Behind On Updating

I am behind on updating because of a little ball of fur that entered our lives. I walked out on my back porch after hearing some small meows, and found 3 little kittens that scurried away and hid. I had assumed they were brought here by their momma, since I had been feeding a stray that looked pregnant, then she didn't, and then she disappeared. Unfortunately, these little ones did not seem to belong to anyone and they were so small. We tried catching them with no luck. That night, one was killed by something, the next night the other just disappeared, and then only one was left. It took us a couple of days to finally catch her, but we got her, took her to the vet and had her tested to make sure we could bring her into our 2 cat home safely.

The vet tech said she looked like she was about 4 weeks old! She tested negative for everything so inside she came. We gave her kitten formula and then a two days later, she got to see our vet. The vet figured 4-5 weeks, gave her a probiotic since there was some blood showing up when she made a bowel movement and gave her a clean bill of health. No worms, no parasites, no mites, nothing! The conclusion was she was not a stray but a cast-off. It seems that she and her littermates were dumped off and left to fend for themselves. Sadly, only this one made it. How can people be so cruel? This little one was not even old enough to be weaned!

Well, she adapted well, has gotten fat and sassy and is due for her shots on Thursday. She has grown like a weed and is no longer the skinny baby we finally caught. She was on a 2 hour feeding schedule at first and then it spread out a little longer. Unfortunately with this schedule it changed our family plans. My daughter flew in from the other side of the country to spend a week and celebrate her father's birthday with him and we had small trips scheduled, reservations made, etc., that had to be modified. We did local trips and my son stayed home to feed the kitten while we traveled into the city. My daughter had purchased tickets that couldn't be refunded so he insisted I go while he babysat. 

Hubby has always said was never a cat person, but our vet said it was because he never had his own cat and this one will change him. He was right. Hubby fell in love with this little girl and tells everyone she was his birthday present. She has brought lots of joy into our lives and certainly keeps us on our toes!

Life is Unpredictable

Our life went from quiet in 2022 to full of excitement in 2023. We were moving along quite well with the garden last year but for some reason I kept a close eye on my husband while he was outside doing things. It was odd of me to do that, but something just didn't seem right. Then the end of May came and I was out ready to work the front flower beds and I noticed him leaning over the wheelbarrow. I thought he was having issues with his back and I yelled up and asked him if he was ok. No answer. I walked up to him and asked again and he walked around to the side of the the wheelbarrow, said his chest and collapsed. He went into full cardiac arrest - but not from a heart attack but a birth defect that went undetected. My son has just gotten home from running errands and I yelled for him. He did CPR while I stayed on the phone with 911. Within minutes, EMS arrived and then transported him to our local hospital. A few days later he was transported to another hospital and had an aortic valve replacement. He is doing well now, but I look back and thank the good Lord that the niggle in my head that something was not right saved him. If I had gone on with my plans of working out in the front beds, he would have been alone and no longer with us.

Life has since settled back down. Hubby is now working in the garden again and seems to be doing quite well. God is good! 

This year is a year for change. We are close to retirement age and it's time to start thinking about purging things that aren't useful any longer. The kids have all grown up and have their own lives and they don't want all our treasures junk that is important only to us. It is time they need to be sorted, offered to the children and/or purged. I have stopped buying yarn and craft supplies and am now using what I have. I should have more than enough in my stash to last past this lifetime!! I had gotten into that "must buy now or it will be gone" mode. You know how crafting is - everything is a limited edition and if you don't buy it now, you're going to regret it in the future. I stopped all my subscriptions after hubby's operation and really haven't regretted it since. There are a few things I miss about them - mostly the excitement of opening the package and not knowing what is inside, but that excitement wears off quickly and the item ends up in the "someday" pile.

It is time to use what we have here. Over the past years, I've abandoned many of my make-it-from scratch ideals for the easier and more expensive prepared items. I really don't know why as the prepared items are of much lower quality. Food items taste less than delicious to absolutely unpalatable and are chemical/preservative laden plus so much is genetically modified. It was easy falling into that trap with only cooking for the two of us as it was so much easier to pull out something in a can or package instead of slaving over a hot stove! Oh how the lazies can easily creep into your life!

I'm back on the road of making from scratch. If I want it - I need to make it! Things are being cleaned off the pantry shelves and being replaced with staples that I preserved. Bread, crackers, cookies, etc. are no longer being purchased, but come fresh out of the oven. That is only the beginning. I'm pretty much making everything from the basics, including decorations, necessities, toilietries, cleaners, etc. I have found this is slowly removing the toxins, we are feeling better and saving money!

