Chickweed pesto healthy and fresh taste like spring!
What is Chickweed?
Other names: Stellaria media, starweed, mouse ear, satinflower, tongue grass
Chickweed is a plant native to Europe. It grows across North America as a common weed. The parts used medicinally are the leaves, stems and flowers.
Chickweed has been used in folk medicine for skin conditions, indigestion and a variety of other conditions, such as cough, rhematoid arthritis, psoriasis, stomach ulcers and as a blood tonic/cleanser. We have some customers that use it for reducing benign swelling or lumps.
Chickweed should not be used internally by pregnant or nursing women or children without the advice of a physician.
Chickweed, like many fresh succulent winter greens, contains nitrate. Do not consume excessive quantities repeatedly over time. If you are sensitive to nitrate poisoning check with your health care practitioner. Symptoms may include weakness, headache, fainting, bluish fingers and lips and dizziness.
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Breakfast with Our Berry Syrup Eggs Waffles and Arugula Flowers
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“Rosey Outlook” Coffee Cake Recipe: 9×9” pan oven: 350F bake: 30 min/toothpick test
1 1/3 cups flour 2/3 cup sugar (brown sugar, honey, etc, to taste) 2 teaspoons baking powder 2/3 cup milk* 1/4 cup butter, soft* 2 eggs* 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup shredded rose petals, rose geranium blossoms & leaves, pineapple sage blossoms, and slivers of lemon verbena Save a pinch of shredded leaves, flowers, and 5-12 small geranium leaves for lining pan and pressing into top of batter. Separate leaves, etc and process/scissor cut to add to dry matter and top the cake with…grease baking pan; (glass is my top choice), press into pan some petals, leaves and ribbons of your floral materials…in medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Add flower/leaves and use hand mixer on low speed to combine with flour, etc. ( If using a wet sweetener like honey, add to wet section of recipe.) In another bowl, combine milk, butter, egg, vanilla, *making sure to use at room temperature as butter will “coagulate” with cold milk, etc. Beat wet mixture on medium until well blended. Pour wet mix into dry mix and beat with mixer on medium for 1 minute or until well blended. Pour mixed batter in greased pan, on top of your selected leaves and flowers. Finish batter with remaining leaves and flowers, using a toothpick if necessary to pin down the garnishing touches to the batter (if left standing or curled above, will get crispy and loose more color). Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Invert out of pan after cooling 10-15 minutes; bottom of pan will still be warm.. Cool completely before cutting; can be served as finger tea cakes, cut into squares and fitted on to rose geranium leaves as doilies. Scattered rose petals add a nice touch and help signal floral nature of cake. The post Rosey Outlook Coffee Cake first appeared on Specials From Planet Earth Diversified.]]>- sandwich spread (try with grilled cheese and tomatoes)
Pesto Crustini on Nasturtiums
- add to sauces and soups
- blend with yogurt for salad dressing
- stuff salmon or other fish
- add dollop to rice for infusion
- top crustinis or crackers for party snacks
- spread on pizza base, or blend with tomato sauce
- garnish a steak salad
- create your own dip with sour cream or cream cheese
Recipe: Chicken Salad Sandwich
- 2 cups of chicken
3 tbs of cream cheese
2 tbs of sour cream and 1 1/2 tbs of pesto
blend by hand until creamy
add favorite sandwich garnishes…such as micro celery greens and tomatoes
For a “Spring Chicken Salad Sandwich” consider a few of our favorite garnishes of micro mustard, violets, rose petals, wild crafted garlic mustard, shiso and other greens.
Pesto, essentially “paste”, is also made from our raspberry crops and is used as a different sort of pesto. Makes great thumbprint cookies, spreads, cake layers, hot tea, etc.
Joshua Wilton explores the raspberry...yum!
(Be sure to check out what Joshua Wilton does with raspberries…this is one of my favorites.)
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Rose Geranium medallions from Planet Earth Diversified
Find fresh harvested Chef boxes & zip bags this Saturday: Anderson’s and Greenwood Market has zip bags too…Zinc has both leaves and hydrosol.
Also known as essential waters, our hydrosols are steam distilled from what we grow here at the farm. Begun as an opportunity to utilize and preserve through the seasons, it also allowed us to upgrade our sustainability goal. Hydrosols that have not crossed an ocean save a bit on energy, and gives us another way to capture the fragrances, nuances of a particular season, a little like wine to me. Especially nice is that it gives another way to extend the season, so to speak, and showcase another facet of use. I am really excited to see what Zinc creates with their hydrosols and have long enjoyed the botanical blends of Dawn Story (New Moon Naturals) in a myriad of products using plant essential waters.
Rose Geranium is one of my all time favorites and regularly showed up as an infused fruit topping or syrup used with yogurt dressing when I was making breakfast as the Innkeeper*. Homemade cakes would be dressed with fruit stewed in rose geranium and a yogurt cup could be found dressed with our geranium from a simple syrup. I also liked opening a bottle of sparkling water and stuffing the leaves inside to infuse a bit as i made other things, then combining with fresh squeezed citrus and a dollop of syrup, might be garnished for special occasions. Works well with the Brut, too. Fun, overnight infusion into chocolate ganache brownies works well in the fridge overnight with the pieces plated atop a leaf which make very nice serving doily. As the plates “settle” the next day for service, and the cold falls out, the aroma becomes captivating.
*Managed 1804 Inn at Barboursville Vineyards for several years during inception period. Be sure to visit Palladio restaurant for Chef’s creations as we enjoy in exploring rose geranium together and are always delighted with what comes forth. Rose Geranium gelato is still a big hit here at the farm.
courtesy of Barboursville Vineyards and Palladio Restaurant
One customer shared her revamping a pineapple up-side-down cake recipe by layering the start with rose geranium leaves. Yum!
Since we will be in attendance at the VABF conference, I am offering special Sunday delivery of the rose geranium choices; Chef boxes are hand selected leaves in bright aroma, and hydrosol comes in 300ml or in 4ml spray* (not available singly; must be included in delivery of something else). Some rose geranium will be available for you to pick up at Anderson’s in conjuntion with their extravaganza this weekend. You will find samples of our pestos and recipes along with other local purveyors; we wish we were not already booked but are glad for the opportunity to stay in touch. Call 434-985-3570, ext 1 and leave a message if you would like some rose geranium or hydrosol or both, or maybe you want the whole kit! A box of fresh herb, a refill storage size bottle and your own spritzer to hang out on the line…just give me a call.
Edible flowers on doilies of rose geranium & nasturtium leaves
– syrup
-stewed fruit
-spritzed
-layered
-infused
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Earth B "Q" sauce for the BarBe
And now for the BarBe – Planet Earth Diversified Earth B Q – our newest tasty “Q Sauce” made here on the farm cooking down our heiloom tomatoes – thats 10 cases of tomatoes into a dozen bottles of “Q Sauce” and adding our raspberry paste some herbs and onion and garlic – oh so good on roasted peppers!
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Hot Red Pepper Sauce #9 - "2010 Recovery Sauce"
Well Last year we had The “All Wee’ Wee’d Up” stimulus Sauce – so hot! This year Our first hot sauce out is the “Red Pepper Sauce- 2010 Recovery Sauce” No. 9 – sort of like the economic recovery it is just not quite as hot as predicted! (just wait ’till the habaneros really start flowing in..) Also check out our mild “Q” Sauce for the barbee.
Check out the making of the sauce in the video below. We work really hard to make the finest flavor and quality and we do not dilute our sauce with vinegar or use pepper extracts – It Is Just Fresh Juice made on the farm from peppers we grow!
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Made Fresh On The Farm From Our Raspberries!