The Autumn Weather ......................................

has been wonderful. I've been exploring the woodlands , the ferns are so beautiful with the falling leaves nestled around them.

The chickweed is emerging from it's summer hibernation and I'm looking forward to chickweed salads and pasta.

As I was walking through the woods , I decided to make a living wreath with the grapevine wreath I made last week. So I gathered a few older honeysuckle vines , a beautiful fungi covered limb and a rotted log with moss on it. When I came out of the woods , I gathered daisy flea bane , goldenrod and lady's Finger. I also gathered some puffy looking things from the grasses growing in the field , not sure what they're called. This is the wreath I came up with , everything held up pretty good except the daisy flea bane , but it can be easily replaced , since the field is full of it.


There was another black walnut tree near the creek , so I gathered up a few more nuts.


I've also been picking the newly sprouted dandelion greens this week , freezing a few for winter. Soon I'll be digging the roots to make tincture.

I've also been melting and straining the raw beeswax I bought back in the summer when Curious J and I attended the bee show. Got it cleaned and put in a jar to store.

I've gathered Plantain .........................

and made salve this week ..................

and stripped a quart of rosemary. It's been a busy week , but I have more time to spend on the herbs now that garden season is over and I'm loving spending time outdoors in this weather. I do have a few potatoes that I need to can soon.

Hope your weekend is Wonderful !

~ Peaceful Autumn Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Wild .................................

I've been really busy the last couple of days. I was going to do a garden update , but my batteries are dead in my camera. So I was looking back through my picture files to see if there was something I would like to share and found this drawing I did the drawing earlier in the Spring. It features chickweed , dandelion , echinacea , plantain and white pine. These are a few of my herbal allies and the drawing is called " Wild Herbs ". I've been gathering plantain (Plantago major ) to infuse in oil , I'll be making plantain salve in a few weeks. Plantain is a wonderful herb with many healing properties , it's great for bug bites and bee stings. You can read more info about here .................................................................

~ http://www.altnature.com/gallery/plantain.htm ~

Plantain is a safe herb to use , but make sure you have a positive i.d. of the plant before using.

Disclaimer - These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information on this web site is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

~ Happy Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ The Wilds of Spring ~

One day last week I made a green salad straight from the yard , it included chickweed , dandelion greens , red clover buds , yellow wood -sorrel leaves , violet leaves and wild onion. I fried up some dandelion flowers and made red clover tea with local honey , then I added some sunflower seeds and ranch dressing to the salad , the lunch was delicious.

Thanks to a couple of blogging friends the lily above has been identified , it's an Atamasco Lily. It has no medicinal properties and my field guide said the leaves are quite toxic. But , it makes the heart smile with it's lovely beauty. Thank-you Callie and Flassie for helping i.d. this flower.


I've been busy yesterday and today harvesting red clover. I'm drying lots of buds for tea infusions and I'll be drying some of the buds and vines for the goats.

Here's another plant I'm trying to i.d. , it has small light pink blooms

and this is a picture of it's leaves , the next photo below

shows how it spreads out and has reddish colored stems. Does anyone know what this plant is ?

The Blackberries are blooming , it smells heavenly around here with all the wildflowers blooming.

What are you enjoying about the " Wilds of Spring " ?

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Delicious Dandelion Fritters and Jellies ~

Over the last week or two , between watching the boys and household chores , I've been busy picking dandelions and violets.

I've made 2 batches of violet jelly and 1 batch of dandelion jelly. Some of it will be Christmas gifts and I've already gave 1 jar to a friend.

Yesterday , I tried a recipe I had found for dandelion fritters , they were delicious. I ate mine with ranch dressing , but you can dip them in honey or maple syrup , I plan to try them like that too.

Pick dandelion blossoms that are fully open , make sure there are no bugs , give them a quick rinse in a colander. I laid them out on a napkin to dry them a bit.

Put a 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl , add 1 egg and whisk together. You will need a 1/2 cup of flour , I used whole wheat and white mixed. Add flour and whisk until mixed thoroughly. I also added a dash of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. You'll probably want to omit this if you're planning to eat them with honey.

Put oil olive in your frying pan and heat it slowly on medium heat or lower , watch carefully , it heats quickly and my oil got to hot on med heat. Dip dandelion blossoms and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels , I used a coffee filter since I don't buy paper towels anymore.

This was the first time I've tried this recipe and I was pleased with the results , they're very tasty and make a healthy snack.

~ Happy Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~*~ Dandelion Stir Fry ~*~

The May issue of Herbal Roots is all about those wonderful Dandelions. Check it out , you maybe interested in buying this months issue of Herbal Roots just for the info on dandelions , here's the link ( http://fieldoftansy.blogspot.com/2009/04/herbal-roots-may-2009-issue.html ). Please add my name as a referral , if you purchase. I'll be gathering more dandelion greens today , before Dh mows. This Dandelion stir fry is delicious , thought I would share the recipe.

Dandelion Stir Fry

3 boneless chicken breast or pork tenderloins cut to bite size pieces

2 cups or more of dandelion greens

1 or 2 cloves of garlic

1 small red onion

Crushed red pepper

Sea salt

Olive Oil

Add washed dandelion leaves to a pot of water and cook 10 minutes , drain water. You may want to boil a second time if they're bitter. Saute red onion in olive oil , remove when tender and browned as you like. Add minced garlic cloves to oil , saute to they turn clear , add chicken or pork to sauteed garlic and stir-fry until done. When chicken is done , add dandelion greens , caramelized onions , sea salt and crushed red pepper to your liking. Continue stir-frying until greens and onions are heated through. I have served this stir-fry over rice and angel hair pasta , it was delicious both ways.

~ Dandelion Blessings ~

JoyceAnn