foods.

     

     

  That's it for Elder and Dock.  Get out there and forage!

The Wild Supermarket: Red Sumac

Isn't a supermarket a wonderful thing? Don't we all love going shopping and getting whatever we are hungry for?  Maybe some people don't LOVE going grocery shopping but we can all agree that we LOVE having the luxury of shopping for everything we need in one location.  I am 99.999% sure that no one reading this can remember when there were no supermarkets.  The very first grocery store opened in Manhattan in 1916 and was a failure, closing a year later.  However, in 1916 Clarence Saunders opened the first of a chain of self-service grocery stores in Memphis he named Piggly Wiggly. Up until then, your only option was your home garden or the General Store and both were indeed limited in variety.


If the recent crises in Greece and China are any indication of the direction the world is headed then I'm thinking we need to get a better food plan together - and I don't mean on a national or global level, I mean on a personal and community level.  Depending on farmers in California, Texas and even farmers in other countries is not a responsible way to go about your life.  We could wake up one morning and the convenience of the supermarket would be a thing of the past.  If you couldn't run to the store how would you feed your family? If we plan for this possibility by raising most of own organic food and by working within our community for other items then a crisis like that won't be as difficult to survive.  If that idea is a little farfetched to some, look at it like this: the food you raise will be free of pesticides and artificial ingredients and it's 100 times better for you. Not to mention the exercise you'll get from working in your own garden!

Not everything need be raised in your garden.  Some things grow wild and can be foraged close by where we live.  That is FREE FOOD!! and who doesn't love free food?? It's your own private Wild Supermarket!  I want to give you a quick tutorial on foraging today and how simple it is and the plant we're going to start with is:

Red Sumac (rhus glabra) is a great intro plant. It has an unmistakable appearance so you won't get a wrong version of it.  There is a Poison Sumac (toxicodendron vernix) but it doesn't look like Red Sumac, below is Red Sumac:


And this is Poison Sumac:


The easiest way to positively identify Poison Sumac is the berries, they are white and don't form the torch shaped panicles that the Red Sumac has. I will add that Sumac is related to Pistachios and Mangoes, so if you have allergies to those foods, be careful when trying Sumac products.

Right now through September is peak Sumac season and they are super high in Vitamin C! They are a vivid crimson and the leaves are just starting to get a hint of red as well and you'll be able to spot groves of the plants from some distance away.  There are couple of great uses for Red Sumac.  The tastiest is Sumac Lemonade and it's easy to make too.

You'll know they are ripe by the color but also by the tart red powder covering each little berry.  Want to know why the drink is called Sumac Lemonade?  Rub a berry between your fingers and touch your finger to your tongue.  It's quite tart, kind of like a lemon but to me it's more like the tartness of leaving a Vitamin C tablet on your tongue too long.  Gather at least 12 heads (the red seed clusters), just snap the entire head off and give them a gentle shake to make sure you don't have bugs in them.  Get a large pitcher or jar (I use an old glass gallon jar) and place them in the jar.  Cover them with warm water, and close the jar.  You can let the jar sit at room temp for several hours or you can put it in the sun for a few hours.  You will see that the red powder has infused into the water and now it's a gorgeous red color.  Get a big pot and pour all of the contents (berries and water) into the pot, bring it to a boil and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Remove the berry heads and discard or compost. Rinse that same jar and using a triple layer of cheesecloth, strain the remaining liquid into the jar.

You'll want to rinse the pot out well now because you'll need to strain the liquid another couple of times between the jar and pot with fresh cheesecloth each time.  There are little hairs on the Sumac and they aren't pleasant to drink so strain it 3 times!  Once you've finished straining it, add sugar to taste - start with a half cup and add more as you need it (you will).  It's ready to enjoy now!


Go out and start foraging in your own Wild Supermarket!