HOOK

58 HOOK Years Of Preservation Features 22 Not sure you want to trust your foraging skills just yet? How about foraging some dandelions from your own backyard lawn. The dandelion is loaded with an5oxidents beta-carotene, polyphenols, and flavonoids, and packed with minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamins A, C, E, K, some of the B's, and of course, there's diges5ble fiber—it's an incredibly nutri- 5ous and medicinal herb and re- discoveries today, may have an5-cancer, blood-sugar-regula5on and what appears a long list of possi- ble benefits. Ironic as chemical products are targeted to destroy it. All parts of the dandelion are edible except the stems which have a bi6er milky sap. Recipes are easy to find online for heart healthy tea from its long root which is also tasty chopped like carrots in a hot veg- etable soup; the leaves, especially when the plant is young, are great in salads, and the yellow flowers make deli- cious addi5ons to home-made fri6ers and even tradi5onal Dandelion Wine if you are adventurous. HOOK Spring 2016 ALERT: Avoid parks, roadside curbs maintained through snowstorms by municipali5es, but forage for dandelions ONLY in ground you know has not been chemically sprayed for years. Dandelion HERBS We modern people may be puz- zled by the mixed messages of the sea- sons, but eons ago wise women and men knew that these transi5ons are the most vulnerable 5me for our bodies as well as the most open. Especially the 5me on either side of winter. With up and down temperatures, our systems are having to adjust to the recedence or emergence of the sun. Our blood actually has thickened over the winter and needs to thin out again. We have been ea5ng seasonal veggies, which means roots, roots and more roots with maybe a squash thrown in, and cooking to keep warm, so slow and long. Natural herbs can help our bodies move gracefully into a season. An excerpt by Clare Pierson (HOOK Spring 2016) Nettles Basil

• Cover