Backyard Activity

I am not sure how many of you are reading this blog yet or finding it, but I will continue updating! Today I want to talk about some recent activity in my backyard, which is full of life.

Let's talk about this young buck that came into our yard this afternoon while I was reading The Chilean Poet on the back porch. It walked right in by the garden area, stopped when it saw me, looked at me and just stood there. I didn't feel like it was going to attack or a threat to me or anything, more curious and interested than anything I think, but I was surprised beacuse it is the first time I saw a deer in our yard since moving here almost three years ago. I opened the door and told Zoe, who also saw it through the window and then as it was leaving came out with a bag of carrots because she wanted to feed it or thought it was hungry. I told her not to because we shouldn't feed deer and there was plenty of food out there.

I was just happy to see him come by even though I know there probably have been deer that come by at night when we are sleeping. I would like to think that this neighborhood and my yard in particular is a place where wildlife can come and enjoy. We already have lots of different types of birds, rabbits, an opossum that I saw last summer, and now a deer.

I do not mow my yard as much as some poeple do, I do not put any fertilizers or chemicals down, and have let the weeds do what they want. I even forage for certain weeds to eat, for teas, etc. which Iam about to talk about below. I enjoy the beauty of the somewhat organized mess that is our yard!

This brings me to picking white clovers from my yard to dry for clover tea. So, if you have a backyard or a place that you know that has not been sprayed with chemicals of any kind and is away from a road or street that would get exhaust from vehicles, then you should gather some cloves and give this refreshing tea a try!

How do you do this? Gather cloves that are in full bloom. They are white and some might even have a pink tinge to them. You should not collect any that look like they are dying or have any brown on them. You should put them somewhere on a flat surface not in direct sunlight and let them dry for a couple of days. You will know they are completely dry when they feel crispy and if you pressed or rubbed them they would crumble in your hands. Finally, store them in a glass container with a lid that is airtight and they should last for quit some time like up to six months to a year. If they start to change color though like to brown or grow mold on them, then you will want to throw them away.

To make clover tea, you should boil some water, but it doesn't have to be a rolling boil. You should put the dried clovers in a teapot of your choice or a cup and pour the water over them and let it steep anywhere from 5-10 minutes for the best flavor. I have found like many blogs or websites that I have seen that white clover tea does have a slightly sweet taste with a hint of vanilla.You can enjoy it hot or let it cool a bit or pour it in a glass with ice for a cool drink. Feel free to add some honey, sugar, or the sweetener of your choice if you prefer. I think that you will find clover tea to be most enjoyable!