It is Spring and with Spring comes dandelions. Many view dandelions as noxious weeds that they spray with Round-up or dig out and wish they would never come back. But Dandelions are a great weed. Yes, they are a weed but they are a great source of food with more uses then I ever knew. I always thought dandelion greens, ugh! But now people are calling them superfoods and I have learned that you can use the whole plant. ** please note dandelion roots can be a diuretic and some do use it as a detox. Here is a chart showing the nutritional value of Dandelions: It seems that the leaves are used like we would use spinach or kale, the heads are used more like a medicinal herb or flower and the roots, those can be brewed into a coffee. Here is a listing of 16 recipes that one site compiled for the use of Dandelions but this is just the start: 16 Dandelion Recipes | The Prairie Homestead With the dandelion coffee, once you dry the root you may want to add some other things when making your coffee. Here is a recipe that has some extras in it, sort of reminds me of a flavors coffee drink. Dandelion Root Coffee Recipe | Elana's Pantry I am loving all the uses and recipes that I am finding. Here is dandelion bread- Dandelions, the Super Food For those of you that like to make salves and balms, I am linking a Dandelion Salve recipe/how to. How to Make Dandelion Salve - Montana Homesteader
I Julienne the leave, drizzle with olive oil and a little garlic salt. I do the same for chicoria. Its the Italian way and I learned from my Sicilian mother in law
I usually bake or fry them with some bacon. Oh did I forget to mention, that the rabbits eat them and after they've eaten all the dandelions .. I eat the bunnies?
Tips for Eating and Harvesting Dandelions Dandelions are far more nutritious than kale or spinach. A a half cup of dandelion greens has more calcium than a glass of milk! The greens are a good source of Vitamin C, A and K. Dandelions are rich potassium giving them a strong diuretic quality as well as making them an excellent blood detoxifier. Dandelions are noted for their ability to stabilize blood sugar, making them an excellent supplement for diabetics . How to Harvest Dandelions The entire plant is edible: flower, leaves and roots. Its taste resembles that of a spicier arugula. You can find dandelion greens and roots in Asian stores if you are not up to foraging. If you do plan to harvest them on your own, it’s better to gather dandelions in the spring when they are young (before they flower) and again in the fall. How to Eat Dandelions The root can be used to make a medicinal tea for treating digestive issues, gallstones, inflammation, muscle aches, and bloating. Add the root (fresh or dried) into a cup with boiling water and steep for 2-3 minutes. Add a bit of honey to cut the bitterness. The roots can also be dried and ground for a coffee replacement. Once the root is roasted, it has the appearance and taste similar to coffee. You can brew it in a coffee pot or french press as well. Serve the dandelion coffee with cream and a sweetener. Use fresh or dried petals for as a garnish in salads and desserts. Young dandelion petals have a honey-like flavor; mature blossoms are bitter, but still are nutritious and pretty. You can dry the flowers in a dehydrator or lay them out in a single layer on a lined cookie sheet and place it outside in the mid-day sun. For a savory dish, try dipping the flowers in tempura batter and fry them. Mature dandelion leaves can be on the bitter side. Blanch the greens first, then saute them in oil with garlic. Young greens can be eaten raw in salads or in sandwiches. Instead of worrying about eradicating the weeds from your lawn this year, think of the weeds as a free, highly nutritious food source. Go ahead and let the kids blow on the dandelion puff balls; they’re helping to spread free food for all. How to Make Dandelion Wine @Dunerunner Ingredients 1 package (7 g) dried brewing yeast 1/4 cup (60 mL) warm water 2 quarts (230 g) whole dandelion flowers Using 2 quarts+ of just the petals can make for a less bitter wine.[2] 4 quarts water (3.785 L) 1 cup (240 mL) orange juice 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lime juice 1/2 teaspoon (1.25 g) powdered ginger 3 tablespoons (18 g) coarsely chopped orange zest; avoid any white pith 1 tablespoon (6 g) coarsely chopped lemon zest; avoid any white pith 6 cups (1200 g) sugar Wash and clean the blossoms well. Think of it as a fruit or vegetable; you don't want bugs or dirt in your food. Remove all green material. Soak flowers for two days. Place the blossoms in the four quarts of water, along with the lime, orange, and lemon juices. Stir in theginger, cloves, orange peels, lemon peels, and sugar. Bring the mix to aboil for an hour. This creates the 'infusion' that will later become wine after fermentation. Strain through filter papers (coffee filters are recommended). Let the infusion cool down for a while. Stir the yeast in while the infusion is still warm, but below 100 degrees F. Cover it and leave it alone, let it stand overnight. Pour it into bottles, poke a few holes in a balloon and place over the tops of the bottles to create an airlock, to keep out unwanted wild yeasts, and store them in a dark place for at least three weeks so that it can ferment. At this point you now have wine! Rack the wine several times, optionally. Racking means waiting until the wine clears, then siphoning or pouring the liquid into another container, leaving the lees (sediment) at the bottom of the first container. Cork andstore the bottles in a cool place. Allow the wine some time to age. Most recipes recommend waiting at least six months, preferably a year.
