If it's growing on your property it's not crazy to put some wild things to use! Living on a 49 acre mountainside for several years helped me find a lot of "free" food. Sure, it's wild food, but guess what? It's goooooood food!

One of the best wild foods I enjoy are dandelions! Mmmmm....I love dandelions! To date I've used them as greens, wine, and tonics! Just remember, don't get them on any highways or other people's properties. They could have used pesticides and chemicals on them as weeds to get rid of them or hinder growth, and you do not want that in your body! You should have plenty of dandelions on your own property, and if you do, take real good care of them! They are a treasure, not a weed!

How can something with high magnesium, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C be bad for you? Well, it is a diuretic, so use them sparingly, but...use them! Yummy yummy good in your tummy! Ok, before I get carried away, let me put ideas here:

About.com has a nice recipe I found and use often now, though I did have a fritter recipe for the blossoms from a neighbor before, but I find About.com's recipe a bit better! (Sorry Pat...ahem..)

Frittered blossoms
Pick fully opened blossoms, the bigger the better. Trim stems very close to the heads. Soak in cold salt water for two or three hours. Rinse under cold running water and drain.

You'll need:

• One inch of oil in heavy pan
• 1 and 1/2 cups of finely crushed cracker crumbs

Make an egg batter:

• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1 egg
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Roll drained blossoms in cracker crumbs, then in the egg batter, then cracker crumbs again. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, drain and serve warm. These taste a little like mushrooms.

About.com has a lot more information there as well to check out on these tastey plants. I use the greens in salads, mix them up with spinach on lasagna or in noodles, and I enjoy them wrapped around zucchini blossoms with some red wine vinegar sauce.

Yes, they're yummy! So, don't diss the dandelion. Embrace it's yummyness! Here's one I found on about.com that I plan on trying, I haven't done this yet. I will this summer!!!

Jelly
This golden clear, delicate tasting jelly is glorious with biscuits and gravy on the first snowy morning of the year.

You'll need:

• Quart of fresh, bright dandelion flowers
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 5 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 package (1 3/4 oz) powdered pectin
• paraffin

Using enamel or stainless steel pan, boil the flowers in 2 quarts of water for 3 to 5 minutes, cool, and strain, pressing the liquid out of the flowers gently. Measure 3 cups of the liquid, add the lemon juice and pectin. Put into a deep jelly kettle and bring to a boil, then add sugar and stir to mix well. Stir and boil for 2 1/2 minutes, or until mixture sheets from a wooden spoon, pour into jelly glasses and seal with melted paraffin when cool .

The other wild foods that are common:

There are soooooo many more! I suggest reading on-line, educating yourself before eating, and double check with identification, and enjoy eating in the wild!!!!

Mmmmmm....