Plants you should know; Redbud tree.

The flower buds are a high source of vitamin C. Without natural citrus growing in Kansas this is important. TEOTWAWKI happens, and we have a population suffering from scurvy, argh!

You can eat them raw, adding to your salad or pickle them for later use. (good replacement for capers)

Pickled Redbud Buds

2 cups flower buds (remove stem)

1 cup cider vinegar

1 tbl. sugar

1 tsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. canning salt

1-one inch long cinnamon stick

1 whole clove

Combine all. Bring to just boiling. Add to your sterilized jar. Refrigerate until ready for use. Or can as you would your cucumber pickles.

The pods are edible as well. Finding the right time to harvest the pods is a trial and error attempt, you want them young, but not so young that seeds have yet to develop. Eat and can like green beans.

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Eating the Lillies

Lillies are common here. People love to dress up their yards with them. But to a prepper they might not be the the flower you would want in your edible garden. But before you rip them out, think of them as a treat, a way to pep up that prepper diet of yours.

Day Lilly's are edible, Tiger Lilly's are not!

You can save them for future use by drying. Soak them for 30 minutes in water to rehydrate for use. Day Lilly's taste a little like green beans when used fresh.


Sautéed Day lily Buds
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a heavy skillet over a medium heat. Add rinsed and trimmed buds, sauté until lightly browned. Add a few teaspoons water. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and 10 min. drain.

Day Lilly Blossoms stuffed with Chicken salad

6 open day Lilly blossoms
2 1/2 c. cooked chicken breast meat, chopped
25 seedless grapes, cut in quarters
1 slice green sweet onion, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
3/4 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp. fresh chopped French tarragon
6 borage flowers
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Wash day Lilly blossoms and remove stamen . Make sure there are no flaws or discoloration in flowers. Mix chicken, grapes, celery, onion, mayonnaise, parsley, tarragon and pepper together in bowl. Stuff chicken salad into blossoms and top each with a borage flower.


Spiced Pickled Day Lilly
2 qt Day lily buds, unopened freshly picked
3 c White vinegar
3/4 c Light brown sugar, packed
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Whole allspice
2 Two-inch sticks cinnamon,
10 To 12 whole cloves

Rinse and drain unopened day lily buds; remove any stem remnants. Place buds in to a saucepan. Add water so it barely covers buds. Bring to a quick boil, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Drain. Pack hot buds into 8 hot an sterile half-pint canning jars. Combine vinegar, brown sugar, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes. Pour pickling solution over buds, distributing spices equally. Seal, process in a hot water bath 10 minutes.

You can stuff the Day Lilly buds with cheese after the 20 minute simmer, and drain, to serve as an appetizer.

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Hybrid does not mean GMO or GE

Cross post from A Homesteading Neophyte

I was wandering around the world wide web yesterday ( as it was too cool and wet to do much outside) and noticed something. It bothers me a bit when people that put themselves out there as an authority figure, confuse issues. If I give the wrong info I really hope someone calls me out on it. I will either give you examples as to way I think what I stated was correct, or apologize and fix the post. There are some out there however that are adamant that they are correct.

A woman asked a question about hybrids verses heirlooms. The answer by someone was that all hybrids are GMOs. No one questioned this. As I wasn't a member of the group, I was not allowed to correct the information. And I see little point just to join so that I can blast their leader.

Hybrid plants do not have their genomes messed with. They are plants that have been either open pollinated or done so by hand. As Humans we do this selective breeding all the time and have for centuries. It helps make once non-edible foods, or hard to digest foods, easier on our stomachs and our palates. Our heirloom and heritage plants were once hybrids, it just that these plants have been able to breed true for many many generation.

Do not fear the hybrid.

GE or GMO's are different. Man has gone in and spliced and removed certain genes to create a more perfect monster.

Attack of the killer Tomatoes

Now I am not going to go into why GMOs are good or bad. I think they should be clearly marked on food labels and seed/plants so that we can make decisions based on the information available and believed by the consumer. The point of this post is that hybrids are not GMOs.

Hybrids can be made by nature as well a by man.

When it comes to choosing a hybrid, look at the filial number. 1 means that it is the first cross hybrid generation. If you are choosing plants to seed save for, this filial number is not one you really want. You will be able to seed save and a plant will grow, however it will not be true. F2 and F3 are the 2nd and 3rd generation of that hybrid plant. Seeds saved from them will produce true to parent offspring. (exception to the F1 rule is plants that can only propagate themselves by roots, graphs (like apple trees) and vine)

Then you have your heritage and heirlooms that are almost guaranteed to produce true to parent plants because they are 100's of generation removed form the parents.

