Nettles, Manzanita Muffins, Venison & Rose Hip Tea

March 1-10th

Manzanita Blossoms for Jelly

March

1 Manzanita Blossom Jelly. It turned out more like syrup than jelly, but tastes delicious and is a beautiful, deep crimson color. I’ll use more sugar next time or just plan on it being enjoyed as a syrup.

2 Miner’s Lettuce Salad; Nettle Tea I found nettles coming up in my garden!

3 Manzanita Muffins with Wild Currants  My son and daughter love these and they don’t have any sugar….just antioxidants.

 

4 Venison sausage (gifted to me from a neighbor who did the entire process with awareness and respect); I have mixed feelings about eating wild meat, because I absolutely love and enjoy the beauty of animals. But I have come around in my thinking to appreciate that when there are abundant sources of local, native protein, it can be an essential part of the wild food conversation, as long as everything is done with respect and thankfulness. I did have my taste of “tuli” (grasshopper in Maidu). If you want more of the crunchy details, read my blog, “Taste of Tuli.”

5 Watercress snack; Rose Hip Tea

6 Rose Hip Tea; ½ cup dried wild rose hips to 4 cups of water. Simmer for 20 minutes and then strain for a vitamin-C drink. It tastes mildly sweet without anything else added.

7 Manzanita blossom jam on toast

8 Raw Manzanita Blossoms

9 Manzanita Cider I prepared a large batch for a class I taught on wild foods to the interns at Living Lands. It tasted delicious and I’m keeping it in the refrigerator in a large mason jar to keep enjoying throughout the week. The flavor is sweet and tangy without any sweetener.

Manzanita Recipes: Antioxidant Sugar and Cider 2 cups berries = ¾ cup sugar Make sugar by grinding berries on medium low in food processor or blender for two minutes. Use a wooden spoon to press crushed berries through mesh strainer and into a bowl. To make the cider, simmer the leftover seeds and skins in 12 cups water. Simmer for 20 minutes and then strain. Keep refrigerated and drink cold or hot. Note: Manzanita berries are 3 times higher in antioxidants than blueberries.

10 Raw Manzanita Blossom Snack, Started leaching sprouted acorns; received the generous gift of a variety of species of Oak nuts from Matt Berry’s fall collection to send for a lab analysis comparing the nutrition in different species.

One comment on “Nettles, Manzanita Muffins, Venison & Rose Hip Tea”

  1. wildheart says:

    Did you ever get a response for the nutritional analysis of the different species of acorns? I’m very curious to know if there is a significant difference in the different species.

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