todays menu

[wareagle69]

so today the mrs and i went to lydias for tea (the lady i study with) so we started out with some homemade bread sticks dipped in yogurt mixed with mustard greens and also a beverage -vodka soaked rose petals, then went outside to see how the greens were progressing.
then she handed me garden fork and told me to dig up some artichokes to take home and plant, then we picked my favorite mullien leaves
So back inside we made a tempura batter
2 cups of flour, 3 egg yoks, 1 cup of flat beer (whats that) 1 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, let that sit for 20 minutes.
then heated up the oil and proceeded to batter the leaves then fry them, covered them in some rose petal syrup and hade some homemade bread with rose petal jam
now to my favorite tea, set the water to boil, and use johnny jump ups, stinging nettle, rose petal and catnip, after water has boiled pour into pot over your mix, let steep for 5 mins then pour thru strainer into cup, sweeten with honey.
boy am i stuffed, looking forward to a new season.
WE

[Ken]

I had a mushroom extra-cheese pizza.

[BENESSE]

I had a mushroom extra-cheese pizza.

You off the wagon pardner?

[Ken]

You off the wagon pardner?

Small pizza, and I burned a ton of calories today. Besides, I had to share a bit with the dogs.

[BENESSE]

Small pizza, and I burned a ton of calories today. Besides, I had to share a bit with the dogs.

It all starts with extra cheese.
Just sayin'.

[Ken]

It all starts with extra cheese.
Just sayin'.

Dogs each got a slice.

[2dumb2kwit]

Small pizza, and I burned a ton of calories today. Besides, I had to share a bit with the dogs.

....and the ducks.

[wareagle69]

if you guys want to hijack a thread go back down below where you belong in the genral crap catagory

[BENESSE]

Dogs each got a slice.

Unh huh...

[Rick]

WE - A couple of questions.

I doubt the roses are blooming up there. They sure aren't down here...yet. Does she preserve them in some way or does she have them inside? If she preserves them, how does she do it?

Rose petal syrup is a new one for me. Her recipe would be great. I found one on the web but would like to see what her's is like.

4 cups rose petals
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
red food coloring (optional)

Method:
Simmer rose petals with water and sugar for one hour. Add drops of red food coloring to get desired color.

Strain through a fine sieve.

Bring back to a boil and put in hot sterilized bottles.

[wareagle69]

the one thing i am very aware of by learning from lydia is that there are two types of wild food enthusiasts, one picks for enjoyment of adding something to a meal, basically where i am at, and the second is the person who lives mostly on edibles, lydia is one of these ladies and i have learned how much time is spent just gathering and perserving edibles, an incredible amount of time and effert, honestly time that i do not to invest at this point, now if the shtf i would have time but would have had to have one years worth of food already put aside to make it work.
Now to your questions, yes we had food from her stores the tea is in large jars, she reccomends using glass jars, which i find allot of at yard sales, it is incredible to see her shelves in the basement lined with dried food.
Lydias most common method of perserving food is to dry it, she does not own any fancy equipment just has a back room and uses racks on a table to help with air flow.
Yesterday she showed me some honey that she has, some , ha listen to this the one tub she showed me of unpasturized honey in 15 kilograms thats 2.2 ponds a kg for 30 dollars and she had 7 buckets got them years ago when the apiary was closing down.
it was a priveledge yesterday as there was two german ladies there lydia and ellie, as they talked about survivng the war and how they lived off the land back then, ellie not so much any more but it is amazing to see how simply lydia lives, but how much work it truly is
WE

ps- you are pretty close with how she makes the syrup and medicines.
heres on method she showed me,
take brand new evergreen shoots, layer with brown sugar and then pound them, bury them under ground in a glass container with cheese cloth cvering the top then some wood and leave for a few months, then dig up and strain, cough syrup.
apparently her grandmother was a healer back in the old country , folks would come from all around to see her, wish i could have met lydia along time ago, but as the sying goes "when the student is ready the teacher will appear.

[Rick]

(head slap) Drying. Of course. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how I would preserve them. We have several rose bushes so this is one that WILL be added this year. I'm no fan of rose buds but the petals will be different. The buds have to much "green" flavor for me.

Thanks!!!!!

[your_comforting_company]

Would a flower press help preserve the colors of the petals better than drying? a little artsy for me, I know, but an interesting idea.
Roses are in full bloom down here. I just might have to try it this year. I'm always looking for ways to "fancy up" a wild meal.
Thanks for the recipes WE. Sounds like a delicious meal filled with engaging conversation. They are a dying breed and you really have to just sit and listen to the "old folk" talk. There is a lot to be learned about surviving from folks who made it through. Something of a rarity down here and I'm like a kid at storytime when my grandad talks about stuff like that.
Sounds like you had a great evening.

[Justin Case]

I never heard of eating Roses

[rwc1969]

Sounds interesting WE.

[BENESSE]

Traditional western cuisine combines rhubarb with strawberries. Japanese knotweed, a superior relative of rhubarb, makes this combo even better.
Layered between soy-cottage cheese, breadcrumbs, and walnuts, it can't be beat. "Wildman" Steve Brill had some samples yesterday on our foraging tour and it was gourmet! Here's his recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups breadcrumbs
1/4 cup corn oil
2 cups soy-cottage cheese
3 cups Japanese knotweed shoots, sliced
2-1/2 cups wild or commercial strawberry jam
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Here's what you do:

1. Mix the breadcrumbs with the corn oil.

2. Layer a large, oiled casserole dish with soy-cottage cheese, Japanese knotweed, strawberry jam, oiled breadcrumbs, and walnuts, pressing everything down with the palm of your hand.

3. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.

4. Chill. (Note: You definitely should peel Japanese knotweed shoots that are over 1 foot tall because the skin tends to be stringy.)

Time: 20 + 30 minutes.....Serves 6

About the weed in general:

Japanese knotweed grows all over Central Park from Mid April to early May and is treated as weed and mowed down every year. (Yesterday I harvested close to 3lbs!)
You can also find it on disturbed soil, along roadsides and riverbanks, in other moist areas, and in fields. It often displaces other plants and is difficult to eradicate.
Best when 6 to 8 inches tall, the intensely tart, tangy shoots (discard all the tough leaves) taste like rhubarb, only better. A tough rind that you must peel (good for making marmalade) covers the taller ones.

Japanese knotweed is an excellent source of vitamin A, along with vitamin C and its co-factor, the antioxidant flavonoid rutin. It also provides potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese as well as a substantial amount ofresveratrol, the same substance in the skin of grapes and in red wine that lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart attacks. Resveratrol may delay the onset of Alzheimerís disease or slow its progression. Normally, glial cells in the brain support the neurons (nerve cells), but in Alzheimerís disease, an accumulation of gunk called amyloid plaques signals these helper cells to kill the neurons instead. Resveratrol seems to block this deadly signal. Pretty amazing for a weed.

[Justin Case]

Big Pot of pinto beans with leftover Ham bone ,,