If you have made it through my long post, I thank you. I hope you will join us on our journey and I hope that you may find something useful from my journey back to being a traditional homemaker. It is amazing how much I have forgotten over the years!

Another Item I Stopped Buying

 

So many don't believe that we pay so much for milk in Pennsylvania. We are a regulated state, so the prices are higher than most other states here in the US. I understand the idea behind regulation, but at over $5 for a gallon of milk, does it really help the farmers when folks like myself cannot and will not pay that price for milk? I really can't pay that price - it was hard when it was $4.50 - and that was a treat then, but over $5, that has taken it our of our diet. No more fresh milk for us. I still use dried milk, but even that took a pretty substantial jump. The specialty milks like almond are now cheaper than our cow milk. I may be looking at them for an alternative every now and then. 

With the cost of groceries continuing to climb, my spending habits have changed. We eat meals that are made from the items that are on sale. I'm always looking for clearance, sale, and manager's specials. Some days we don't have meat. Beans are a cheap source of protein that can really stretch the budget! One pound of dried beans can feed more that one pound of hamburger at a fraction of the cost. 

My spending on craft supplies and sprucing the home up has dwindled and will soon be stopping. I've hit a few sales, but outside of that, my subscriptions have been cancelled as well as Craftsy. I hate to see them go, but I do have enough supplies to last me quite a long time. My husband bought me a year subscription to Potomac Beads Best Bead Box XL for my birthday. I was over the moon with that and will enjoy that more than he'll ever know. He bought it for me 2 years ago for an anniversary present, but I didn't use it all, and put it aside until earlier this year. This year, I went to town on them and finished them all. He saw me enjoying them and decided that I would love getting them throughout the year, especially since I cancelled my others. He also surprised me with a few months of a subscription to Bargain Bead Box, so you man see some postings from time to time for that. I'm not good when it comes to being handed a bunch of beads and being told to create something. So that will definitely be a challenge for me! I'm sure that will be cancelled soon as the prices everything else climbs. He is so good to me to give me such wonderful gifts!

I'm considering adding dresses to my wardrobe as things wear out. I can never find pants that fit my legs correctly. I have lymphedema and even though it is controlled, my calves are large and there are many pants that just don't fit around them or look absolutely awful if I can get them on. To think that this all started with a spider bite many years ago. Sigh.... So now I need to change my wardrobe some. It would make life so much easier to not have to worry about finding pants that fit. I've been looking at some dress patterns and have settled on a modest Mennonite Cape Dress. It kills me to pay $15 for a pattern, but it is a paper pattern and designed by a Mennonite woman that also supports her pattern (in case you need help). Overall, I will be saving money by going this route. 

I'd love to hear how grocery prices are changing your outlook and what you are doing to cope.

Time to Get Serious

I cannot believe that life has changed so much in the past few years. I look at the world now and I cannot say that I recognize it any more. I imagine that is what my grandmother thought when she was looking at the world when the Great Depression hit. She had 8 children to raise. She was luckier than some, as my grandparents lived on a farm, but still, money and shortages still would have affected them greatly. 

At times, I wish my grandparents and parents were still here. I could definitely use their wise words of wisdom. Yet, I'm also happy they are not here, so they don't have to see the problems the world is facing. They had their trials and hardships and I hope I've paid enough attention to all their stories of those times.

I have to admit, my skills had gotten a bit rusty. The kids grew up and penny-pinching wasn't as necessary, so I got a bit comfortable and didn't mind my pennies as much as I used to. Guess it looks like we'll be going back to that challenge again. I'm not complaining, because I used to really love the challenge of seeing how far my money could stretch. Hubby used to tell everyone that he found someone cheaper than he was and I took that as a great compliment!

All over YouTube, you can find preppers giving their doomsday advice. Some of their videos are downright scary! Should we put things up? Sure - you find something on sale, you buy a few, but ONLY if you used that item. I've seen the lists of things to store and some are really off the wall. If you don't use certain things, don't buy and store it for a time when you think you will need it. Food storage needs to be rotated and used. 

