Earth sheltered homes are not just for hobbits. An expert explains why they're are more affordable, sustainable and durable than more traditional housing.
Lambsquarter is a vitamin-packed, nutritional powerhouse! It's so easy to dehydrate and use throughout the winter - learn how here!
Rose hips are the fruit of the wild rose plant. Learn all about foraging for rose hips and wild rose and their edible and medicinal uses!
Rosa spp. is both cooling and warming depending on its action, which is why we love this herb for summer. Make Summer Rose Infused Honey to add to drinks...
Did you know many common weeds are edible -- AND delicious? Not to mention incredibly nutritious. Yes, there are numerous weeds you can eat! It's that time of year when weeds are evvvvverywhere, and homeowners
When society collapses and the grocery store shelves are empty for an extended period of time, people will still need
Years ago I learned that plums grow wild parts of the United States just like apples, but I'd never run across any until this year. The trees were small and scrubby, but they were absolutely
One of the most beautiful perennial and edible herbs to have in an edible garden is the African Blue Basil. Here’s how to grow it.
Enjoying nature and it's bounty is the heart of foraging. It's all about foraging for wild edibles. What to take with you when you forage.
Learn to identify elderberries, forage elderberries, and use them in syrup, jelly, liquer, tincture, and more.
It’s packed with vitamins and minerals, has a tasty nutty flavor and is only slightly smaller than its broadleaf cousin. You pretty much can’t go anywhere without seeing this plant. I s…
You don't often think of grandma's hosta patch as the best place to harvest lunch, but hostas are edible (and delicious). Perhaps it's time to open your eyes to all the wonderful edibles lurking in
These are the amazing $1.5million eco homes in New Mexico which can survive natural disasters and promise owners that they can be completely self-sufficient, by recycling their own water and generating power.
We can’t decide which list is longer- all of the ways you can use these healing herbs or all of the research studies that back them up!
What do you do with a ton of Fennel? Harvest, preserve, cook, and make medicine! That's what! Here’s how to identify wild (and domestic) fennel, benefits and uses, plus a delicious recipe for fennel candy for digestive health! Last year, my husband brought a fennel plant home from
Learn how dietary, herbal, and lifestyle factors can help you keep headaches at bay or approach headaches naturally if they do occur.
Outdoors. Scratches. Scrapes. Cuts. Abrasions. Herbal Antiseptic Wash. Here's a recipe for an herbal antiseptic wound spray that you can trust to clean out minor scrapes and scratches properly. Whe...
You'd be surprised how amazingly good spinach can be when you lightly season it and dry it in a Weston Dehydrator. - Ingredients - 1 cup spinach leaves, stems removed 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon oregano - Tools - Weston Dehydrator Toss spinach leaves with olive oil, then sprinkle with seasonings. Toss again to coat. Dehydrate in a Weston Dehydrator for about 3 hours, or until crispy.
Beech nuts are tasty, nutrient-dense nuts produced in the fall by beech trees (Fagus sp.). The nut husks are incredibly distinctive, and it's hard not to stop and pick up the brightly colored velcro covered
Here's how to forage for autumn olive berries and eleven delicious things to do with these vibrant and abundant berries.
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) has taken over my garden at the moment. The little purplish pink flowers are pretty and it’s nice to have that bit of color while waiting for other things to spro…
Miner's lettuce is a wild-growing edible weed that is highly nutritious. It's loaded with vitamin C and minerals and has medicinal properties.
Wild plants you can eat to survive in the wild.
Ever wonder what was in your foremother's first aid kit? We imagine her with a full array of roots and berries, herbs and oils tucked into her trusty animal-skin pouch.
Unable to join us at the Earthship Campus in Taos, New Mexico, USA? You can still learn with us! with the ONLINE ACADEMY, all the classes have been recorded from the original Earthship Academy. The Online Earthship Academy is an exclusive program with access to all classes online. Become part of the Earthship Community! The […]
Making wild ginger syrup is a great way to incorporate this spicy, complex flavor into beverages, marinades, and desserts.
