Monday, January 28, 2013

Day 24 of 365

Sunday:
  • Low: 29
  • High 45
Today: mostly cloudy
  • Low 42
  • High 52

Started restructuring the garden beds. We're going from two long beds per row, to three shorter beds per row.

Harvested:
  • dandelion roots (from digging new pathways)
  • mangels for the goats

4 comments:

  1. Leigh, I just found this page this morning and have been reading every entry as I sit on the bus. :). What do you do with the dandelion roots? Do you roast them to use as a drink?

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    1. Hi Rosalyn! I collect and dry dandelion roots for either tea or tincture. Also it's a traditional cleanser for liver, gall bladder, and kidney.

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  2. Thanks for explaining! There is an amazing organic farmer in our province who grows dandelions commercially for sale in Japan, which piqued my interest in it when I heard him do a presentation on it last year. All the conventional farmers nearby (most grow potatoes) thought he was crazy with these fields of dandelions, but in addition to selling the roots overseas, he has also found markets for the greens and for the flowers. I find it amazing. :)

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    Replies
    1. That is pretty amazing. I wonder what the Japanese do with the roots. I've put the tender young greens in salads. The goats love the greens too. I've heard of dandelion jelly and dandelion wine, but have never tried those. A pretty versatile plant really.

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