Homestead grapes and raisins, wild lambsquarter seeds, snowballs and whiskey! It's a wild time here in my post -- I appreciate you joining me for some delicious eating!

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Stocking Up

I typically preserve some of my homestead harvests to use later. That goes for what I grow and what I forage.

Top left and right: I turn some of my homegrown green seedless grapes into raisins. It's a lot of trouble, but these raisins have an incredible floral flavor! Bottom left: I harvest a lot of purple Concord grapes, too. They have seeds, so I don't make raisins from them. The Concord grapes make a great grape sauce -- no added sugar needed!

Left: Lambsquarter is a common weed in my garden -- but that's great! The greens taste better than spinach! Right: In the late summer and fall, the protein-rich seeds are easy to harvest.

Top left: It finally snowed in Oregon's Willamette Valley a couple weeks ago -- finally! Right: There was plenty to make snowballs -- and put them in my chest freezer. I use most of them for ice in my drinks! I do the same with icicles, if there's an ice storm. Bottom left: And since it's winter, it is nice to have some whiskey on hand -- this smoked maple whiskey is so tasty! The larder is well-stocked here at Haphazard Homestead!

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In the Kitchen

First things first -- the raisins. I cover the raisins with whiskey and bring to just under a boil. Then I let it all sit for a few hours. This make the raisins soft and plump. And the raisins sweeten the whiskey. I reheat, to thicken the mix, before serving.

Left to right: Homemade raisins, tender young fennel leaves, lambsquarter seeds.

I toast the lamsbquarter seeds in a dry cast iron skillet. The little seeds pop like popcorn. I grind the seeds in a spice grinder. Then I make something like a graham cracker pie crust, with melted butter, a touch of sugar, and a little flour. I form that into a disc to serve as my pie crust.

Snowballs, grape sauce, and spearmint. I muddle spearmint into the grape sauce, like making a mixed drink. That's all there is to get ready for the ala mode!

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Serving It Up!

Whiskey Raisin Pie

For my wild whiskey raisin pie, I lay the warm lambsquarter disk on my plate and spoon the thick raisin-whiskey mix over it. And I top that with chopped fennel fronds.

A warm whiskey-raisin pie with lambsquarter seed crust. And a spearmint-grape snowball. You just try to find that at a restaurant!

The little spots of white in the pie-crust disc are the lambsquarter seeds that popped open like popcorn. So many folks that try lamsbquarter seeds don't care for their flavor. But toasting them until some pop open really makes the seeds taste great.

Grape Snowball Ala Mode

For the ala mode, I slice a snowball in half and lay it on the plate. I spoon spearmint-grape sauce on top. It soaks deep into the snowball, so I keep spooning the sauce on until the icy dome is covered with a thick layer of deliciousness.

The bottom front of the snowball is not covered with the grape sauce. But you can see how dark the snow is now. It has soaked up a lot of great Concord grape flavor!

I can't be taking more photos while my snowball melts -- it is not going to wait much longer! I am off to eat!

So how was it all? This was the first Steemit Iron Chef dish I made where I actually licked my plate clean! It was fanstastic! I would like a whole pie like this. This is the right way to use lambsquarter seeds! And you can bet I will be enjoying many more spearmint-grape snowballs -- ala mode or ala carte!

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What Do You Think?

• Do you grow grapes?
• Have you ever made raisins?
• Do you save snowballs in your freezer?
• Do you eat lambsquarter greens or seeds?
• Would you eat my Wild Whisky Raisin Pie Ala Mode?

I eat a lot of wild plants and show you how, because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wild places.

Thanks @progressivechef for creating the Steemit Iron Chef contest series!

I try to make content that's interesting! If you found this informative and helpful, please give it an upvote and a resteem.

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Plant List

• Concord Grapes and unknown variety of green seedless grapes - Vitis labrusca
• Lambsquarter - Chenopodium alba - seeds
• Spearmint - Mentha spicata - leaves
• Fennel - Foeniculum vulgare - tender new leaves
• Snow! - Hydrogen dioxide - for the chemists, lol! ; )

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Haphazard Homestead

foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land
All content is 100% Haphazard Homestead!My YouTube channel: Haphazard Homestead