African American herbalism is a rich melange of many cultural traditions with deep origins rooted in African history dating back to ancient Egypt.
Common mallow is a nutritional powerhouse that can be eaten in many different ways, plus it has a long history of medicinal use.
Living off the land is not for the weak or ill-prepared. It takes years of groundwork and skill-honing to get to a place where you can survive and thrive.
Grow an herbal apothecary in pots! These 10 medicinal herbs for container gardening can thrive on your porch or patio.
There is an abundance of wild plants, mushrooms and other natural treasures in Maine that can be foraged for food, medicinal use and other purposes. We…
Garlic Mustard, Jack-by-the-Hedge, Hedge Mustard, all names for this plant that seems to grow almost anywhere. Garlic mustard has a flavor that, in the young leaves, taste like a green gentle garlic. As the leaves get older they also take on a bitter edge that can be good in some dishes but that bitterness fades when put with most oils or even butter. This is probably why it is so popular in olive oil heavy pesto. It starts off as a rosette of sorts with several leaves coming off each root often looking like a small mound. The leaves are roundish in shape with a divet cut our for the stem. They have scalloped edges and can take on a bit of a shine, though not always. As they reach their second year they send up a flower stalk that can grow to three feet high, topped off with small cluster like, white flowers. A biannual that is also an evergreen, garlic mustard is a plant that is pretty easy to find east of the Mississippi River any time of the year, except when it's buried under deep snow. That's not always a good thing though. Garlic mustard is an invasive that can take over any habitat; a garden, a pasture, a hay field, a yard...basically any place it decides to call home. Once it gets established it can wipe out any plant that grows near it by excreting a poison that stops other plants from growing. The good thing is that there are tons of uses for the plant so if we could get more people out there harvesting it, maybe we could keep it from taking over. With that, as well as other ideas in mind, four years ago our town started a annual event called 'The Garlic Mustard Weekend'. We were going to call it 'the garlic mustard festival' except we weren't really celebrating garlic mustard as much as trying to find new ways to coax people into getting rid of the stuff. It was also a good way to bring the community together (a cause everyone should strive for), and a way to highlight a free food, especially in these hard times. The high point of the weekend is the garlic mustard cook off, where people compete with different dishes that must have garlic mustard as an ingredient in them. We also must make enough of it to pass around, creating a community pot luck of sorts. Local business donate the prizes but the real prize is being noticed for our great cooking skills. So, the fourth annual garlic mustard weekend is coming up in around a month and I am trying to find the winning recipe since I have never won (I can have weird taste in foods lol). Since I love garlic and also like free food, this is a plant I enjoy to cook with. Still, I can't find that elusive recipe that makes me win even one prize. And goodness knows I would love to have a $25.00 gift certificate to the hardware store. Who wouldn't? There will be plenty of pesto at the festival, so that is out as a winning recipe. You can go online and find many different garlic mustard pesto recipes but since it is so simple here's one that you can play around with to find your favorite taste: Garlic Mustard Pesto 11⁄2 cups fresh garlic mustard leaves 1 or 2 cloves of garlic 1⁄4 cup walnuts or whatever free nuts you have in your area 3⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3⁄4 cup olive oil In a food processor, finely chop the garlic mustard leaves, garlic and nuts. Slowly mix in the cheese and olive oil. This cannot only be eaten on good crusty bread or pasta but can be frozen in ice cube trays to be popped into sauces or stews later on for flavor. I also like putting garlic mustard on homemade pizza instead of spinach. It