The Last of the Dandelions: Dehydrating Wild Edibles for Rabbit Consumption

Here in NE Ohio, the leaves are in mid- color- which is my personal favorite point of leaf coloration. There are deep reds, golden yellows, a little purple, a smattering of brown, and bright spring green- all in addition to some (still) deep green.

The air is turning crisp- especially at night but the sun still warms things up enough during the day to make collecting edibles a rare and real pleasure.

Throughout the early spring and summer, the Tugbunny rabbits have been enjoying a constant supply of wild edibles. Also, throughout the entire early spring until now no one has fallen ill. I do not believe that this is mere coincidence but, instead, the result of feeding a high- quality pellet along with a varied smorgasbord of various wild edibles… you know, the kinds of things that rabbits much on in the wild…

But, with cooler air approaching and, eventually, frost- comes the sad demise of most of the wild edibles that my rabbits have enjoyed since early spring. With this in mind, I have decided to collect and dehydrate the last of the edibles from my yard. I have no idea how this will turn out but, as with all things, it is better to try and to fail than to not try at all…

Plants like plantain, dandelion, dock (immature plants, without spikes), cleavers, various forms of thistle and grape leaves will soon be finding their way into my dehydrator.

The plan is to pick, wash, dry and then dehydrate on the lowest setting possible- which on my dehydrator- an Excalibur 9 tray- is a little less than 125 degrees (F). The point is to dehydrate the edibles at a high enough temperature to effectively do the job while also using a low enough temperature to protect beneficial enzymes, vitamins, etc. from death and harm.

The edibles will be spaced far enough apart to provide for adequate air circulation and in order to prevent the growth of mold as the dehydration process will take longer as a result of the low temperature used.

Alternatively, edibles can be placed onto a screen or drying rack outdoors (provided rain is not in the forecast) and dried. Personally, I have never gone this route because, with my schedule, it is more convenient to use a dehydrator.

While using a dehydrator would most likely not be ideal for a large harvest, for a small, experimental harvest/ adventure, it will do just fine.

To be continued…

Ch- Ch- Changes

Summer has quickly faded and I am spending time harvesting the last of the dandelions, plantain, thistle, cleavers, and dock for dehydration and winter use… how time flies!

As I believe I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been working third shift which has enabled my rabbits to live a rather posh- but lonely- life. The summer here was so hot that air conditioning for my rabbits was a matter of life or death (in my opinion) and so I decided that an air conditioner must be bought and a higher- than- usual electric bill must be paid.

In addition, some introspective thinking had to take place and some tough decisions had to be made.

The current climate in my area is such that the going rate for a pedigreed French Angora is around $45.00 which, in my opinion, is absurd.

A few years ago, the average price for a pedigreed French Angora was around $100.00- which seems far more reasonable and fair.

Financially speaking, if I were to charge $45.00 per rabbit (and remain competitive), I’d have to majorly cut costs. I’d have to buy cheaper food, breed the heck out of my does, and focus in procuring cheap stock. This would be unacceptable.

Ethically, this would be irresponsible. Who needs more rabbits in a market already saturated with angora rabbits? Who needs more angoras in shelters (and in my garage)? There are currently rabbits enough who are in need of homes and breeding more only contributes to the problem.

At the rate of $45.00 per pedigreed rabbit, a breeder is more or less entering the pet market- a market in which any animal is extremely vulnerable to exploitation, neglect, and abuse; it makes it so much easier to cross the line between small- scale breeding and large scale milling.

Moreover, a legal line is crossed in that, currently, angora breeders (breeding “fiber animals”) are not subject to the same regulation as breeders who breed rabbits for the pet trade (Animal Welfare Act of 1966). If more and more angora breeders market angoras as pets and sell at pet- quality prices, what does this mean for those of us who breed for fiber purposes?

Even more important, will we be forced into the pet market- a market with which many of us want nothing to do?

Yet, to continue breeding in the current market would be adding fuel to a fire that is already burning out of control.

Sadly, I have quickly learned what other more experienced breeders have known for a while: breeding in today’s local market isn’t ethical or cost effective (should one wish to do things right). As a result, many local breeders no longer breed or, if they do, breeding is done for private purposes only.

As a relative optimist, I believed that those who had stopped breeding and selling angoras were being over- dramatic or too cautious; I believed that, with a little work, time, and money, the local issue wouldn’t be an issue…

I was wrong.

I am now focusing on caring for the rabbits I have and will only sell to fiber artists who have previous experience with angoras. I will not sell angoras as pets because I am not a pet breeder or dealer. I will also not sell angoras for less than they are worth because it would be insulting to do so- regardless of the going rate.

Instead of breeding, I will focus on spinning, weaving, and selling fiber. In the long run, I believe that this is the best decision for both my angoras and their local brethren.