Eat Your Freedom Lawn

We eat our lawn. And it's delicious! I love adding a handful of nutrient packed living plants to a meal knowing that just minutes before we chew, they're soaking up the sun's energy and luscious minerals from the earth. These plants are alive and they give us fresh energy!

Unlike their traveling friends, devoid of sunlight, sitting in a dark box, shipped for miles across highways and then shelved under florescent lights for days, foraged plants provide maximum nutrition. Don't get me wrong, we shop at grocery stores, however I see foraging as a healthy, dietary supplement in our modern world. Living energy can be added to most any dish.

Our patch of violets really spread out last spring; delicate, heart shaped leaves and soft, paper petals are carefully plucked and placed in the straw basket. My daughter is mindful to leave enough of the plants behind to grow back. She knows that part is important; just take enough for your meal.

Eating flowers and greens from your yard can be intimidating at first, but once you surprise your olfactory sense with that first taste, you may find your body craves more. This year, we'll try topping off some homemade cookies or tarts with vivacious violet or dandelion petals. I've also read about violet infused syrup and vinegar.

When you refrain from dousing your lawn with toxic herbicides, violet and dandelion might grace you with their royal presence. Freedom to bloom indeed.

Is Dandelion a Weed? No Way!

Dandelion greens taste best early in the season when they're tender, young and sweet. A bit bitter otherwise as the heat of summer sets in. I add them to stir fries, salads and sandwiches or I'll sprinkle dandelion flower petals in this and that for a little color splash.

Last spring, we made dandelion jelly for the first time. It actually worked! I've had my trials and fails with plant experiments, but this one was a total winner! The girls really enjoyed it on toast with a little butter.

I used this recipe:

Supplies:

-Glass quart jar (equals 4 cups)

- 4 oz. canning jars with ring tops (usually sold in pack of 12)

- Large, deep pot (canning bath)

- Separate cooking pot for the jelly

- Canning jar lifter tongs

- Ladle

- Wide mouth canning funnel (not absolutely necessary, but makes it easier!)

- Cheese cloth (or any thin cloth/old cut up t-shirt)

- Sticker labels

- Bowls or baskets for separating flower petals

from green parts

Ingredients for Dandelion Jelly:

- 4 cups of Dandelion flowers separated from green parts

- 4 cups cane sugar

- 1 packet low sugar Sure Jell pectin

- 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

This recipe will make 8-10, 4 oz. jars of Dandelion Jelly

*Be mindful of Step #5 and be sure to sanitize your jars and lids.

Steps:

1.     Pick a quart jar full of dandelion flowers from your safe, chemical free yard. Remember to stay 6-feet from roads and walkways

2.     Separate all blossoms from the green parts. This takes some time, so cozy up and turn on Netflix or some music and go at it! Discard the green parts and place your yellow flower parts back into the quart jar. Then, fill the jar with boiling water.

3.     Let the “tea” steep for a few hours or overnight. I do mine overnight for more flavor.

4.     After steeping, line a bowl with cheesecloth. Dump out the tea into the lined bowl then lift up the cloth and give a few good squeezes to get all the liquid out. Discard the spent flowers.

5.     Now, you’re ready to cook!  But first you have to sanitize your jars and lids. So bring your water bath to a low boil and place the jars and lids inside for several minutes. Remove the jars and set them on a dish towel or other non-slip working surface where you will soon fill them.

6.     Turn off canning bath water while you cook the jelly OR keep it at a low boil, because you will be using it soon.

7.     Pour 4 cups (approximately 1 quart jar) of your dandelion tea into your cooking pot. Add 1 packet of Sure Jell pectin. Bring to a boil and stir as pectin dissolves.

8.     Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Fresh squeezed is best.

9.     Add 4 cups of sugar to the mixture. Once it all comes to a boil, let it boil for 2 minutes.

10.  Turn off the heat and then begin to ladle your jelly into each jar (1/4-inch from the top). Use your wide-mouth funnel if you have it! Then, carefully place tops on jars and screw down. The jars will be HOT! So, go slow, use a dish cloth or gloves.

11.  Now, use your tongs and place your jars into the canning bath. Be sure there is

1-inch of water above the jars. Boil them for 10 minutes. 

12.  After 10 minutes of boiling, remove each jar and place it back on your towel. You’ll start to hear “Pop! Pop! Pop!” as each jar seals

13.  After your jelly cools, label and give away as gifts or eat it and enjoy!

Dandelion is smart. Have you ever noticed that it flourishes in poor soil and abandoned lots? That's because it has a job to do. The plant drives its long tap root down through layers of topsoil to find the rich minerals deep in the ground. The tap root then pumps minerals up into its leaves. When the plant dies back, the leaves replenish the topsoil with minerals. Voila! When dandelion's job is complete, you'll see less and less of her on your lawn.

Bees Love Our Lawn Too!

Small, white globes bloom in mid-summer and keep coming back even after mowing them down. Our clover is often a darker and deeper green than the dried out turf grass. It's softer too.

We have a high frequency lawn, buzzing buzzing all summer long with all types of bees and pollinators. In a world of turf grass, a flower lawn is a refuge for our little friends.

My favorite Michael Pollan quote is this: "A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule." He's just so great. If you haven't read Pollan yet, give it a go. If you enjoyed this post, then you'll truly enjoy his world!

Have a great spring everyone! Say no to lawn chemicals! Say yes to a freedom lawn!

"Eat Your Freedom Lawn" -- The Class!

West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission offered the opportunity for me to teach this class in spring 2023! We had 7 or 8 lovely class attendees who got a chance to learn about how to transform their yard into an edible and sustainable paradise.

We concluded the class with a sampling of foraged Vietnamese spring rolls filled with dandelion greens and flowers, violet leaves and flowers, dock, plantain and some added organic, store bought veggies like red bell pepper and cucumber. The curry-peanut dipping sauce really topped it off. Everyone left with a jar of my homemade dandelion jelly. I am scheduled to do the class again in May 2024!

Resources

Rose, Lisa M. Midwest Foraging. Timber Press, 2015.

Cox, Jeff; Moine, Marie-Pierre. The Cook's Herb Garden. Dorling Kindersley, 2010.

Lost Marbles Farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW5cb5hkA1c&t=253s

Pollan, Michael. Second Nature: A Gardener's Education. Grove Press, 2003.

Sally Wenczel is an author of children’s books and has published hundreds of articles. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Albion College in 2002, she started writing for publications and organizations such as Plumas County History Museum, Garden Design Magazine, Traverse City Business News, Ferndale Friends, The Chaldean News, SFGate.com, EHow.com and Answerbag.com. She has worked in education gardens as a teacher and program director in the Detroit area. Wenczel has also been a state licensed massage therapist for 15 years and has studied natural healing therapies, although she is not a certified naturopath or doctor, therefore let it be known that any medicinal content in this blog is not coming from a professional doctor in the field of medicine and persons reading and putting the advice to practice shall do so at their own risk. This blog contains Wenczel’s own opinions as well as thoroughly researched information. The content is accurate, yet there may be some mistakes, misspellings, errors and omissions.