is good in many summer salads, and I have a friend that mixes it with dried apples in her oatmeal. That's a bit over the top for me but everyone has their own tastes. The winning dish last year was garlic mustard brownies, which sounds strange but was actually quite delicious. I'm thinking of going with a garlic mustard cheesy bread. I'm perfecting the recipe but this is what I have so far: Preheat oven at: 375 degrees Ingredients (bread): 2 cups bread flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 package Rapid Rise Yeast ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup milk ¼ cup water 2 tablespoons butter Ingredients (cheese): ¼ cup sour cream 1 egg Parmesan cheese 1 cup fresh garlic mustard ¼ teaspoon salt In a mixing bowl, combine ¾ cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. heat milk, water and butter iuntil 120 degrees and add to flour Add ¼ cup flour then knead in enough flour to make dough. Let rest 10 minutes Combine cheese ingredients Roll dough into 1/ inch thick rectangle and spread a thin layer of cheese on dough Roll rectangle into a loaf shape and let rise 20 minutes Bake for 13 minutes The root of the garlic mustard is often called poor man's horseradish. I disagree with this on two points. First, horseradish is poor man's horseradish. Once you plant horseradish in your garden it is hard to get rid of it. Poor people don't need a substitute for it because they always have it. Second because garlic mustard root doesn't taste like horseradish. It does have a bit of heat, but it has that nice garlic bite to it too. I actually like the taste of the root better than the leaves, though those who aren't as big of a garlic fiend as I am would disagree with me. Last year I pickled some of the root and found it wonderfully smooth with a hint of garlic. I used it up within a couple of months so this spring I really went all out and pickled 48 jars of it. That's a lotta garlic mustard out of the woods and into my pantry. Yum. Here's the recipe for that, you can multiple or divide to get the amount you want: Ingredients 1/2 pound garlic mustard roots-washed and chopped into 2 - 3 inch piece 2 cups vinegar-I use apple cider vinegar but that's because its free for me, distilled vinegar is fine 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon celery seed Directions In a large saucepan over medium high heat, place the vinegar and sugar. Wrap ground dry mustard and celery seed in a spice bag, and place in the liquid mixture. Bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes. Stir in garlic mustard roots. Continue boiling 5 minutes. Remove from heat and discard spice bag. Place garlic mustard roots into sterile jars to within 1 inch of the top. Fill with remaining liquid to within 1/4 inch from the top. Put on hot lids and rings. Let set until sealed. Label and store for at least two weeks before using. The longer you store it, the more the flavors meld together. This year, after my peppers are up I'm going to make some of this with both sweet and hot peppers with the garlic mustard roots. You can work with what you have for flavors you like. With imagination and fun in the kitchen there are hundred of recipes that this free food can be used in. And if you have any great recipes that you think might let me win that 2 night stay at Great Wolf Lodge, I will gladly share the weekend with you if I win it. We could also win a free day out on a pontoon boat on Lake Wisconsin or even a box of Glazers from the local Quick Trip (like I need the calories). Hmmm, so many prizes...I'm going to have to work some more on my recipe. :-)
Plantain has a long history of use as a healing plant, often called nature's band-aid. Here’s everything you need to know about foraging and using plantain!
Here's a recipe for violet leaf salve, which is especially useful for eczema, dry skin, and swollen lymph nodes.
Learn identification tips, facts, and recipes for wild purslane—a wonderful, edible weed!
Lambsquarter is a vitamin-packed, nutritional powerhouse! It's so easy to dehydrate and use throughout the winter - learn how here!
Pictures of 8 warning signs to watch for when opening your canned food. Know the signs to watch for when canned food goes bad.
