Day 3 -The Authors in Bloom Blog Hop!

It's time for the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop! 
Join 79 authors in our themed celebration of spring. The Grand Prize is a Kindle or Nook plus a $25 gift certificate. And... each participating author is offering up something as well. (see mine below) It's a win win win! The winners will be chosen from comments so be sure to leave your email address when you comment. Just so you know, only those visitors who visit EACH and EVERY stop are eligible for the grand prize.  The other participants.

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Many years ago, my husband and I led off-campus wild food programs for the Chicago Field Museum. Not only was the outing a biology and natural history lesson, it was a you pick/I cook day. Foragers and Foodies should be aware of what they're doing if they plan to eat from the wild. Read first. To be sure you have an edible species, use a guidebook or website and compare what you have, to what they show. You don't want to innocently pick yourself a pile of poison ivy!

Before I continue ~

Important to know about wild foods:
Whether you're new to wild harvests or an old pro at munching your way through the weeds in your backyard, I think it's worth repeating a few things. Some populations of plants are barely surviving due to competition by aggressive invaders and  mindless harvesting. Just because you can eat that native species, doesn't mean you should. It's best to just eat the weeds and leave the rest, especially mushrooms which play an important role in the ecosystem. Another important note about mushrooms ~ it's easy to get it wrong. Depending on the stages of growth, some poisonous varieties look exactly like edibles. As far as exotic weeds go, munch away. They don't belong here anyway and they taste great. Be safe! Before you start picking, be sure  no pesticides or herbicides have been used there. Only pick where you know for sure.

Pickled Milkweed Pods (refrigerator style)

2 Qts of milkweed buds no larger than 2 inches, long approximately 4 cups
5 cups raw apple cider vinegar
1/4-cup sugar in the raw
2 sprigs of fresh dill flower
1 T whole juniper berries (optional)
1 T black pepper corns
3 T sea salt

Add the spices and sugar to the 5 cups of vinegar. Heat to a boiling in a glass or stainless steel pot. Remove from heat and steep for 20 minutes for the spices to infuse. Wash and de-stem the pods then blanch by dropping in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain then plunge in an ice bath for rapid cooling. Fill two quart-sized sterilized canning jars with blanched and cooled pods. Bring infused brine to a quick boil, then slowly pour over milkweed pods. The pickled pods will keep a month in your refrigerator. TIP: I always have a potholder under the jar I'm pouring hot liquid into. A little insulation between the hot glass and the cold table helps prevent shattering jars.

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Here's your prize at this stop ~ 20 lovely 5.5 x 4"
rose-themed note cards with envelopes.
Wouldn't they look cute in an Easter Basket?

After you've visited all the wonderful Authors in Bloom blogs, check out my main blog. I'm participating in the month-long A to Z Challenge with an interesting topic a day through the alphabet. Scroll back to start at A!http://calliopeswritingtablet.com/

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Sample all of my scorching love stories for free!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

 
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You'll LOVE Reading Rose!

Main Blog:
Subscribe on the Main blog for interesting posts, updates & more.
http://calliopeswritingtablet.com/

Satellite Blogs:
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/

Exquisite Quills:
My group blog. Several authors & their romances.
From sweet to scorching. 

Discover EQ author promo opportunities
http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

Exquisite Quills Yahoo Group: Open to readers and writers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Romance Books '4' Us: I'm a featured blogger the 4th of every month
Many great topics there all month long.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Anderson/e/B004XDGWL6
I'll happily sign all ebooks with Authorgraph.

Social Media:
I'm everywhere. Come say hi. I'm busy, but I'll eventually follow back.

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/FollowTheMuse/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roseanderson_
Tumblr: http://author-roseanderson.tumblr.com/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com//MusesWritingTablet
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117411462633912228541/posts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rose.anderson.7524
About.me: http://about.me/rose_anderson_author

Author Pages etc:
I have many author's pages and static pages around the web. Too many to list here! If you see me, do say hello.