Dandelions

The Boy
Originally uploaded by Seeking Tao

Today is yet another day when I cannot write – that’s not so dandy and I’m not lion. (Hey! I said, I couldn’t write. That’s predicated on not thinking.)

But, I do juice – a green smoothie each morning for breakfast.
My favorite of late: romaine, parsley, aloe, and dandelion. To which I add, frozen blackberries and bananas, plus a dash of glycine and magnesium.
There is some method to this madness, though I’m not sure of the ratio between the two.
Dandelions are not only sweet, but also help your circulation (supposedly).
I’m not sure they are the diuretic that I need.
But, I LIKE them, far beyond the matter of taste.
So, I’m merely reporting here and do not recommend.

However, I do recommend this blog I came across this morning, which has a whole archive on dandelions.

I’m an old-fashioned community herbalist from Lobelia, West Virginia… My style: traditional, grounded, common-sense Appalachian herbwifery.
I like local weeds, teaching backyard herbalism, demystifying plants.

When it comes to my kitchen, I am my great-grandmother’s great-grandaughter. (In her nineties Nanny lived alone with two full refrigerators and a stand-up freezer. She never lacked for guests.) Feeding people is one of my greatest pleasures.
I’m fascinated by food traditions of all kinds, and the many intersections between culture, food and health.

This site is full of good information and information that feels good.
I have looked and looked for “spiritual” websites to link to and have found very few that really draw me. (I’d write about why this is so… if I could write, but I can’t.)
But, my search for sites that inspire has led me to the realization that what truly grabs me are people simply expressing what they love.

The Herbwife’s Kitchen is just such a place. It feels good, and you can learn.
I perused a bit this morning and felt so much quieter and centered.
I enjoyed reading:

This is a good egg.
A tasty egg.
A nutritious egg.
See how the yolk is practically orange?
That’s because the chicken pecked all around in grass and weeds, eating bugs and plants and whatever it could scratch on 8 acres of pasture down the road…

There’s just no comparing this kind of egg to the pale imitation you get from a confined chicken, even an organic one. You don’t need laboratory tests to tell you that these eggs are miles better.
You can see it.
You can taste it.

This little egg was destined for rice fritters.

I guess what I’m saying is that I want to start sharing the places where you can actually feel the “chopping wood and carrying water” of a clear consciousness.