Oneothera biennis, O. hookeri Flor de San Juan Evening Primrose Evening primrose is yet another one of our beautiful healing herbs that has been somewhat forgotten and definitely pigeon-holed by the supplement industry and herbal commerce. Evening Primrose Seed Oil, well known in the stores, is a source of gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a fatty acid useful for skin problems, asthma, PMS and menopause. But Evening Primrose is so much more than that, and sadly, is extremely underused, while being abundant and widespread across climates and bioregions. It even grows here in the desert. There are many species of Oneothera that grow in my bioregion, some of which grow low to the ground in small mounds, but the ones I use medicinally, are the more upright variety, including O. biennis, the weedy species found anywhere the ground is moist and disturbed. I start noticing the large branching plants with yellow flowers around 4500 ft, on the sides of mountain roads, and into drainages and riparian areas. It grows easily as a perennial in the garden as well, but in the wild I most often find it near water (considering that water is the limiting factor in the desert environment). For years I’ve collected the root of the first year plants as a wild edible, boiled and eaten like a turnip. It has a peppery taste that some find unpleasant, but I rather enjoy. The leaves can also be eaten as a green, but I found them less palatable, considering they are slightly hairy, and also have a peppery taste. I’ve also spent time in the winter collecting the fibrous bark from the dead stems to make cordage, which is silky, fine and smooth. This is the first year I’ve really explored the uses of Oenothera as a medicine, but I am sure glad I have. It is proving to be invaluable, and a very good locally growing substitute for some common herbs that just aren’t that common round here. Energetics: Moist, neutral temperature, taste: bitter, pungent, sweet, astringent Reduces/pacifies Vata, Pitta Actions: Relaxant, stimulant, nervine, tonic, vulnerary, demulcent, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, antispasmodic Uses: Evening Primrose is a gentle and mild medicine, but despite its mild nature, it is extremely effective. These are the best kinds of plant medicines, in my opinion; safe, non toxic, abundant, nourishing and effective. The following information is based on the use of the whole plant; leaf, flower, bud, seed pod, root, stem, not the seed oil found in the health food stores. Being underused as it is, I highly suspect you won’t ever see an Evening Primrose tincture on the shelf, so gather your own, or get it from your local herbalist. I use Evening Primrose as an antispasmodic for smooth muscle tension and spasm. It has been one of the most effective plant medicines I have used for lessening the pain of mild to moderate dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramping). It is not the strongest of antispasmodics, but so far, in my experience, much more reliable than some of the others I’ve used through the years. It is specifically useful when there is a sensation of pelvic fullness, with some congestion of the lymphatic or portal system. Along with the smooth muscles of the uterus, Evening Primrose’s antispasmodic action is exquisitely useful in the respiratory system, when there is a dry, spasmodic cough accompanying bronchial infection or irritation, or mild asthma and hay fever or seasonal allergies. While gently calming the spasmodic tendency of a cough and the respiratory musculature, the demulcent property of the leaves and flowers, soothes cools and moistens dry and irritated tissues. Likewise, it is useful the gastrointestinal tract for the same reasons, soothing and moistening to a hot, inflamed GI tract, while easing the spasmodic cramping associated with conditions like IBS, gall bladder spasm, colitis and general poor digestive function. Evening primrose is also a lovely vulnerary wound healing ally, useful both externally for bruises, swellings, burns, and venomous insect bites and stings, hemorrhoids and internally for healing that irritated GI tract that goes along with leaky gut, ulcers, colitis, and diverticulitis. According to King’s, Evening Primrose is also applicable to any condition in which the Peyer’s patches (gastrointestinal lymph glands) are inflamed, and gastrointestinal lymphatic congestion (in the spleen or mesentery). This leads me to believe it will be helpful in addressing the inflammation, lymphatic bloating, leaky gut, and general digestive malaise associated with undiagnosed or mismanaged food allergies, particularly to such foods as gluten containing grains (wheat, rye, spelt, barley, kamut etc), dairy products, corn or soy. It is specifically indicated when there is a tendency to nausea or vomiting after eating, digestive upset accompanied by restlessness, and a frequent desire to urinate. According to King’s Evening primrose is also of use in cases of watery diarrhea, dysentery and bloody stools, another plus for its use in conditions like ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, and diarrhea associated with food allergy, poor food choices, and deranged digestive function. Evening Primrose affects all the mucus membrane tissues, lungs, GI tract, skin and the bladder and kidneys. Traditional Hispanic use in the southwest is for spasm in the bladder and kidneys, and I find it to be useful as a demulcent, astringent tonic for irritated tissues of the urinary tract, either during an infection, or over sensitized tissues post infection. Evening Primrose is also a fine relaxant nervine, especially useful with muscle tension