dandelion wine

Thomas Cole’s “The Picnic.”

July is National Picnic month and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the beautiful summer (or winter if you’re in the southern hemisphere) weather than heading outside and enjoying a picnic inspired by antiquity. We’ve brought together some of our favorite Recipes With a Past that we think make a perfect picnic feast.

And of course, a picnic isn’t perfect without a beautiful setting in which to experience your delicious meal. Check out our post on Nature, Ecotherapy and a Peek into the Past Through National Parks to learn about the history of gardens, parks and natural public spaces. Maybe you’ll get a few ideas about where to stage your outing!

But first, the food!

It’s the height of summer in the northern hemisphere where the lazy sun brings us long, hot days of outdoor activities, friends and family, vacations and lots of relaxation. Today it’s just a weed, but once upon a time nothing said summer like the dandelion and the year’s first batch of dandelion wine. Nowadays, we fight these plants to keep them from invading our perfectly manicured summer lawns, but these tiny pieces of sunshine have been valued by many civilizations since ancient times. This week we’re bringing you a recipe for dandelion wine so you can bottle your own bit of sunshine. But first, let’s find out why the dandelion has been so popular through history and how it lost its status in our modern society. Continue reading →