Let's Talk About: Goldenrod

He is everywhere.

Waving at me from above the blue and purple chicory, teasing me, dancing behind the brown grasses drying in the autumn sun.

Goldenrod, Solidago, Golden Dagger!

Many people take one look at Goldenrod and run in the other direction, sneezing and coughing, but Goldenrod is NOT the source of your autumnal allergies.  Poor showy Goldenrod has the bright, obvious flowers and so gets blamed. The big yellow flowers do not have airborne pollen, so you'd have to put the flowers IN your nose to cause a reaction (watch out for hornets).

The plant to blame is Ragweed - this sneaky plant is small, green, and unassuming, but the pollen blown on the breeze irritates many, many people.  Ragweed and Goldenrod do tend to grow near each other in ditches and fields, hence the confusion.

The worst part is that Goldenrod is one of those cures that grows with the ailment, and it actually offers great relief for sinus allergy sufferers.

(Read more to see a recipe for Goldenrod Infused Honey...)
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Link Roundup: I feel like a hobbit...

Autumnal Equinox 2009 at Loughcrew Cairn by Clare Tuffy

Today is the autumnal equinox, and the offical beginning of fall.  So far I've spent the day fussing around the house - I made french toast and a strawberry ginger syrup, washed some dishes, and next will be bottling some wines and meads.  Days like this one, when the clouds are thick and the sun is hiding, the air is cool and windows open, make me feel like a hobbit.

Speaking of which, have you seen the Shire Cookbook?  It is being put together by one of the authors of A Feast of Ice and Fire, the Official Game of Thrones Cookbook (yes, they have lemoncakes).  Just for fun, you can see a few sample recipes from Bag End to try out!

Do you want to jump into cooking from Middle Earth? There's another slew of recipes here, complied by a few folks. 

I'm going to go apple-picking soon, and I can't wait! I love making applesauce and apple butter, as well as using my apple peels to make infused rum.

I'm going to try something new with applesauce this year - Roasted Applesauce, from the blog Beets & Blue Cheese.  

The first time I tried to can a batch of apple pie filling, it didn't work out so well.  Some apple bits were mush, the others firm, and the syrup was watery! It still got used as baked apple goodness, but I want to do better next time.  Do you have a good recipe for canned apple pie filling?

Blog Love - Yankee Kitchen Ninja

Click here to visit an awesome blogger! 

Do you have the CSA blues?

Are you sick to death of zucchini, squash, and tomatoes?  Swimming in basil?

Yankee Kitchen Ninja has a great series called CSA Share Ninja Rescue, where they provide recipes for the in-season veggies that you might be getting sick of.  This is the Ninj's last post in this series for 2013, but they have wonderful archives so that you can find the perfect recipe for that huge box of tomatoes...

Blog Love is a new feature on Swamp Pixie Herbal, where I share some of the blogs that I follow!  Go visit, find new recipes or new skills, and enjoy.