secondary to emotional tension. A hot cup of evening primrose infusion, for me personally, is akin to taking a hot bath. I feel completely relaxed. It strongly affects the musculoskeletal tissues; I sat on the bed after my cup of infusion, not really having the desire to move. Tension had left, muscles were relaxed, and a gentle diaphoresis resulted from the relaxation of the tissues, allowing circulation to flow towards the surface. This is excellent for folks who are stressed out, hold the tension in their body and look like they might flip their lid, or in the stages of fever where tension is preventing a good sweat. Unlike Vervain which tends to relax the area around the shoulders and neck, Evening Primrose relaxes the musculature of the entire body. I also found it quite useful for the pre-menstrual emotional moodiness that comes a day or so before my menses. I get particularly reclusive, not wanting to talk, or interact with people much; and if forced to, it makes me quite cranky, irritable and bordering on weepy at times. This month, a public talk I had scheduled months in advance, happened to fall on that day I was feeling especially unable to communicate effectively or interact with others in a sensible fashion. Uh oh. A few doses of Evening Primrose tincture several times before leaving the house, and a few minutes before the actual event seemed to calm my nerves enough that I was able to put a smile on my face and speak clearly and engagingly to a room of strangers. It certainly didn’t make me chatty and extra friendly, but allowed me to perform the duty necessary without too much inner turmoil or crankiness. Thank goodness for that! As I have a tendency to social anxiety, I’m going give this a whirl for the anxiety I experience around those situations, and see if I can’t work through some of my fears by facing them with the support of a friendly plant ally. Kiva Rose equates evening primrose with the nourishing nervine properties of Avena, and suggests it be added to our list of nourishing infusions, as the nervine effects are cumulative and especially effective used over time, as most tonic herbs are. Also in its favor are its mild energetics, neither too heating nor cooling, and moistening, it is suitable for most constitutions over a long period of time, unlike nettles which can be too drying for some folks when used over time. Preparations: My favorite way to use Evening Primrose, so far, is as an infusion in hot water. My personally physiology responds much better to the large quantities of herbal medicines administered in tea form, and the long steeped infusion of Evening Primrose leaf, flower, bud, and stalk is distinctly demulcent, which is primarily extracted in water based preparations. Water is also superior at extracting the nourishing mineral and vitamin content of herbs in general. A long infusion (4 hrs or more) of Evening Primrose is most effective when dealing with the mucous membrane tissues of the GI tract, respiratory tract, urinary tract. I also find the infusion effective for menstrual cramping, more so than the tincture. Use the infusion for longer term nerve nourishing/tonifying. The hot infusion is also suitable for use in a tense, hot, dry fever. Tinctures are useful medicines as well, though my personal work with the herbs is centering more and more on non alcohol preparations. Fresh plant Evening Primrose tincture is perhaps a stronger antispasmodic for cramping, spasm and asthma attacks than the tea, and has very nicely effective and quick results for nervous tension, anxiety, and PMS grouchies. Use the tincture as well, if on the go, traveling or otherwise unable to use the infusion/tea. Use either the tincture or the infusion as a wash, compress, or liniment topically for burns, insect bites and stings, bruises, swellings, hemorrhoids and the like. A fresh plant poultice of the leaves and flowers is also an excellent way to use the herb topically, if you happen to be standing near the Primrose patch when you get stung by a bee, a spider, a caterpillar or have been outside too long with sunburn. You can also make infused oil with the flowers, buds, leaves, root and stem for topical use, and I suspect it would make a very nice addition to massage oils for tense, spastic muscles, and would use it profusely for bruises and injuries with swelling, or for irritated hemorrhoids. I caution against using oils and salves on burns, especially fresh burns. If you get burned, first remove heat from the area with cool soaks, compresses, liniments, and then as the burn ages and you want to encourage healing, reduce peeling, and pain, then turn to the oils, applied lightly. You can also collect the tiny black seeds from the seed pods in the fall and use them as a GLA supplement by grinding and storing in another EFA type oil (fish, flax etc). Or storing whole (preferably cool) and grinding as needed on a daily basis and adding the seed meal to foods; smoothies, hot cereal, fruit salads, nut butter etc. Sources: Personal experience Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West Blog posts by Kiva Rose at Bear Medicine Herbals personal correspondence with Kiva Rose Felter and Lloyd's Kings American Dspensatory
I know I say this often but we LOVE Giveaways here at Mary's Heirloom Seeds! This is an extra special giveaway because we have a new book, The Beginner's Guide to Backyard Homesteading, from Lisa at The Self Sufficient Homeacre as well as heirloom seeds. I have followed Lisa's blog for years and she also shares great
Spring is a great time for foraging! Learn what to forage in spring with this list of 20 edible and medicinal plants and fungi. Spring foraging is fun!
