Uses for Dandelion, Root, Leaves and Flowers.

Dandelions are such an amazing plant that has so many uses. They also grow just about anywhere so they are easy to find. Although most people just think of them as an annoying weed. In reality it is an herb that is beneficial from root to blossom. Do be careful where you gather your dandelion from, make sure they haven’t had pesticides or weed killers used on them.

Medicinal Uses

Dandelion has a great safety record it has no cautionary drug interactions, cumulative toxic effects, or contraindications for use. All parts a edible and they are in high nutritional Value. Dandelion root contains vitamins A, B-complex, C and D as well as the minerals Iron, Zinc and Potassium. This combination of vitamins and minerals also makes dandelion root a High Antioxidant Food.


Dandelions are regarded as one of the best herbs for building blood and curing anemia. It also acts a as diuretic and has ample potassium to replace what is lost from frequent urination. Aids in digestion. Stimulates liver activity. In Europe, it's used to treat Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes, It can help normalize blood sugar levels. Because of its blood-cleaning ability it helps eliminate toxins thus helping treat skin irritations such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis.

Dandelion tea is good for relieving constipation, flatulence, and can help reduce high cholesterol.

The white, milky sap is used as an effective wart remover.

　
You can make a tea, capsules, tinctures, syrups, and salves,

　
Eating and cooking

Dandelion greens are more nutritious then spinach. Leaves taken in the spring will need to be blanched to reduce the bitterness. In the fall there is no need to blanch as the bitterness will have dissipated naturally,

You can use the flowers to make wine, jelly (recipe here), add to butters and herb vinegars for color.

The roots can be roasted and ground then used in place of coffee ( you want the fall roots for this).

Do you have any other uses for Dandelions ?

300 a Month, menu, and goals

I did great this week didn't even go to the store so I spent nothing woo hoo. So I have spent 60.27 for the month have 239.79 left. 3414.64 left for the year.

I got these vintage jars for Christmas, I love them they are so cute.

 

I have a lot of my dehydrated food and herbs on the counter where I can get to them, as you can see they are in just what ever jar I had handy. So I decided to change them out and use the vintage jars for them.

 A before

 

 

 

And after the new jars look so much better, don't you think?

 

  

 

 

 

This week menu

 

Breakfast

Cream of Wheat

pancakes

yogurt and fruit

cheese omelets

Cereal

 

Lunch

Chicken Noodles

Mac & Cheese

Grilled Cheese

Tuna sandwiches

pancakes

 

Will have what ever kind of fruit I have and crackers with the soup.
For Andy's lunch he will have leftovers from the night before.

 

Dinner

Green Chili Enchiladas

Beef tips

Potato soup

Meat loaf

Navajo Tacos

 

Will have a veggie of some sort and bread with each meal.
Saturday or Sunday we will have leftovers.

This week goals
I got the house deep cleaned funny how I have to have company coming in order to get that done. I am almost done with the oranges, and grapefruits. Have the cauliflower and radish's ready to put in vinegar for pickled cauliflower and radishes. Have the cottage cheese dried ( will be doing a post on it in the next couple days). I didn't have time to work on Joleen's book. I am almost done with this months daycare lessons, have the first half done need to get the last half done.

This week I am going to try and get these things done.
Finish the oranges, radishes, and cauliflower.
Work on Potato's
Joleens book
Get some sewing done
finish the daycare lessons
I am sure I will find more to add the the list haha.
Have a great week , what are your goals for the week?

 

 

   

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 5 Food Storage Challenge

 

6 Pounds of salt /  Gelatin's and Puddings

6 pounds of salt. If you can find it in bulk it will be cheaper. I get my salt from the feed store. It doesn’t have the Iodine in it so we take extra iodine. It also doesn’t have the added things such as the anti- caking stuff so I can also use it for canning.

Gelatin and puddings, I use the unflavored gelatin then use kool aid or juice to make my own jello, takes up a lot less room and is cheaper to do it this way. You can go Here to see how to make jello with the kool aid.

Pudding. I do store a few instant puddings for when I am in a hurry. It is easy to make your own pudding it does take a little longer since you have to cook it and then let it cool down.

Add to your water either fill your own containers or buy a couple cases or a couple jugs of water. Water is one of the harder things to store try to look for places you can stash a few bottles or cases try under beds or in the corner of a closet. We have some lifts under the bed to raise them up they sure add a lot of extra room under the beds. If you store outside be sure not to fill all the way so you can allow for expansion if they freeze.

Add a few more dollars to your money stash.