What seeds and plants to purchase and consume is up to you. Just do your research and make the best decisions for you and your family.

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Plants you should know: Indian Woodoats

The seeds can be used as a cereal in making bread, biscuits etc, or can be ground into a flour and used as a mush.

It has no known medicinal properties.

Plants you should know

Culver's Root

also known as black root.

The root of this plant needs to be dried. Do not eat it fresh! Dry it, and then ground it up. Used for constipation and signs of jaundice.

Decoction: Put 1-2 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb in a cup of cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Tincture: take 1-2 ml of the tincture three times a day.

Combinations : Black Root will combine well with Barberry and Dandelion. For hemorrhoids combine with Stone Root

If pain develops in the lower abdomen, stop using it!

Caution should be exercise when using this herb. It contains eptandrin, a very strong purgative and emetic. Use

only with medical supervision. Do not drink more than a cup of the tea per day

Plants you should know; Cup Plant

This plant grows 4-7 feet in height. In August, it goes into bloom.



You can chew on the root to sweeten your breath.

Steep the root for a long time, making a tea. This as used by Native Americans to help with intermittent fevers, internal bruises, ulcers and liver affections. It is a stimulant and an antispasmodic. The tea is also claimed to help with enlarged spleen.

Always talk to your doctor before using herbal remedies.

Plants you Should Know; Touch-me-not

Jewelweed, also known as Touch-me-not is a soft fleshy herb, standing 2-5 feet. You can find them in wet shady areas.
When the plant stands under 6 inches, they are edible, discard the leaves and boil the shoots. The ripe seeds can be eaten raw, they are banana shaped.

This plant is very high in minerals, so don't eat a lot, mix it with other herbs or vegetables.

This is also a great plant for soothing poison ivy (before the rash) bees stings and other skin issues. Any part of the plant can be crushed and rubbed on the infected area.

Plants you Should Know; Yellow Pond Lily

Obviously this plant is aquatic, the leaves (heart shaped) float on the surface, and have yellow waxy looking flowers.

The seeds can be parched, winnowed, then ground up into a flour, or you can fry it like popcorn.

While the root stock can be eaten like a potato. Change the water after the first boil, then boil an additional 3 minutes to help tame the flavor.

Winnowed- to blow off the chaff from the grain.
parched- drying with heat (dry roasting)

A few early spring flowers to add to your diet

Eat only flowers that have been correctly Identified, eat only the part of the plant indicated as some have poisons in other parts f the plant. Make sure no chemicals have been used on them, and introduce flowers sparingly into your diet.

Common daisy (Bellis perennis)
Daisy buds and petals give a pleasant, slightly sour flavor to salads. The buds can also be pickled in vinegar and used as a substitute for capers. Daisy flowers are best picked in spring and summer thereby prolonging flowering and producing further crops.
This hardy perennial can be found in your lawn and will grow successfully in sun or partial shade

Sweet violet (Viola odorata)
Has scented small blue or white flowers. It produces the only edible flower available in winter and early spring. They have a fresh flavor and are used to flavor and colour confectionery. The flowers can also be used as a thickener in soup and stews and make a tasty, interesting garnish for salads, fruit salads and desserts. Sweet violets thrive in a moderately heavy rich soil in a semi-shaded spot. Do well in containers but need to be placed in a cool position throughout the summer and must not be given heat during the winter

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
This common weed has a yellow flower that tastes of honey if picked young. It turns bitter when mature. The flowers can be made into tea, wine and beer. They can also be used to garnish a salad. When serving a rice dish use dandelion petals like confetti over the rice.

Herbs you should know

The Strawberry plant.


Ok ok, I realize that seems odd and obvious. You see a strawberry in the woods and you pluck it and eat it. But do you know what to look for in the late fall early winter or even the early spring? Do you only look for the berry?

You also need to look for the leaves.





In this day and age where we don't have to worry about scurvy, we tend to forget that we can get our vitamin C else where. And in the cold of Kansas, oranges do not grow on trees.

Vitamin C is important to your survival. Find that strawberry plant. Dry out the leaves and seep them in hot water. It will make a sweet tea with that much needed Vitamin C.

Did I mention the Vitamin C?

Plants you should know; Yarrow

Yarrow is an important plant to keep in the back of your mind. The crushed leaves can be used to staunch bleeding wounds. The younger leaves can be eaten to relive tooth aches.

There is a problem however, yarrow can be confused with fool's parsley and poison hemlock. Get to know your weeds before eating them.

Yarrow flowers

Poison Hemlock Flowers



Yarrow Leaves


Fool's Parsley


Poison Hemlock Leaves