Subject: [Tweeters] Dunlin and Dandelions
Date: Apr 12 23:20:25 2012
From: jeff gibson - gibsondesign at msn.com




Today, after ten days of separation, I was reunited with my portable office - my little Toyota truck which had been held hostage at an auto repair place. Having some paperwork to do, I parked down at Everett's 10th street boat launch in the late afternoon. It was calm, the sun was out, and so was the tide.

Newly arrived Osprey's here at Everett's colony, today added up to 8 that I could easily see from the boat launch parking lot. I'm sure there's more of em across the delta. In the quiet afternoon the main sounds were calling Ospreys and Caspian Terns.

The real stars of the show however were Dunlin, a single large flock out on the mudflats. It's been awhile since I've really seen their wonderful aerobatics, and was treated to hours of that great 'Smoke and Mirrors" thing they do as a flock. With the sun behind me, and with a backdrop of the dark blue gray Cascade Curtain beyond the flats, the lighting was about perfect. The next thing I knew, the tide had come in and the Dunlin dispersed out to Jetty Island. The sun disappeared behind clouds on the western horizon.

Feeling good, I made the short drive home around and up the bluff just as the sun made a last minute appearance. It was now getting dusky and I wandered out in the yard looking for dinner. Luckily dinner showed up quite nicely in the gathering gloom- dandelion flowers.

Yes, I was having weed's for dinner. Something I've been wanting to try for awhile, I gathered up a bowl -full of dandelion flowers and took them into the kitchen. I cut the green bases off the flowers. Making a batter of 1 cup soy milk, an egg, a cup of flour with a bit of salt and pepper, I added all the dandelion flowers to the batter and cooked me up some fritters in hot olive oil. I had a bit of agave syrup and hot chile sauce with them - sort of a low rent thai food thing. Or something. They were yummy.

I should mention that I have nice healthy weeds in my yard because I don't use chemical pesticides or herbicides at my place. So the weeds are safe to eat. Dandelion greens are good too, but not for wimps. Actually, Popeye the Sailor only ate canned Spinach when dandelions were unavailable. The greens get along great with Olive Oyl ( that's what I saut? them in) just like Popeye did, an interesting coincidence I think.

Jeff Gibson
Eating weeds in
Everett Wa.