Learn about chakras and how to balance your chakras is with herbal tea. Herbal teas have plenty of benefits for body and mind.
Trade paperback. Language: English. Pages: 256. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 256 p. Contains: Illustrations. Mother Earth News Wiser Living, 4. An earth-sheltered, earth-roofed home has the least impact upon the land of all housing styles, leaving almost zero footprint on the planet. Earth-Sheltered Houses is a practical guide for those who want to build their own underground home at moderate cost. It describes the benefits of sheltering a home with earth, including the added comfort and energy efficiency from the moderating influence of the earth on the home's temperature (keeping it warm in the winter and cool in the summer), along with the benefits of low maintenance and the protection against fire, sound, earthquake, and storm afforded by the earth. Extra benefits from adding an earth or other living roof option include greater longevity of the roof substrate, fine aesthetics, and environmental harmony. The book covers all of the various construction techniques involved, including details on planning, excavation, footings, floor, walls, framing, roofing, waterproofing, insulation, and drainage. Specific methods appropriate for the inexperienced owner/builder are a particular focus and include: * Pouring one's own footings and/or floor * The use of dry-stacked (surface-bonded) concrete block walls * Post-and-beam framing * Plank-and-beam roofing * Drainage methods and self-adhesive waterproofing membranes The time-tested, easy-to-learn construction techniques described in Earth-Sheltered Houses will enable readers to embark upon their own building projects with confidence, backed up by a comprehensive resources section that lists all the latest products such as waterproofing membranes, types of rigid insulation, and drainage products that will protect the building against water damage and heat loss. Rob Roy is a former contractor with 27 years of experience and 12 previous books to his credit, including Cordwood Building and Timber Framing for the Rest of Us. An expert on underground building, he founded the Earthwood Building School in 1981 with his wife, Jaki, and is frequently a speaker at events throughout North America.
This year I had a bumper crop of rainbow colored carrots. I actually grew a RAINBOW! Pretty cool. From left to right, Rainbow Mix (white to orange carrots), Cosmic Purple has reddish skin with orange flesh, and Black Nebula. This year I grew Black Nebula, Cosmic Purple, and Rainbow Mix which is one carrot variety that has color variations from orange to white. You can read more about this pelleted Rainbow Mix carrot seed on my last blog post. If you have problems getting carrots to germinate, try pelleted seed and growing in a container. You're welcome! And if you're interested in non-orange carrots, read my blog post on the History of Carrot Colors. From left to right, Black Nebula, Cosmic Purple, & the last 3 are all Rainbow Mix. As you can see, black carrots leave you with purple skin! I’ve had great success growing carrots in containers with a DIY garden soil mix. This growing method has worked much better than when I grew carrots in my raised garden bed. I’ve gotten much longer and straighter carrots growing in containers. But there’s nothing wrong with a crooked carrot. In fact, the less than perfect carrots work great in homemade bone broth or for roasting. If you’ve ever grown a crooked or bumpy carrot, it can be a pain to peel. So just leave the carrot skins on, give them a good scrub, then toss into your recipe. The skins are loaded with nutrients and lend an earthier taste when roasting. I mean, I couldn't easily peel this carrot below, right? But you can bet your booty that I took about a hundred photos and plastered them all over the internets. Pervert. There's always one in every bunch. I'm talking about the carrot, not me. Insert eye roll here. Eating Carrot Greens Did you know that carrot tops are edible? It’s true! So don’t throw those tops away. In fact, carrot tops are very nutritious. Carrot greens are loaded with vitamins A & C, calcium, iron, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. They are cholesterol free and low in calories too. Carrot tops are beneficial to eye health, circulation, digestion, kidney function, and blood pressure. Since they have known detoxifying properties, they can give your immune system a boost as well. How about