clover on the mind of one~

last night we were playing catch

when
one wee little one

hears the ice cream man

one wee little one
starts running towards the gate

then
 looks down

and slowly sits on the ground

"look mama...lucky flowers"

one wee little ones hands start grazing through the grass

"what's a lucky flower"

"oh...a clover"

"how many petals does a lucky flower have"

"four"

A common idiom is

 "to be in clover"

 meaning to be living a carefree life of ease,

 comfort, or prosperity.

This stems from the historical use of clover

as green manure planted after harvesting a crop;

 a farmer whose fields were

 "in the clover"

was finished for the season.

Clovers are a valuable survival food,

as they are high in protein, widespread, and abundant.

 They are not easy to digest raw,

 but this can be easily fixed by juicing them or boiling them for 5–10 minutes.

Dried flower heads and seedpods

 can also be ground up into a nutritious flour and mixed with other foods.

 Dried flower heads

can also be steeped in hot water for a healthy, tasty tea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clover

White Clover Snow

250ml Water

250ml Orange juice

250g White Clover blossoms

3 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon agar agar {is a gelatinous substance derived from red algae}

{Substitute one tablespoon powdered gelatin for every tablespoon of powdered agar}

250ml Whipped cream

Bring water and orange juice to the boil , add the trimmed clover blossom

which should have disintegrated into individual florets and stir well.

Sweeten with honey then stir in agar agar until it dissolve. Cover and leave

to stand for 30 min. then place in the fridge. Chill until it begins to gel

then fold in the whipped cream. Pile into a serving dish then return to

fridge for at least two hours.

 

CLOVER SURPRISE HONEY

25 red clover blossoms

25 white clover blossoms

15 rose petals (any color)

5 c. white sugar

1 c. water

1/2 tsp. alum

Stir to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes.

Strain through cheesecloth and cool. Makes 1 quart.

FLOWER JELLY

Source: SeedsofKnowledge

Pick your flowers in the morning when their water content is at its highest.

Then bathe the flowers gently in a salt-water bath. Immediately drop them in

ice water for one minute. Dry on a paper towel. For best results, use your

flower petals immediately (not the stamen or the stems), or store the whole
flower in a glass of water in the refrigerator overnight.

2 1/2 cups apple juice OR white wine

1 cup fresh rose petals OR scented geranium flowers & leaves

list did mention RED CLOVER

4 cups sugar

1/4 lemon juice

1 - 2 drops food coloring{optional}

3 ounces of liquid pectin

fresh flower petals {optional}

Bring juice or wine to a boil and pour over petals. Cover and steep until

liquid has cooled, then strain out flowers leaving only liquid. Combine 2

cups of this flower infusion with sugar, lemon juice and food coloring.

Bring to a boil over high heat and as soon as the sugar has dissolved, stir

in the pectin. Return to a rolling boil, stirring, and boiling for exactly 1

minute. Remove the jelly from the heat and skim off any foam. Let jelly cool

slightly and add more flower petals (if desired), then pour into sterilized

jars. If petals do not stay suspended, stir jelly as it cools until petals

stay in place. Process in hot water bath or seal with paraffin.

Yields: 4 - 5 half pints

FLOWER SYRUP

1-cup water {or rosewater}

3 cups sugar

1/2 - 1-cup flower petals, whole or crushed

Boil all ingredients for 10 minutes, or until thickened into syrup.

Strain through cheesecloth into a clean glass jar. Keeps up to 2

weeks in the refrigerator. Can be added to sparkling water or

champagne for a delicious beverage. Or, it may be poured over fruit, pound

cake or pancakes.

http://www.squidoo.com/trifolium

  Pink Clover Mead

This mead (honey wine) can be made quite successfully with the deep red clover bloom.

But we especially like the delicate colour which results when the smaller, round very

pale pink clover heads are used.

3 quarts pink clover heads (or any clover)

1 gal of water

2 pounds clover honey (any honey will work the clover just adds more clover flavour)

2 lemons

1/2 cup strong , fresh made tea

yeast

Pour the boiling water over the clover bloom, in a kettle, bring to the boil, and simmer

gently for half an hour. Strainthis infusion onto the honey, thin sliced lemons and tea.

Cool to lukewarm and add yeast.

Let it work int he fermentation jar ( expensive but worth the expense unless you have some

gallon jugs that you can put fermentation locks on, then you only have to buy the locks

which should be available at any wine making shop or online) for three months, by which

time it will be a clear lovely pink, and ready to bottle.

http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m0825M08.htm

after searching and having no luck
a
treasure
had to be found

do you remember these

~wishing you a carefree CLOVER kind of day~