Landon: Playing with "Calk".

So, Michael bought Landon some chalk ("Calk" as Landon calls it) yesterday afternoon from the dollar store. He loves to "wite" with pens and we figured he would like to play with chalk. He did, and ended up getting very colorful himself.

Here are a few pictures of Landon, Michael, & Eli:








Footprints in chalk...





Landon also got his lawn mower out and mowed a bit. Michael got a new push mower yesterday as well...compliments of my Uncle Lanny & My Grandmother. They really shouldn't have!!!! Here's some more pictures:

Dandy Dandelions

So, I have found a recipe for making dandelion wine. I am also planning on making dandelion jelly, oil, etc.

Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. Dandelion is commonly used as a food. The leaves are used in salads and teas, while the roots are often used as a coffee substitute. Dandelion leaves and roots have been used for hundreds of years to treat liver, gallbladder, kidney, and joint problems. In some countries, dandelion is considered a blood purifier and is used for ailments such as eczema and cancer. Dandelion has also been used historically to treat poor digestion.

Dandelion Wine

2gal/8 liter crock
3-5 qts/3-5 liters blossoms
5 qts/5 liters water
3 pounds/1.5 kg sugar
1 organic orange
1 organic lemon
1 pkg/8 grams live yeast whole wheat bread toast

DIRECTIONS:
Find a field of dandelions in bloom and pick them with a sweeping motion of your parted fingers, like a comb.
Back home, put blossoms immediately into a large ceramic, glass, or plastic vessel.
Boil water; pour over flowers.
Cover your crock with cheesecloth. Stir daily for three days.
On the fourth day, strain blossoms from liquid.
Cook liquid with sugar and rind of citrus (omit rind if not organic) for 30-60 minutes.
Return to crock. Add citrus juice.
When liquid has cooled to blood temperature, soften yeast, spread on toast, and float toast in crock.
Cover and let work two days.
Strain.Return liquid to crock for one more day to settle.
Filter into very clean bottles and cork lightly.

Research on Dandelions

http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/category/herbs/dandelion/
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp
http://witchenkitchen.com/
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Grow Your Own Dandelions!
Dandelions are hardy plants and grow successfully just about anywhere they are planted. Unlike some delicate flowers, if you transplant a dandelion, the slight trauma of digging it up and replanting it will usually cause the plant to produce more flowers. For this project you are going to transplant a dandelion from a garden or field into a pot that you can take home. Here's how to do it:
Take a plant pot and place a few rocks at the bottom to help with drainage.
Fill the pot half full with potting soil.
Show your child how to dig up a dandelion. Be sure to get most of the long, main taproot or the plant will die.
Place the uprooted plant into the pot, and add more potting soil so that it's firmly planted in the pot.
Water the dandelion well and set it where it will get sunlight.
Check the plant daily and keep the soil damp -- not too wet or too dry.
Within about 10-20 days the plant will grow buds and flowers should bloom. When the flowers die the seed puffs will form. You can explain that the wind usually blows the seed puffs and the individual seeds are released and fly with the wind. Wherever they settle is usually where they will grow to become brand new dandelions.
Be sure to examine the dandelions at all stages of growth. Pick a flower and take it apart. Count the petals. Do the same thing with the seed-puff. Count all of the individual seeds in one tuft. There are lots!
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Make Dandelion Jelly!

4 cups packed dandelion flowers (just the yellow blossoms removed from green stems)
3 cups water
4 cups of sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 box powdered pectin (i.e., Sure-Jell)
Strainer and cheesecloth
Put yellow dandelion blossoms and water in pan over high heat. Bring to boil and then immediately turn down heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the water and blossoms through a strainer, pressing on the blossoms to extract all of the liquid. Save the dandelion water and discard the used flowers. Strain the dandelion water through cheesecloth and put it in a pan. Add the lemon juice, sugar and pectin. Bring to rolling boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. At this point, it's optional to tint the jelly with yellow food coloring as desired. Pour into clean jelly jars and seal.
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Dandelion Blossom Syrup

1 quart dandelion flowers
1 quart (4 cups) water
4 cups sugar
½ lemon or orange (organic if possible) chopped, peel and all
Note: The citrus is optional, it will give the syrup an orangey or lemony flavor. If you want the pure dandelion flavor, you can skip the citrus. I make it both ways each year.

1. Put blossoms and water in a pot.
2. Bring just to a boil, turn off heat, cover, and let sit overnight.
3. The next day, strain and press liquid out of spent flowers.
4. Add sugar and sliced citrus and heat slowly, stirring now and again, for several hours or until reduced to a thick, honey-like syrup.
5. Can in half-pint or 1 pint jars.
This recipe makes a little more than 1 pint
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I am also hoping to make some Dandelion Sunshine Medicine too!!!