Greetings once again, hope you all are staying warm!
It’s pretty cold today, well outside that is, inside we are very warm thanks to our wood cook stove and a stack of seasoned wood!
Just thought you all would enjoy a few posts about winter time herbal harvesting! Which I love to do. There is nothing like going out in the dead of winter and finding nutritious live food! Chickweed will grow from winter till late spring . Try some sprinkled over your salad or blend it in a smoothie! (Learn about making healthy and delicious smoothies on “The Art of Cooking” DVD.) You can read more about Chickweed in the previous blog. A few days ago I was out in the garden digging around in the dirt and I found Jerusalem Artichoke. I almost forgotten about them. Good thing I did cause those tubers have the best taste during cold months. A few folks call them sun chokes. I like the idea that they are a true survival food! You can find them growing wild along creek banks and roadsides. Jerusalem Artichokes are easy to grow and take very little care once they get going.
About five years ago a friend brought us some of the tubers. We planted them like potatoes, they grew like weeds! Come summer there stems shot up 3 to 5 feet with a small but beautiful yellow orange sunflower at the top. They can be very invasive so you might want to plant them out side your garden. We don’t start digging them till after the first frost in the fall. We dig what we need for that day leaving plenty to keep growing. We love these tubers raw sliced up in salads or sliced and stir fried in butter. Another method of preparation is scrubbed simmered in there skins in enough water to cover until tender then peeled and served either with butter and salt or with a cream sauce. Yum! You could also peel, oil and roast them. They can also be turned into pickles and pies! Wow, what a wonderful winter herb found naturally right on the homestead!
Well, I would like to get this posted and while the wood stove has the home so warm I would like to wash and hang some wool.
Happy Homesteading,
Vicki
www.homestead-blessings.com