If I find fresh foods like carrots, celery, etc at a great price on sale, I'll buy extra, dehydrate it and put it aside for making my own mixes or for soups, stews, or anything I need to cook awhile that has a water base. I've found times that the grocery store didn't have celery when I needed it, so I turned to the dehydrated jar I had on the shelf. Thank heavens there was some there! I know you can freeze these things, but freezer burn and freezer space can be an issue. Dehydrating is better for me in the long run. I also dehydrate frozen veggies I find on sale. No blanching or prep work - just dump on the racks, rinse and dehydrate. Another way to save money without worrying if you have freezer space!

 I heard people say they couldn't get canning jars or supplies. With dehydrating, you don't need them. Any glass jar that has a lid with a rubber seal (the ones that pop when you open them) will work. For long term storage, you can use a vacuum sealer or oxygen absorbers to give them a decent seal until you are ready to use them.

I have always done this as a way of life - not to prep and not for doomsday. These were the methods I used to save money and get me from sale to sale. I learned to cook from what was on hand and never did a menu when I purchased the items needed for the menu. That's how Mom cooked and I still do it to this day.

I am looking forward to getting down to business again and challenging myself to a tighter budget. Sounds strange as other complain, but challenges keep life interesting!

The End of November Already?!

I can't believe it's already pretty much the end of the year. I have no idea where it went, but I do know it was a busy and challenging year. I thought the lockdowns and mandates would be gone by now, but so far, they lessen and then reappear. Hubby is permanently working from home. His office is gone. The whole department is now working remotely and the space has been allocated for something else. As much as I enjoy having him home, I miss my alone time. I tease him that I didn't sign up for him being underfoot yet as that was supposed to be years away when he retires. 

The vaccine was brutal for me. I was sick 11 days with fever, severe headache, vertigo, and my sense of smell and taste were way off and quite offensive for me. I'm still not 100 percent with those senses. I have good days and bad days with taste/smell. Some of my favorite things will taste good in the beginning and then become extremely offensive to me half way through eating. I'm still having severe headaches occasionally and they will put me down for a couple of days. I never had anything like them before the vaccine. I got the vaccine so I wouldn't have to wear a mask and worry about getting ill. Well, masks are still required here and vaccinated people are getting the virus. Sigh...

I'm no longer buying craft supplies. Prices keep going up, so I'm working on my stash at this point. I have 2 subscriptions that will be running out and I cancelled everything that I pay monthly on. It's sad that I missed out on some great sales this year, but they will be there again next year. I hang my head in shame with my submission to pressure to buy now, because it will be gone very soon. While housebound, I had a lot of time for YouTube and email, so the fever of buying to self-medicate took hold. It's so easy to slip into that mess! The bright side is I bought before prices went up - almost everything on sale and free shipping, so, now I have a nice stock to get me through the price increases and not feel like I don't have anything to craft. 

My mood has been odd. Sometimes I'm sad but mostly I just feel indifferent. I think it's being stuck at home so much and not seeing family and friends. My bestie is gone and my next dearest friend has been diagnosed with a terminal disease of her lungs. I've been watching her slowly go downhill the last couple of years, but this year has been the most noticeable and seems to be getting worse more rapidly. On top of that, but my cats had to be put down this year. Our stray male cross the Rainbow Bridge on Feb 7th from cancer and our 19 year old female had a seizure on Feb 14th and never came back all the way. She ended up with kidney failure and crossed over on July 1st. 

So, that's what's been up here and why no postings. I must get back on top of things and post more. I need to post about the positive things in life - too much negative going on!

It’s A State of Mind

Beautiful autumn colors

Here I sit after having an epiphany. Something so simple, but to me, something so profound. You see, I have come to terms with realizing that I’ve had almost everything I’ve ever wanted at my fingertips.

You see, I grew up in a tiny town surrounded by mountains. It was not my favorite place by a long shot. There was no sunrise or sunset and the neighbors were way to close for my taste. On weekends and summer, I’d go to my grandparent’s farm and stay. I was a country girl, through and through. The farm was my love, my sanctuary. I spent almost all my time outside, with the animals, in the fields, and in the woods. Those were the times of happiness throughout my childhood.

When I grew up, I wanted a farm. More than anything in the world, I wanted a place in the country. Farm loans were not possible, since I really didn’t grow up on a farm, nor did my husband, so the bank wasn’t interested in lending us a dime. We’d try to save and every time raise time came around, the prices around us went up, too.

Long story short, no homestead. No dream would come true. No fulfillment – and some underlying sadness/depression. Then hubby got hurt – and definitely, definitely in no shape or form would we get any type of country place to retire on. End of story.

