6 ounces clean chickweed, chopped
2 tablespoons bacon grease (or 1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter)
1 cup frozen raspberries (or ¼ cup fruit spread)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 - 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds

To make: Add bacon grease or oil to a pan, set on medium heat and sauté the onion until soft and golden brown. Add vinegar. In a separate small saucepan over medium, heat raspberries until they are reduced to a juicy sauce. Stir the raspberries into the onion and vinegar mixture to complete the dressing. Pour the warm dressing over the chickweed. Sprinkle on sunflower seeds and toss well until the chickweed is completely coated. You can also add 4 ounces of feta cheese and/or 2 - 3 slices of crumbled bacon.

Kerry Gillooly, Thursday's Gardener at RavenCroft Garden, graciously offered to share her incredible chickweed salad with us. Don't you love creative cooking? Thank you Kerry!

Chickweed Vinegar

Sally King of RavenCroft Garden recommends steeping chickweed in apple cider vinegar for a mineral-rich condiment.

To Make: Chop chickweed leaves, stems and flowers and loosely fill a jar. Add apple cider vinegar to the top, cap tightly, label and date. Let sit for 4 - 6 weeks, and then strain off vinegar from chickweed material. Use over salads or steamed greens as you would any vinegar.

Note: Chickweed's cooling and soothing characteristics make it a natural for burn relief. After making the vinegar, one of RavenCroft Garden's apprentices thought to freeze the strained off chickweed material. Then, when one of her fellow apprentices burned herself while cooking, she removed from the freezer and applied it directly on the burned skin.

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