Foraging Friday

Lately I've been looking into the foraging scene and blogs like Eat The Weeds, learning how to live off the land.  It might sound weird or gross at first, but talk about the ultimate freebies.  Wild edible plants in your own backyard... Sounds good to me!  Organic and healthy is even better, right?

Plant identification can be tricky and it is important to pay very close attention to what you eat.  Some plants are poisonous, obviously, and can also look similar to edible plants.  BEFORE YOU EAT ANYTHING WILD, BE 200% SURE YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS!!!  Err on the side of caution.

I'm not here to teach anyone about foraging, just sharing my experience. Go to a professional to learn, please.

Dandelions are one of these edible plants. Every part is edible -- leaves, flower, stem, and roots -- all used for different things. Today I decided to cook some dandelion leaves.

Lily is my foraging partner.  She likes to pick up whatever we're around. 

These are the parts of the dandelion, minus the roots I did not get.

Lily decided she wanted to help.

And wanted to try them raw.

"Oooooh, Dandelions!"

This is the broken stem of another dandelion plant.  Notice the white sap?  Most plants with white sap are lethal, so make sure you know which ones are not before munching down!  Dandelions are an exception :)  The white sap makes them bitter though.

This is why we boil our dandelion greens!!  I boiled mine for about 5 minutes, changed the water, and boiled them again for another 5ish.  They could have used a bit more in my opinion, but the boiling helps get rid of the bitterness.

Sideways picture... my bad.

And the finished product!! 

How did it taste?  Well, it actually tasted pretty good.  It could have used some seasonings, but because it was my first try I wanted the full natural-taste experience.  

Dandelions have long been used for medicinal purposes, and the roots for magical purposes.  If I am not mistaken, a dandelion root can make a nice tea :)

I can't wait to try some more!

Future Oxygen Biodegradable Jewelry Review

Who doesn't like jewelry?  I know I do, and when I saw Future Oxygen's biodegradable jewelry I totally had to get in on it!

These bracelets and necklaces are eco-friendly and help promote our environment by not just breaking-down into the earth, but by growing into different things!  The charms have seeds inside them that help promote our environment by providing oxygen in our future (Hehe, see, Future Oxygen?  Awesome, right?)

Now, they are biodegradable, but how do they look?  Well, see for yourself below!

Dragonfly Necklace!

Smiley Bracelet! 

They look AWESOME!!  Of course, I had some difficulty with the bracelet because my wrist is like a toothpick, but it makes for a very cute anklet!

Because these are eco-friendly, they can get wet but not TOO wet.  Do not swim with these or take a shower with these.

Because these sprout plants, they can be used to recognize special days, like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc.  Just plant them on your special day and watch them grow!

Future Oxygen also has a program called the Smile Exchange where for every bracelet sold a bracelet will be given to a child in need with intent to bring a smile to that child's face.  Kids are precious, and the Smile Exchange is there to help ease the loss of a loved one, an illness, or the absence of a deployed parent to these children. Every smile helps!  Thanks Smile Exchange :)

My daughter likes to use the dragonfly to teethe with, but I think that counts as "too wet" as well.  She doesn't need any wild flowers growing in her tummy :) I think that was my only concern with them, but to be honest, I'm concerned with EVERYTHING around Lily, so it is nothing against the product at all.

If you're ready to get some of your Future Oxygen awesomeness, head on over to their page to pick out some cute items!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.