I took this photo in the Fall, but it is yellow so it fit the prompt and it reminds me of what is in store for us as Spring seems to have sprung!
Even though there are still dead brown leaves left over from Fall, it is now breaking into Springtime here in Alabama and soon everything will burst out into beautiful colors. We already have seen many of the flowering trees like Pear and Redbuds blooming, so soon they will be followed by dogwoods, Cherries and all of the other fruit trees. I found out last year that the Rose of Sharon tree blooms were not only edible, but they were delicious! So I'm really looking forward to having that treat available all Summer long as I have several trees already on my property and I planted a couple of more about a month ago. I can only eat from the trees in the backyard though, my wife forbids me from stealing her blooms out of the front yard.
To me, the Rose of Sharon blooms when chopped up and sauteed added a taste very similar to Mushrooms, so I used them as a sauce over beef dishes, that is if I could get them in the house without eating them raw. I used the Rose of Sharon to add color to salads or other dishes also, things just seem to taste better when you have the visual delight added to the smell and taste. One thing that I want to try this year is to remove the pistil and stuff the inside with some type of dip, I saw a photo online where someone had done this and it made a beautiful platter of hors d'oeuvres.
The first things that I will start gathering out of the yard for my salads and for breakfast are the fresh dandelions that will be springing up everywhere. Again, it is not politically correct to let them grow in the front yard, but the backyard is my domain and I love these hardy plants that produce all Summer long. They do add bitter to salads if you like that sort of thing, but my favorite way to eat them so far is baked with mild sausage for breakfast. I know that sounds weird, and as far as I can tell it is my own original creation, but I just can't get enough of them and last year I had them at least three times a week. I chop them up as small as is easy to manage with a paring knife, I put a little oil in an oven-safe pan, then the chopped Dandelion greens, then on top of the greens I add some Stevia sweetener along with salt, pepper and about a teaspoon or so of honey. Then right on top of the greens, I place however many sausage patties I want, cover the pan with foil and bake it on around 400 F until the sausage is done. I then take a fork or knife and chop up the sausage and mix everything up, if it seems like there is too much moisture or if I'm not satisfied that the sausage is completely cooked (I like it cooked well) I will put it back in the oven without the cover for a few more minutes. I don't know of anyone else who has tried this, so if you're brave enough to give it a go let me know what you think.
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**Disclaimer: I often use the freewrite prompt to tell a story instead of doing a pure freewrite, so they sometimes take longer than 5 minutes and usually have some editing. But I try to do my story straight through at one sitting without any unnecessary breaks.
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Rose of Sharon Photo by leoleobobeo on Pixabay
Over 20 Club Graphic by the ever so talented @fireawaymarmot and personalized for me by @snook
Old' Steem by the most wonderful @snook
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Prompt: yellow
Set your timer for 5 minutes.
Start writing
Use the hashtag #freewrite
Publish your piece (include a link to this post if you wish)
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Thank you @mariannewest
Exciting things are on the horizon, visit the Freewritehouse to find out more!
