Unfortunately search wasn't much help, and I had a question about freezing things like dandelions, chickory, clovers and rose of sharon blooms. Has anyone done this? Is it possible to stock up on these sort of things before winter hits, or do they just go bad in the freezer? Also, is the clover with heart-shaped leaves safe for torts? I read that the red and white varieties are, but couldn't find anything about this kind. Thanks for any replies.
Freezing Food?
- Thread starter Nikova
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no. heart shaped leaves are oxalis, and they are toxic, no matter the color. i don't know about freezing all greens, but i read a post on here somewhere about someone freezing their opuntia in little ice cube tray sized packages, and then blending it up or something... i guess i'm not the expert on this subject so i'll just let someone else who knows do the talking here lol!
You can buy chicory and dandelions at the fruits and vegetables store so you do not have to freeze it. You can dry them and sprinkle the food with it though, I do that with plantain leaves since it is impossible to find where I live 
I have never seen chickory or dandelion for sale anywhere around here, and we have no specialty fruit/veggie stores that might carry them. I will check out the organic section of the grocery store, though. Might be in there somewhere.Isa said:You can buy chicory and dandelions at the fruits and vegetables store so you do not have to freeze it. You can dry them and sprinkle the food with it though, I do that with plantain leaves since it is impossible to find where I live
Is getting pansies and other edibles from a nursery a bad thing? I'm concerned about pesticides, but are the plants OK if I just rinse them off? Should I be worried about fertilizers as well?
Greens- from my limited research on the topic, drying them is better/healthier than freezing them. They loose some nutrients either way, though.
Nursery plants have a bad reputation for being full of pesticides, etc., but it is hard to find any hard evidence that there is a significant risk. Actually, according to many sources, the fruits and veggies you buy are supposed to be covered in nasty stuff as well- but there are few reports of it hurting anyone.
However, most nursery-raised plants are varieties bred for fast blooming, not fragrance, etc. I would bet that some of the nutrients have been lost at the same time. It would be safer and cheaper to raise your own from seed.
Nursery plants have a bad reputation for being full of pesticides, etc., but it is hard to find any hard evidence that there is a significant risk. Actually, according to many sources, the fruits and veggies you buy are supposed to be covered in nasty stuff as well- but there are few reports of it hurting anyone.
However, most nursery-raised plants are varieties bred for fast blooming, not fragrance, etc. I would bet that some of the nutrients have been lost at the same time. It would be safer and cheaper to raise your own from seed.
I freeze native weed/veggie mixes in snack-sized ziplocks (a day's feeding per tort)...it does make them a bit mushy, but my torts love 'em anyway.
No degradation of food value and thawed veggies/weeds are easy to add calcium/vitamins to.
I alternate the frozen stuff with Spring Mix and prickly pear pads/opuntia.
No degradation of food value and thawed veggies/weeds are easy to add calcium/vitamins to.
I alternate the frozen stuff with Spring Mix and prickly pear pads/opuntia.
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