Sunday, April 26, 2009

Garden Thots n Dandy Muffins

This weekend the Master Gardeners held their plant sale at the Fairgrounds, so I picked up some 'babies' to plant! After filling one flat, & loading that in the car, I returned for another go-round.
Several garden centers & groups had plants for sale, & I found some sweet treasures. The purple flower is an Auricula primrose, & the white, Mexican Orange which has lovely fragrant blossoms, & makes a small hedge! I brought the tomatoes, basil & pepper plants inside, to wait for warmer weather.

It was a grey day, good for a bit of digging! Last spring I put down a layer of cardboard & old cloth to shade out the grass, & throughout the season, my son-in law covered the 'bed' with extra dirt he removed placing stepping stones. I prefer hand digging to tilling; easier on the soil, & good exercise after all.

I have a D-handle spading fork, & chop the clumps with a long handled tool - which is good for making seed furrows. My beds have their share of 'crab' grass with long runners, & some morning glory - so those go in a special pile, to dry out before going into compost.

There are several beds surrounded with wood, I may leave this one simply 'mounded.' This corn salad (mache) is fun in salads, & self seeds, so begins coming up in about Feb.

I found a fun recipe for Dandy Muffins the other day on the fat of the land blog - utilizing about a cup of dandelion flowers!
You twist out the gold petals, & could add them to pancakes or other recipes as well! I want to try these on my grandkids (& have them help me gather the flowers) when they're back from Disneyland!

*Dandy Muffins*

2 C flour (I used 1/4 C coconut & 1/4 C sorgham, 1 1/2 C WW flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 C fresh dandelion flowers - just the gold petals
1/4 C melted coconut oil
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1 egg
1 1/2 C (or a bit more) liquid
(I used lemon balm tea; buttermilk or coconut milk are other options)

- Mix dry ingredients, breaking the flower petals apart.
- Mix the wet ingredients, & stir into the dry, spoon into muffin tins.
These filled a muffin pan plus a 3" baking dish - grease pans or put parchment paper or baking cups in the bottom.
- Bake at 400* 20-25 min, till a toothpick comes out clean.

3 comments:

Genie Sea said...

What synchronicity! I planted Auricula too! It was my first time planting ever. :)

That muffin recipe looks delicious and is certainly the most unique one I have seen :)

Anonymous said...

Oh what a great post!!
I too, have just begun a garden here at my new apartment.
I will be coming by often for your expertise!

What a cool recipe!!!

Nadya said...

Genie - yes, it's certainly unique! & what a fun way to use some of those flowers! I've made massage oil with them, & once wine, & sometimes put them in salads.

Boho - oh, goodie! What fun to be gardening at your new place, contrads! & the recipe passed the 'kid' test yesterday, had my 4 yr old grand daughter help prepare petals, & both she & her older sis. voted them OK :)