a carrot top green smoothie to start the day? Alone, carrot tops can taste a tad bitter. But you can pair the greens with something sweet like carrots and maple syrup or add to a vinaigrette. Or try sautéing the greens with olive oil or bacon fat with some salt and pepper and a dash of lemon juice near the end. I often add chopped carrot greens to salads, soups, homemade bone broth, or carrot top pesto. I follow my basic pesto recipe and use half carrot tops and half basil. The pesto has a slightly more earthy flavor and texture than if you just use basil. This is a great way to use something that often gets tossed. So be green and eat ALL of your greens! Storing Carrot Greens Carrot greens store a long time in the crisper. I put mine in slightly dampened paper towels, roll them up tightly, then place in a plastic newspaper bag. This helps to keep them from wilting, although they won’t last indefinitely stored fresh. Since my crisper was stuffed full of carrots and greens, I decided to dehydrate a lot of the greens. I stripped the smaller carrot greens from the large main stem. Then I followed my dehydrator’s directions for drying fresh herbs. Most of the greens were dried and crispy after three hours. Once dried, I lightly crumbled them up and stored in a mason jar. Now I’ll be able to add dried carrot greens to soups or roasted veggies throughout the year. I stored my dehydrated carrot greens in a mason jar with our Eat Your Veggies canning labels. Cooking with Carrot Greens Carrot greens add a pretty touch to roasted vegetables or soups. If I have fresh carrot greens on hand, I’ll use them in any dish that calls for parsley. Chopped carrot greens make these maple roasted carrots look rustic. You can use dried carrot greens or other herbs instead. Maple Roasted Carrots Carrots, scrubbed but not peeled (slice or leave whole depending on the size) 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 Tablespoon lime juice Dash of salt Handful of cleaned carrot greens, stem removed & leaves coarsely chopped Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub carrots well. I leave the skins on which gives the carrots an earthier taste. You may also peel the carrots if you prefer. Depending on the size of your carrots, you can slice them into coins, slice in half, or leave whole. Combine maple syrup, olive oil, and lemon juice in bowl. Stir in carrots, salt, and carrot greens until everything is coated. Add carrots to cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then stir and flip the carrots. Roast approximately 15 more minutes, or until fork tender. PRINT THE RECIPE CARD If you use black carrots, they will create a nice dark syrup and add a nice contrast to lighter carrots. Carrot Top Pesto In my photo above, the lighter pesto is all basil and the one on the bottom is half carrot top and half basil. Adding the carrot greens makes it a little earthier tasting. It's a good way to use something that usually gets thrown away that is also surprisingly nutritious! 1/3 cup toasted nuts (I often use sunflower seeds instead of nuts). 2 small garlic cloves 1 cup chopped carrot greens 1 cup basil 1 TBS lemon juice 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil Combine nuts & garlic in food processor until pasty. Blend in the greens, then add the other ingredients until combined. Add more lemon, S&P to taste. PRINT THE RECIPE CARD Want more carrot recipes? Here are a few more recipe ideas for roasted carrots and carrot tops. If you have a surplus of carrots from your garden, get to peeling (or not) & start cooking now! Roasted Carrot Recipes Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots Cinnamon Butter Baked Carrots Honey-Balsamic Roasted Carrots Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad Parmesan Roasted Carrots Carrot Top Recipes Carrot Top Chimichurri Carrot Top Smoothie Carrot Top Vegetable Broth Tuscan Carrot Top Soup Read our blog post on How to Make Green Onion Powder Want to grow your own carrots? Read our blog post: Planting Carrots in Containers with Homemade Potting Soil Recipe Sign up for our newsletter to get free printables, gardening tips, recipes, product updates, & a 10% off coupon on your first order of canning labels in our shop. Shop our Canning Labels Collection. Grow your own food! Get gardening tips, canning recipes & food preservation tips. Follow our Grow It, Can It, Eat It Pinterest Board. Do you eat carrot greens? If so, how do you cook and store them? Let us know in the comments below.