So, where is the epiphany? It hit me one day that I can do all the things I wanted to do, except raise livestock and have no close neighbors. Do I really need livestock? NO! Do I really need no neighbors? NO! We have almost an acre of land and can do quite a bit with that little bit of land.

New raised beds being installed.

At our age, we went the raised bed route for gardening. This makes things more manageable and I’m less likely to grow a garden that is too big to take care of. There’s only 2 of us now, so putting away food is not the chore it used to be. Hubby made me some new frames out of cement. He cast them himself and the first 2 were installed this fall. They are beautifully made and look so much better than the wood frames behind them. He’s done a total of 4, but the last two many not make it in before the winter weather sets in. I now have garlic planted in the one pictured.

Relaxing by a the fire with family

We have a nice little area where we can have a fire. Our property is surrounded totally on 2 sides by trees in an “L” shape, so at the corner, we have a very nice and private area where we have a relaxing area with a fire ring. Every time family and friends visit, we seem to gravitate to that area. Everyone seems to love sitting around the fire and there have been many late nights and stories told. We are blessed to have such a lovely area to call our own.

Contentment

We used to have chickens years ago. We originally had them for eggs and meat but our daughter decided to name them all and turn them into pets. Well, at least we had lots of eggs! I guess you could say we still had lots of “livestock”. The kids had rabbits, hamsters, cats and a dog. We still have 2 cats. My daughter had to leave her cat behind. She moved to the other coast and her cat was too old to travel that far. It was a hard decision for her, but was the right one. Her cat is almost 19. The other cat decided to adopt us. He was haunting our compost pile and I thought he was just the neighbor’s cat. He wandered down to the house and has been here ever since. I tried to find his owner, had him scanned for a chip and posted everywhere, but no one claimed him. He’s now part of our family.

My conclusion – It’s all a state of mind. One can be content anywhere as long as they decide to be. I’ve marked most things of my bucket list – things that I wanted to learn to do one the homestead. I still can’t go out and wildcraft on my own place, but I can do almost everything else. Life is what we make it, and I finally chose to find contentment and happiness here. I wasted a lot of time living for a dream instead of living in the moment.

Life Got In the Way!

Look! All my ducks are in a row!

Wow! It's been forever since I sat down to write. This year has been crazy busy and full of unforeseen events. If you had told me what had been in store for us, I would have laughed at you and said you were nuts! 

January brought a serious back problem for my husband. He was hospitalized for 10 days, home health care and therapy for a few weeks then physical therapy for a few months. In fact, he just wrapped up his physical therapy a couple of weeks ago. He was off work for a couple of months, started working part-time from home, then just got the OK to go back to work at the University when the Covid-19 shutdown happened. He has not been physically to work since

January 17th! He's been telecommuting every since and he loves it! 

I've had a bunch of adjusting to do. Not only is hubby working from home, but so is our son. Our son was looking for an apartment when this all hit. That came to a halt when the shutdown happened and now, with working from home with his job from the University, he's putting more time in than he'd be doing physically at work, which seriously limits his time to look for any housing - besides the issues with social distancing and the instability of the future. 

My daughter lives on the other coast and was supposed to fly out and stay out here for 2 weeks. I was hearing rumors of a shutdown and quarantine for those that travel, so gave her a heads up. We were watching things closely, and just before she was scheduled to leave, shutdown happened. She had to cancel so many things that was planned for here, including her wedding. She was coming out here to finishing arranging things for the wedding that was to take place this year, when everything went haywire. She and her fiance decided it was best to cancel and wait this mess all out and then do a wedding out there, close to home. 

Another heartbreaking thing happened was my best friend, Val, died. She was one of the most amazing people I had ever encountered in life. She always made me laugh and was there for me when I needed someone. She would drag me around to places that I would have never have know about. She introduced me to so many things and added so much to my life. She was not only my friend, but a friend of the family and was like another family member - especially to my son. Val didn't have children, so she "adopted" him. She died during lockdown, so there was no public funeral for her. I never got to say goodbye. Goodbye, Val. I miss you so much...

It's been a huge adjustment for all of us. With a wedding cancelled and a best friend gone, lockdown with freedom taken away and having to get used to having two very independent males underfoot all the time, it has been an emotional challenge. Mostly emotional because there was no one to grieve with. There were a few days I just shut down, but I guess I needed to.

