Be sure to check out our Extended Dandelion Listening Experience with your child

The humble dandelion has numerous benefits, but is often seen as an unwanted “weed” in the traditional grassy lawn. Many people don’t know that just like other dark leafy greens, dandelions are rich in vitamins K, B2 and A. One cup of dandelion greens contains almost twice as much iron as spinach. The entire plant can be eaten, flowers, leaves, and roots!

Delicious Honey & Dandelion Muffins (makes 12)

Step 1: Honey Muffins

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease with butter or a non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and half of your dandelion petals (save the other half for the topping).

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, melted butter, honey and egg.

4. Combine wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

Step 2: Cream Cheese & Dandelion Topping

1. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, heavy cream, honey, and 2 tsp of vanilla extract. Use an immersion blender or whisk until well blended and smooth.
2. Scoop a dollop on top each cooled muffin (or place on the side for picky eaters).
3. Have your child sprinkle dandelion petals on top and enjoy!

Dandelion Tea

Easy Dandelion Greens

Enjoy our music video for the song “Dandelion-Yellow as Gold.”

Friends often ask me for my sourdough recipe, so I wanted to share it with you. My family gobbles up this bread everytime I make it, which is about once per week. It may take you some time to get the hang of it, but its worth it!  This is…

The Best Sourdough Recipe

Special equipment needed? Kitchen scale.
Cool equipment: banneton bread baskets, but you can also use a mixing bowl.

Ingredients

• Sourdough starter (you can make one or get one from a neighbor).50g water
• 50g all purpose flour485g bread flour
• 150g all purpose flour
• 75g whole wheat flour
• 40g rye flour
• 525g water
• 15g salt

Note: If you don’t have the fancy flours, you can use all purpose. It will come out just fine.

Evening on Day 1: Feed the starter.

Take out your sourdough starter from the fridge. Scoop out about half and discard it. Then add to it:

• 50g water
• 50g all purpose flour.
• Let this mixture sit out overnight, or about 8 hours. It should have small bubbles in the morning.

Morning on Day 2: Mix the dough.

In a clean, large mixing bowl, add:

• 485g bread flour
• 150g all purpose flour
• 75g whole wheat flour
• 40g rye flour
• 525g water

Mix well with a firm spatula or with your fingers. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes.

Then, add:

• 15g salt

(If you are going to add anything fancy like a handful of olives and chopped rosemary, this is the time to do it).

Then, stretch and fold your dough.

Wet your hand with water. Slide it against the bowl, under the dough. Pull at one end of the dough and fold it over. Turn the bowl ¼ turn. Repeat the “stretch and fold” step 3-4 more times. This builds strength in the dough.

Now set your time for 45 minutes. For the next 3-4 hours, you will stretch and fold your dough every 30-45 minutes. On colder days, let the dough sit longer.

Meanwhile, flour a banneton bread basket. Sprinkle with flour.

Is the dough ready?

Push your finger into the dough. If it bounces back, let it sit a while longer (45 min – 90 min or so). If the impression of your finger stays in the dough ball, then move on to the next step.

Shape dough into a round, tight ball — without ripping it.  You can create this shape by stretching and folding it on to itself. This creates surface tension, which helps give the bread a nice round shape (instead of a flat shape). Once you have a taut surface, gently drop it into your floured banneton bread basket (or a medium mixing bowl lined with a clean dish towel), seam-side UP. Cover with plastic wrap or towel. Put it in the fridge until the next morning OR let it rise for another 3-4 hours.

Now, get ready to bake. Place a deep baking tray with 4 cups of water in the bottom of your oven. Add enough water so the whole bottom of the baking tray is covered.

Morning on Day 3: Bake.

Heat your oven to 500 degrees. This may take 30 minutes.

• Sprinkle flour on a large baking pan.
• Turn your bread upside down on to the floured baking tray.
• Cut slits to let the steam escape (I like to do an X shape).
• Bake bread for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 450 degrees.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes more. Remove bread from oven (careful not to burn yourself with the steam).

The bread should be ready. Let it cool for about 2 hours, or as long as you can wait.

Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out.

This recipe is about the magical soup in the Story “Sunshine Soup,” — a soup that makes everything wonderful! Try it to find out if it works. Thanks to Charity Dubberly for the inspiration!