　

This Month’s   Skill to learn is to Cook from Scratch. The more you can make yourself the less you will have to have in food storage and it will save you a ton of money.

　

The item for this month is kitchen hand tools like a manual can opener, egg beaters, potato masher, Kitchen tools that do not require electricity.

The action item this month is to try and find alternate heating sources.

 All across the country right now heat is a big concern for many There are many places that are with out power right now. How would you heat your house with out power? A wood stove is ideal but some people are unable to have a wood stove so they will have to find alternatives. There are some real good propane heaters out there but you will have to have propane stored also. Be careful about ventilation when considering your heat sources. Endless people have been asphyxiated due to carbon monoxide poisoning because they chose the wrong option to heat their living space. Some buildings have windows which will not open, and this must be considered when thinking through your heat sources.
If you do not install a wood stove (and even if you do), you’d be wise to at least have some extra warm clothing and blankets on hand. Long underwear, thick socks, gloves, hats (something comfortable enough to sleep in), warm outer clothing, and good sleeping bags and/or blankets for every member of the family are a must. I’d consider co-sleeping as a family during the coldest of nights as well. Nothing like body heat to warm you up!

Make Your Own Cool-Whip

This taste really close to cool-whip and it doesn't have all the stupid stuff in it. It does take a little planning ahead but not much. It works great in recipes calling for cool-whip and as a dessert topping. Plus it is a lot cheaper to make and it uses stuff most of us already have in our pantry.

Start by placing your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer.

I put some ice in a measuring cup and add enough water to make 1/2 a cup ( make sure it is crushed or small pieces of ice).

Put 2 tsp cold water in a small bowl. Add 1 tsp unflavored gelatin.

 

Stir together

 

Put 3  Tbl of water in a small sauce pan. Start to warm it then

add the gelatin mixture and bring to a boil until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature before using. I put mine in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it off. If you forget and leave it to long and it gets solid just reheat. (Which I seem to do a lot ha ha)  

Get your bowl and beaters from the freezer. Add  your 1/2 cup ice water, and 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk.

Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Keep beating and add 4 Tbls of sugar, gelatin, 3 Tbls of oil, ( vegetable, coconut, or olive)and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

Place in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes. If not using right away place in the fridge until ready to use. Stir before using.

The colder everything is the faster it will whip up.

You can add a different flavor of extract to go with what ever you are putting it in.

I remember my Mom, when I was younger she would whip up powdered milk ,water and sugar to make a whipped topping. 

So any way, one more thing you don't need to go to the store for.

Herbal Syrups

Herbal Syrups are concentrated herbal extracts that have been mixed with honey or other sweeteners to give them a thick consistency and a sweet taste . Herbal syrups make great cough syrups and sore throat soothers. They are easy, and a lot cheaper to make, then the store bought syrup. You can make any blend that you like, for cold, cough or what ever you need them for. This is a great way to get kids to take herbs that are strong or don’t taste very good. They are very easy to make. but  a little time consuming since you have to wait for the herbs to reduce down.

Use about a cup of dried herbs to each pint of water. Put the herbs and water in a pan and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat and let simmer until the water level is reduced to half. I usually have a line from the water and herbs on my pan where I started so I just use that line as a guide. This is your concentrate.

Let cool then strain the herbs out using a coffee filter, tea towel, or my favorite knee high stockings (new ones). I don’t like cheesecloth it doesn’t strain out the small stuff.

For each cup of liquid add ½ to 1 cup of sweetener, Honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, sugar or even glycerin. If you want a sweeter syrup use a 1 to 1 ratio ( 1 cup sweetener to 1 cup liquid) for a less sweet syrup use ½ cup sweeter to I cup liquid. Remember do not give honey to a child younger then a year old.

Pour the liquid into a pan add your sweetener warm over medium heat until thoroughly mixed If you are not using honey you can simmer for 20 to 30 minutes on a medium high heat for a thicker consistency (If you are using honey and you simmer this long you will lose the healthful enzymes in the honey.). If using honey, just warm it enough so the honey and the liquid mix together.

You can add a couple tablespoons of vodka or brandy to help preserve the syrup (this is optional) for 6 months to a year.

Pour into sterilized canning jars and add your heated lids. This should seal your jars or you can water bath for 10 minutes for  longer storage (you will lose some of the helpful properties  if you water bath).  Store away from heat and light. Store any opened jars in the fridge. Be sure to label what it is.

Take one to three tablespoons a day, cough syrup as often as every hour.