However, even after all that,  I can honestly say I'm enjoying the forced proximal closeness of family. I hear all the negatives about the shutdown/lockdown and not really any positives. For me, there are a few negatives, but overall I'm enjoying home life.  I'm shopping more because most is being done online. I have large, heavy things like kitty litter delivered now, but I started that in January when hubby had his back issue. It is so nice not having to put a 35 pound bucket of litter in my cart, take it out and put it in the car, then take it out of the car and lug it in. Now, I just have to lug it in, and that's really wonderful for an older woman like me! LOL Yes, I still have to get fresh, frozen and refrigerated items at a physical store, but that's about it. I have some physical issues with wearing a mask, so I limit my time out in one.

I've also found our family has grown closer. There aren't really any arguments - maybe an occasional tiff, but even they aren't really happening. In fact, I can't tell you when the last time was that we had a disagreement of any sort. Hmmmm....  And out house is small - only a tiny bit over 1000 square feet, so it's not like we can really run away from each other! 

We've all been looking into hobbies - my son has started concentrating on woodworking more. Hubby putters around more but is still physically limited and not able to do what he used to. He's had to refocus and give up some things. His has been more of a mental challenge - having to give up things he loves to do and finding new things.

Me - well, I'm always learning and trying new things. This year, I've been wanting to make my own things. I've been focusing on handmade items to see how many things I can make or repurpose and not have to depend on trying to find the "right" fit of clothes, style, etc. I've taken a few online classes, made my first cardigan, designed my first crocheted top, dehydrating new foods, experimenting with growning unusual (to me) plants, solar cooking and making my own jewelry. I'm sure there's more that I'm not mentioning.

So that's 2020 up to July in a nutshell for me. Life is different - and I'm enjoying it. I'll be sad to see the guys go back to work when this is all over. I'll miss them.

Goodbye 2019

I can't believe it's really the last day of 2019. Where did the year go? I had so many plans and ideas, but because of weather or other circumstances, they didn't all get done. There's always next year and I am really looking forward to it!

Although many things weren't done, there were accomplishments and new things tried. We dehydrated more, canned new things and explored new places. I cannot complain, even with all that we didn't do. Every year is a time to try to better one's self and every year that seems to be accomplished, maybe not to what I'd originally set out for, but still there's improvement.

Tonight will be quiet for us. We will settle down with a good book or movie and probably go to bed before midnight. Us old folks here don't stay up late like the young'uns do. We will just enjoy the day and evening and reflect on the last year and think about all the things we would like to do next year.

Now on to a new and clean slate!

Have a safe and happy New Years Eve!!!

An Imperfection Can Hold the Greatest Beauty

December is my time to reflect on what has happened throughout the year. I go over my accomplishments, "failures" that hold lessons learned, and things I didn't have time for. It is also the time that causes me to remember so many things about family and friends.

As I was sorting through some boxes in the basement, I came across a box that held a ceramic bird tree.  My mother made this tree for me many years ago. She was taking ceramic classes at the time and decided to make a snow covered bird tree for me for Christmas. She had glazed it and put the snow on it and perfected it to make it look exactly how she wanted it to be. The tree was put in the kiln to fire, and that evening, the electricity went out, so the owner of the shop couldn't fire it right away. I can't remember how long the power was out, but it was long enough to allow the snow to slide down a bit. The owner didn't let Mom know what happened and just fired it. When Mom went to pick it up, she was very unhappy with it and was going to throw it out! It wasn't the perfect tree that she wanted and felt it wasn't gift worthy.

I absolutely loved it. It looked so much more realistic to me. I begged her to finish it by adding the lights and to let me have it and not toss it. She did finish it for me, but was terribly reluctant to give me the tree. She was so disappointed in it. My mother was a perfectionist and , believe me, she would never gift something that she felt was not up to her standards. However, by her doing this, I'm sure there were things people missed out on, because something she made for them was not "perfect" and she wouldn't gift it, but go out and buy a gift from the store instead.

I will admit, her needing things to be perfect had rubbed off on me some. It has taken me a long time to get over the need for perfection. Pulling out the tree brought back so many memories and how much I learned from it. Believe me, I see the tree and realize that an imperfection can hold the greatest beauty. I think the tree is much more beautiful that if it had turned out perfect.