In Minnesota some want them, but they elected Al Franken..twice..so far. Got dandelions? Local winery wants to turn them into wine
i have never made the flower or ate the flower tops i do sometimes make the coffee i dont think it taste like coffee and its hard to get the roasting just right to much and its real bitter to little taste like dirt. Grandma would bake them in oven i never got the hang of it i allways burn them you can tell by the color i use my smaller dutch oven to me its not like coffee but its nice feels like your drinking somthing solid like coffee or hot choclate its filling the leaf you have to pick when like a inch long and you have to know what the look that at that age i have nibbled on them but not much i want meat. you can dry them and use them in a stew or soup to add vitamins of put on meat to add the same i would much rather spend my time gathering the green seeds off the planten wide or slim leaf those are even better there like little supper vitamins. the coffee is well worth learning leaves you feeling full like hot chocolate probaly cause your getting real food.
kingfish i may msg you im getting started with rabbits have been building a hutch in a shed i have like my firend has what he did was take a shed and build a chicken coupe around the shed then a fench around the whole thing in outer fence he keeps a dog he protects the chickens and rabbits anyway at a later time good use for plants growing meat
I julienne the greens, add a little extra virgin olive oil and a smidgen of garlic salt. Perfection. I do the same way for my Cichorium. A good steak, greens and sauteed whole mushrooms on the side and I am in heaven
I think its cruel to warn them in advance... usally I just sneak up & rip there lil leaves of before they have a chance to see it coming....
The chart shows Dandelions having a very high percentage of Vitamin K. This may pose problems for anyone on blood thinners. Perhaps discuss their use with your doctor?
Yes, Dandelions are edibles for humans, and domesticated livestock that humans can raise for food..... Dandelions (and other broad leaf weeds) are also very useful for making liquid fertiliser for feeding food crops. The vitamins and minerals that are good for us, are also good for the plants and micro flora/fauna that help the soil become more productive for horticulture / agriculture. I chop up Dandelions, Plantains, Dock and other weeds coarsely and allow them to steep in buckets for a week or two...Strain the liquor, and dilute 1:10 in rainwater or tap water that has been allowed to stand long enough for de-chlorination. The weed 'tea' makes a good natural liquid fertiliser. Retain a small quantity of the liquor to enable the new batch to be inoculated with the micro-organisms which will hasten the break down of the new batch. I sometimes add a little compost and worm tea to the mix. Stir periodically. Weed / worm 'tea' not used immediately should be stored in a cool dark place until use. Mark containers appropriately, particularly if using beverage bottles / jars for storage. Putting the date of storage will help in stock rotation...mineral content will probably not change much, but micro-organisms? YMMV. Normal gardening hygiene precautions apply. The broken down plant matter can be added to compost, for further decomposition, or can be added to a worm farm for producing worm castings and worm 'tea'. I also use weed / worm 'tea' as a composting accelerator. Deep rooted 'weeds' are a good way of harvesting and making available minerals, that other plants can't access. A related post. Wild weeds for food and medicines | Survival Monkey Forums Oh...by the way....although I shouldn't need to mention it....weeds harvested from road verges, petro-chemical industrial areas, or places that have been exposed to lead paint pollution should be avoided....just as plants can concentrate good stuff in their tissues....they can also concentrate toxic sh!t too. Excellent thread.