The more I learn about natural health, the more excited I get to implement it into my family's life and share it with others! It is truly FASCINATING to me how everything was originally created for us to live off the land and truly thrive by living a slower paced, less stressed life! With the sun shining, Nova excited to go on an "adventure" with me in our yard, and a little bag in my hand, we stepped outside to hunt for some nutritious greens for this evening's salad!
The first plant we looked for is a Violet! Our yard has a few spots that are literally COVERED with these beautiful purple flowers! (Nova always points out my favorite color in our yard when we walk past them and she picks some for me! The flowers are actually edible, although we mainly focused on gathering the leaves around them!)
*The violets only bloom in April or May and its leaves are heart shaped. The leaves have an almost pepper-like flavor and add zing to a salad. When this plant is blooming, the purple flower petals are great in salads, too.
How amazing is it that these little plants love you right back?!! I told Nova to pick all of the hearts and she knew just which ones were edible as we filled our bag! I called my husband today and told him just how happy I felt this morning, literally picking hearts out of our yard to eat for dinner! (Make fun of me if ya want, but simple things like this truly make me happy!)
The other leaf picked today (and I guarantee you have it in your yard as you read this!) is from a Dandelion! The entire plant of a Dandelion is useful actually! (I actually have organic Dandelion tea at home as it is excellent for detoxing and cleansing your body!) Dandelion is full of vitamins as well as magnesium, iron, and fiber!
What's neat to me is these actually grow together and make it that much easier to harvest!
Wild onions are also delicious and found all over the place! They are high in vitamins A and C. They are also rich in potassium, calcium, manganese, and selenium!
I use the actual onions when sautéing foods (this evening they tasted great with our steak!) The smaller "leaves" or "stems" are excellent in salads, in mashed potatoes, and in seasoning other veggie dishes! It is fun to get creative with things found growing naturally!
*I normally buy an organic spring mix of greens when making salads, and this is the perfect blend for tonight's salad! While in school and learning more about Herbology and wild edibles, it made me excited to do things exactly like what I'm writing about now. How is gathering these items any different than purchasing salad at the grocery store? (except this is MUCH fresher and natively grown without worrying about any pesticides AND it was fun to pick with miss Nova!)
What better way to teach my daughter what healthy looks like than to take her outside (one of her absolute favorite things to do anyways) and show her what is growing specifically for us to eat?!
I do understand that this idea seems absolutely crazy to some, however I find it fascinating, empowering, and fun! I encourage you to check out your yard before you mow it for the first time this season! See what is growing that you could actually be serving at the dinner table! *Check out these pics to compare what you're looking at and HAVE FUN with it!
Here is what we gathered.......washed and drying on the counter for dinner this evening:
(I'll be adding some heirloom tomatoes, organic carrots, organic bell peppers, and some mozzarella cheese along with a balsamic vinaigrette to these greens we gathered!)
Changing your mindset and your relationship with food takes time, takes an open mind, and takes a bit of knowledge...but that's what I am here to encourage you to do! Enjoy the journey. Appreciate the little things. Take a leap and make a salad with what's growing in your back yard!
-andreanewkirknaturalliving
For more fun ways to transform your health and longterm wellness, checkout my website: www.faithness.net
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