December - My Time for Reflection and Planning Ahead

I cannot believe it is already December! The year has gone by so quickly - where has it gone?! I swear it was just yesterday that I was waiting for the rains to stop so I could plant my garden (which didn't happen!) Now I'm waiting for seed catalogs to plan for the coming year!

For most, December is a time of rushing and getting ready for Christmas, yet for me, it is a time to reflect and think about how things can be improved for next year. My last week will be looking at my list of goals that I made last year, seeing what I accomplished and planning a list for next year.

I like the relaxing atmosphere of not having to worry about Christmas. There was a time I was hugely upset that we no longer celebrated it, but I've come to a realization that it's nothing more than a consumer nightmare. Yes, I still give gifts to those that celebrate, but I no longer feel pressured. That is just what I need at this age.

Speaking of age - I've finally come to the realization that my body and mind are no longer the same age. My mind thinks it's much younger than my body knows it is. Getting hurt 2 almost 2 years ago made me realize I need to slow down. (And believe me - it took almost those 2 years of healing to come to terms with that!) Things don't get done as quickly, and that's OK. I don't need to be Superwoman any more!  The funny part of that is, I do a little each day and it seems I'm getting more done. Then again, maybe not.

Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee

Finally! After a long, dreary winter, spring has arrived! My favorite part about the spring is gathering up the fresh greens and flowers that are packed full of vitamins and minerals and are super tasty. This year I have dried my dandelion leaves, flowers and made the roots into a wonderful roasted "coffee".

The "coffee" is a not actually coffee but makes a wonderful substitute. It has a nice flavor - a somewhat coffee, caramel and chocolate flavor combination. It's hard to describe, but with a little bit of cream and a touch of honey - it's pretty much heaven! The spring crop of roots are much more mild than the fall crop. The fall is more robust and bitter and packed with more vitamins and minerals because the roots are storing all the nutrition required to make a strong plant in the spring. Fall is the best time to harvest for drying roots for their medicinal value and for the most robust coffee, but I love the spring harvest as well! 

I dig up my dandelions whole and try to get as much as the root as possible. They are long and do easily break off. I found it best to try to run a long screwdriver or a dandelion removing down next to the root as closely as possible and break the ground around it by wiggling it back and forth. If difficult to remove, I will do this around the plant. A shovel works, too, but it leaves a lot more mess to deal with and depending where you harvest your plants, you may not want to leave holes behind.

After digging the dandelions, I pre-rinse with a hose to get rid of as much dirt as possible. Then I put the whole plant in a 5 gallon bucket and rinse, drain, rinse, drain, rinse, drain.... until the water looks quite clean. Next, I cut off the top part of the plant and put in two separate piles.

I then put the roots in a bowl and soak for a little bit. Then I rinse a few more times and try to swish off as much of the remaining dirt as possible.

I then use a scrub brush to take off the remaining dirt. I like putting a small cutting board in the bottom of the sink to have something to scrub on. If the roots have a lot of off-shoots, I'll break them apart to get in between them.

Then I put them in my food processor and chop until the pieces resemble brown rice.

Next I pour them on a cookie sheet and put them in a 225 degree oven and let them dry. This can take about an hour. 

I then check to see how they are drying by stirring every 10 to 20 minutes or so. Drying times will depend on the day, your oven, how large the pieces are, etc.

After the pieces are dry, I increase the oven temperature to 325 and continue to bake. Now the roasting process has started. I kept a close eye on it and mixed every 10 minutes. I love this part because when the root is almost ready to remove from the oven, it has the most amazing aroma of baking a chocolate cake or brownies! 

Some people will remove the root as soon as they see small wisps of smoke coming from the root. I put mine back in a bit longer. I like a darker roast. I find it to have a bit more of a robust flavor. 

After removing from the oven, I let it cool and then put it in a jar. The contents in the jar are much more true in color to the actual end product. 

To use:

Put water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the dandelion root, stir well and boil for 1 minute. Make sure it doesn't boil over because it will produce foam on top. You will need 1 tsp. of Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee per 8 oz of water (adjust to taste). Serve with a little cream and honey if desired.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a qualified/licensed instructor or certified to teach wildcrafting, using herbs or explaining how to identify any plant I use or speak of in these posts. This is only describing what I did and how I use the item described in MY home with MY family. I am not to be held responsible for any misinformation or any mishaps if anyone decides to try this at home. If you decide to try this method - it is at your own risk. Please research and study any plants, methods and side effects of the plant describe in this post.