Dandelion fritters and wine

It's dandelion season here in Pennsylvania and I'm looking for some new ways to add them to our diet.  We've eaten them prepared like endive with hot bacon dressing but I'd like to learn to use them in other ways as well.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to gather dandelion flowers for a batch of wine.  It's a wonderful tonic to have on hand to chase away the beginnings of a cold or just for a healthy boost, one spoonful at a time.

A cooking site that I belong to mentioned dandelion fritters.  My first thought was a batter dipped flower head deep fried and crispy.  But what I found was an interesting recipe that included other healthy vegetables as well.  Since the recipe was not precise on other ingredients, I used what I had on hand plus a few wildcrafted leeks.  (Probably not a good choice for Sunday morning breakfast before church!!)  The batter is one egg, one cup of flour and one cup of milk.  To this I added the leaves, flowers and roots of about 5 hearty dandelions, 3-4 wild leeks (bulbs and leaves), one shredded white potato, 1/2 shredded sweet potato, one small zucchini and one small yellow squash, both shredded.  These were mixed together in a bowl and cooked on a hot griddle like a pancake.  Next time, I'll saute the veggies first and then add the batter.  They were a little bitter even with S&P to taste but a little salsa took care of that problem.  Maybe maple syrup would be good.  Yum!

Life and all that stuff

Things have been fairly busy lately and I haven't taken the time to write much.  (A habit from way back.)  But I have a few minutes to put down some wandering thoughts. 

Tonight is the fourth performance of M*A*S*H at our local community theater with two more shows to go tomorrow and Saturday.  It's been so much fun gettting to know some people better and meeting others for the first time.  I'm still a little timid about being on stage but I'm growing in that area.  Both of my girls are in the show with my youngest having two fairly big parts that have really helped her develop her stage presence.  My oldest has a good sized part as a nurse and has come a long way in the past few years with overcoming her shyness by performing on stage in some major roles.  They are both so talented and I'm really proud of them.

My plants are growing quickly now and I'm thinking ahead to the garden.  There are a few details that I need to plan out soon.  I just sent a lot of plants to my young friend, Zach, in NC.  He's been adding to his garden and learning about new ideas he can use in it.  Their growing season is much longer than ours so he's been able to put a lot of plants in the ground already.  We've had overnight temps in the low 30's, even dipping below one night so there's not a lot that I can put out yet.

I've been doing some baking and trying to keep up with my weekly dairy chores.  The biscotti was a big hit here so I think I'll have to make more soon.  This week I made flatbread, blueberry pie, pizza with homemade crust, breakfast bars, yogurt and yogurt cheese.

Oh, praise the Lord, we have our truck back.  I'm praying that it will last a few more years without any more major problems. 

Well, I have a few chores that need my attention so I'll try to write more soon.

Who's out there?

Hey, if you've read my blog and thought you might come back to see what's new, why not become a follower?  I'm really doing this for me but it's nice to know who's out there.   Let me know what you think. :)

If you read the blog description under the title, you'll see that I wear several hats and enjoy each one. The things you'll find here are reflections of my life.  Things I ponder, meandering interests that keep me busy and things that are happening in our lives but mine specifically.

Sometimes I'm sharing thoughts about new things I'm adding to my routine to care for my family's health, either through diet or use of herbal remedies.  It gives me a feeling of satisfaction to know that I can make tinctures and salves, among other things, from natural ingredients, that will allow me to heal my family without relying on a  lot of medicatons that contain harmful chemicals.  That's not to say that I wouldn't seek a doctor's help but for the most part, at this stage of life, there are a lot of things I can do to right here.  My husband's family is said to have some Lenni Lenape blood so we've learned about how the indians used plants for healing.  The history is rich and fascinating.

Other times, I'm sharing what's going on in my kitchen.  Some are tried and true traditional skills that most folks are familiar with, but others are things that sound weird or different from what we're used to practicing.  Recipes, fermented drinks or food, personal care products that I make to avoid harmful chemicals that may be a part of commercial products, making soap from scratch, some of the many things you can do with raw milk, and lots more.

I'll write about my garden and share what goes on there throughout the growing season and harvest.

Sometimes my mind wanders off on a rabbit trail or I write about ideas I've been pondering.  These may not interest folks, I don't know.   Nothing too personal, I guess, just thoughts about my faith or feelings that needed a safe place to vent.  It helps me figure things out to write it down and read it over.  Maybe some of the same thoughts are meandering around inside someone else's mind and reading them here will help them see things from a different perspective. 

Anyway, it would be great to know who's reading and what you think about my meanderings.  I've included a little comment bar at the end of each post that will allow readers to simply check some basic thoughts they may have after reading what I've written.  Your written comments are welcome.