• 1 medium butternut squash, roasted
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• ½ Tablespoon of fresh ginger
• 1-2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 pinch of salt 
• 2 teaspoons curry powder  
• (1) 14-ounce can light coconut milk
• 4 cups vegetable broth (DIY or store bought) 

Directions

• Cut the butternut squash in half. Then roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until you can easily pierce it with a fork. Allow to cool. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness. 
• Heat a large pot with oil over medium heat. Once hot, onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, until translucent.  
• Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 2 more minutes. 
• Add the curry powder and coconut milk.
• Bring to a low boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, scoop the roasted squash out of the shell. Add the squash to the soup pot. Then cook for another 10 minutes to allow flavors to marry. 
• Use an immersion blender to blend, or transfer soup to a blender, and purée on high until creamy and smooth. If using a blender, return soup back to pot.
• Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more curry powder, salt, or sweetener as needed. Continue cooking for a few more minutes over medium heat.
• Serve as is or with garnishes of choice (options below). Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Best when fresh.

GARNISH

• 2 medium red onions, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 good-size bunch kale or wild-harvested greens (about 10 to 12 ounces), wash and finely chop into strips

Enjoy!

When Herman the Hermit Crab get a cold, Kim the Cat makes him this nourishing soup to help him feel better.  Here is Kim the Cat’s recipe, passed down from her grandmother to her…

Gather all your ingredients to be sure you are not missing anything. This picture includes 1 quart of homemade stock, and 1 quart of store-bought stock. Use what you have.

Make the matzo ball mixture. Stir well with a fork, then let it sit for at least 30  minutes in the fridge.

That’s some well mixed matzo mix!

After 30 minutes or so, shape the mixture into balls. Then carefully drop them into the steaming broth.

Let them simmer for about 20 minutes, then your soup is ready! It’s hard to get a good picture of matzo ball soup, but it sure is delicious.

When Herman the Hermit Crab Gets a Cold, Kim the Cat makes him this nourishing matza ball soup to help him feel better.

In the Pipilo story “Herman Gets a Cold” for 3-4 year olds,  Frida the Frog makes Herman the Hermit Crab elderberry dough drops to help his throat feel better. The Vitamin C, smooth texture, and low sugar  make this recipe a keeper. You can make them too by following this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of elderberry juice, made from 1 paper grocery bag filled loosely with elderberries and branches. Or use store-bought elderberry juice and go to Step 2.
• 1/2 cup honey 
• Juice from 1 lemon

Instructions

Step 1: Make elderberry juice

Gather enough wild elderberry to loosely fill a brown paper bag. Rinse with water. Put elderberries into a large stock pot. Cover your bare feet with clean plastic bags, and stomp the elderberries in the pot. Stomp, stomp, stomp. Or, you can squish them with your hands. Strain the liquid and reserve. Discard the stems and other organic matter. You should have about 1.5 – 2 cups. 

Step 2: Make the cough drops

Heat the elderberry liquid in a large pot or saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid starts to look as thick as maple syrup. This step may take up to an hour, so this is a good time to set up your cough drop station. Cut a big piece of wax paper and tape to your kitchen counter, and set another piece of wax paper inside a cookie sheet. Cut parchment paper into small squares to make wrappers, about 2” x 2”. You’ll need somewhere between 30-50, depending on the size of your cough drops. If anyone else is home, this is a good time to let them know that you will need their help in a few minutes. Even young ones can help roll the warm balls. 

Back to the recipe. Once the elderberries are as thick as maple syrup, add the 1/2 cup of honey. Continue to simmer until the liquid gets to 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer. This is what it looked like for us at 300 degrees: 

When the liquid reaches 300 degrees F, pour the liquid onto the wax paper like so:

Starting with the edges, pull off a small piece, about the size of a cough drop. Quickly roll it into a little ball and place it on the other sheet of wax paper. Then keep going! You will want to work quickly while the elderberry is warm. Once it cools, it will get very hard. 

Once the balls are cool, you can wrap them in parchment paper. Store them in a dry and cool spot in your kitchen and they will last for 6 months. Enjoy!

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8 Ideas for Nature-Based Self Care

Do you need a little self care? Here are 8 great ideas that don’t cost a dime.

1. Stretch (outside if you can).
2. Go for a wander alone.  (A wander is a walk with no agenda).
3. Drink a cup of tea somewhere beautiful or quiet.
4. Watch the sunset or sunrise.
5. Forget multi-tasking. Slow Down. Don’t rush.
6. Find a place to lay down under trees. Watch the leaves in the breeze and the light coming through the trees.
7. Go for a walk with someone you love.
8. Take a nap outside or go to sleep earlier.

What else would you add?

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