Enjoy Fall & Get Healthy: Go Foraging!

Sumac berries, Blackberries, and Rose hips from a recent forage

Ah, Fall... a time when colors change, and everything seems to be dressed in varying shades of red, orange, brown, and gold: the leaves, the garden bounty... nature itself. As beach days and barbeques give way to school days and soup dinners, it is nice to be able to make use of these lingering longer days by gathering treasures of nature to pleasure the senses.

On a leisurely walk to the lake over the past weekend, I was delighted to find a few last blackberries, some rose hips, and sumac berries. Foraging this time of year awards a number of satisfactions of both sight and taste, as we wish to savor the season by bringing the outdoors in:

Decor: The following gems of the season all lend a lovely autumn flair to centerpieces, fireplace mantles, window sills, office desk, or anyplace that needs to be "spiced up'" with some fall decor:  

Sumac berries

Acorns
Pressed leaves
Pinecones
Crab apples
Rose hips
Small stones

The addition of locally-made beeswax candles adds a soft amber glow to such an arrangement, when lighted.

A Nature-inspired Centerpiece on our Dining Room Table

Culinary Delights: Some of the nature's offerings to the culinary scene include:

Blackberries (the last of the season)

Steep about five leaves in a cup of boiling water for a light tea.


Sumac berries
Sumac-ade: Pick about half a dozen clusters, place them in a pitcher, pour cold water over them, and bruise them a bit with your hand. Let steep in a cold place for a while, until the water turns a light pink. Sweeten with stevia, honey, maple syrup, or unprocessed sugar (Sucanat or Rapadura), or enjoy plain.


Apples (Perhaps a sweeter variety in your own yard!)

Rose hips

Rose hip tea: Cover 3-4 chopped fresh rose hips with a cup of boiling water and steep for 3-5 minutes. Sweeten with stevia, or as desired.


Dandelion roots (By this time of year, the leaves are pretty bitter)
Dandelion root "coffee"



Apple picking from the tree of very generous neighbors

Don't forget your cultivated corner of nature: Your Garden! (or a Farmer's Market). Make use of the fresh herbs while you have them available. Turn basil and parsley into pesto, and see which herbs you can easily nurture on a window sill or in a sun room over the fall and winter.

Dandelion Pesto... the Delicious Result

Here it is!

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a recipe for making dandelion pesto, and a few days ago I got around to trying it. I can't say it has an exotic flavor or anything. With the basil in it, it still has the taste of regular pesto, however the dandelion greens do add a bit of bitterness. However, the result was definitely worthwhile, and yet another way to get excellent greens in your diet: eat gourmet and cleanse your liver too!

I enjoyed the dandelion pesto on broccoli and cauliflower florets at an al fresco lunch with a friend ~ a lovely way to spend a day in May! :)

Again, dandelion greens have all kinds of health benefits, so it's well worth your while to reap these wily weeds!

Vitamins A, B, and C

Beta Carotene
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphorus

Look at this list for all the benefits of dandelions:

http://www.leaflady.org/health_benefits_of_dandelions.htm

Want more recipes for using dandelions? Check these out:

Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad and Dandy Greens Pasta

You can use Google to find all kinds of other ways to use dandelions...

Dandelion wine

Dandelion root tea (easily found at a health food store, and a great coffee substitute!)
Dandelion salads (you can use both the leaves and the flowers)
Dandelion fritters
Dandelion omelets
Dandelion floral jam
Dandelion soup

...Use the greens any way you would use bitter greens (pizza topping?) and the flowers wherever you would use any other edible flower. I used the greens in a fresh juice (with green apples, romaine, and ginger) yesterday, and in an omelet (with spinach and chives) today.

While weeding your garden, you can put together a soup or salad at the same time! Happy weeding and eating... : )