Growing and Using Dandelions
By relache
The Useful Dandelion
While dandelions may be the nemesis to the gardener in pursuit of the perfect and unblemished green lawn, for centuries they've been used as edible and medicinal herbs. This hub is going to talk about the edible uses.
First and foremost, the dandelion is a delicious green leaf which can easily be made into a salad. It's low on calories but provides a good source of Vitamins A, C and E, and contains healthy amounts of Magnesium, Folate, dietary fiber and Potassium.
The most important thing to remember when eating dandelion greens is to make sure they are from an organic source. They are easy to grow, but you have to remember to only use fertilizers that are safe for foods intended for human consumption. If you put regular ol' fertilizer on your lawn, don't eat those dandelions!
Dandelions can be eaten raw (salad greens) or cooked with other foods, or even used to make liquers and wine!
Cooked Dandelions
- Sauteed Dandelion Greens Recipe at Epicurious.com
Find the recipe for Sauteed Dandelion Greens and other recipes at Epicurious.com - Dandelion Fritters
Two delicious variations for cooking dandelion fritters. - Dandelion Soup Made with Tofu
A lovely vegetable and tofu soup. - The Herbwife's Kitchen - Dandelion recipes: Italian-style greens.
Simple greens, Italian-style. My favorite way to eat dandelions.
Making Dandelion Liquer
A liquer is when a plain alcohol is sweetened and flavored with herbs. In some parts of the world they are also called cordials or aperitifs. Making your own dandelion liqeur is very easy.
Although the recipe calls for baker's sugar, you can use unrefined sugar, organic honey or even agave syrup. For the honey or agave, you might want to reduce the amount used as those can both taste sweeter than refined sugar. You'll get a nice dark color from using the honey but it will take more time for it to dissolve in the alcohol so be prepared to age it longer before serving.
Your liquer can be served room temperature or slightly chilled. I like to serve it in aperitif glasses over just a tiny bit of finely-crushed ice. In very hot weather you can also put it in the freezer for about a half hour before serving.
The Cordial Process...
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Ingredients for Dandelion Liquer
- 1-2 C. fresh dandelion blossoms, just the tops
- 1/2 C. baker's sugar, or honey
- one lemon, Meyer or Ponderosa are best
- 1 quart vodka
- 1 empty glass jar with tight-fitting lid, quart size
Instructions for making your own Dandelion Liquer
- I like to pick my dandelions fresh for this recipe. Mid-day on a nice sunny day is best as the flowers are open and aren't wet with dew. You'll want large blossoms with healthy, unwilted petals. Pick off any stems, leaves at the bottom of the flowers and shake off any bugs.
- Take the lemon and cut a strip of the peel. This will add a touch of flavor to the liquer so if you really like lemon, cut a long piece.
- Put the dandelions, sugar and lemon peel into the glass jar.
- Fill the jar almost to the top with vodka, leaving just a touch of shaking room.
- Screw on the lid and shake the jar vigorously.
- Keep the jar in a dark, cool place for three weeks and give it a good shake daily. After just about a day, the fluid will turn yellow and over time it may even turn darker gold.
- When the three weeks is up, strain out all the blossoms and lemon peel. I like to pour the mix through a strainer to catch the really big stuff and then again through a coffee filter to catch the tiny bits.
- Bottle into clean glass bottle that has a tight cork or top. Then store your liquor in a cool, dark spot like a basement or even in the refrigerator.
aperitif glasses for serving dandelion cordial
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Dandelion Liquers and Wine
- winemaking: Dandelion Wines
Thirty recipes for dandelion wines. - Dandelion Schnapps - Recipes
Dandelion schnapps made from the flower heads has a fresh and very aromatic taste. Made from the roots you get another kind of schnapps - dry and spicy with a pleasant bitter taste. - Dandelion Cordial
This recipes uses lemons and oranges for flavor and makes a very big batch.
Using Dandelions
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Fresh Dandelions
- Tomato Dandelion Salad
This is an easy salad to make that will complement numerous recipes as a side dish. I - dandelion and sorrel salad with paprika stars
A quick and easy salad, great for summertime. - Dandelion Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Pine Nuts, and Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe
Great as an appetizer or side dish - Dandelion Salad - Allrecipes
Best when young and tender, dandelion greens make a great salad! If you're wary about using the greens growing in the yard, you may often find them in the produce section of food specialty shops.
Cooking with Dandelions
Cultivating Dandelions
It doesn't take much to get a dandelion patch going but in case you'd reallly like to grow more of your own, here are a few tips.
Pick a sunny spot. Dandelions definitely prefer sun to shade, although partial sun can work too.
Use only organic gardening treatments and methods so that you know your dandelions are safe to eat.
Don't pick off all the blossoms so that they can re-seed themselves. If you blow the fuzzy crowns yourself they'll seed where you want them and not just all over the yard.
Pick off outer leaves to use for salad greens and new ones will form from the center of the plant.
- Dandelion: The Accidental Vegetable
Cultivating dandelions has long been practiced for food and medicine. All parts of the plant (except the seeds) can be used.
The Latest Dandelion Recipe Blogs
- Almost Turkish Recipes: Dandelion with Olive Oil (Hindiba)
If cooking every dish (sweet and savory) in olive oil is one of the most important characteristics of the incredibly healthy Cretan cuisine, boiling all greens including weeds is the other one. The Cretan diet, widely accepted to be one of the ...
- Cookbook Review: Beginnings-My Way to Start a Meal (Cosentino ...
I tried seven recipes in Beginnings and can't wait to try many others. I enjoyed them all but one. Braised Dandelion Greens, Chile & Parmigiano was rich and flavorful; it made a filling and warming dinner. (Tip: For easy eating, ...
- Natural Health Organic Foods: Delicous Dandelion Recipes
Delicous Dandelion Recipes. Prepare dandelion flowers by separating the sweet petals from the green bracts. Picking up to 50 heads will result in about one cup of petals. Dandelion Cordial ... a non-intoxicating drink ...
Do you "do" Dandelions?
The liquer sounds great! I've tried rose and lavendar flavored foods, but never dandelion. Is it bitter?
Can't wait to try this recipe! Looks easy
i went out picking a bunch today but i didn't know that i would be using some in a liqueur recipe until i saw this page.......thx 4 share
I've bought dandelion greens at a local organic supermarket. They were so bitter! Steaming them would probably help.
Nonetheless, I think dandelions are so pretty and cheerful I want to grow some in my garden this year.
Great Hub, you've got all the dandelion recipe basics linked in one place. I always wondered if they'd be good, I might try some of these sometime -- especially the cordial after reading "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury.
Oh my gosh. I love this hub. This is way cool. I will email to my daughter as well. She is a flower 'cook'
type person. I love your writing., If something keeps me in my attention span ( it is good, like very good ) I usually bounce all over. There are wonderful authors on hub pages. I have a passion for writing. My children, life, career, so on sent writing to the back burner. Now I have been blessed to have 'time' to write. I have my career which is not so good in these times so when I landed on hub pages I thought write and make some income. I feel blessed and honored to be part of hub community. I have improved a great deal in 4 months. I will continue. There is a reason writing was placed on my heart many years ago..I am sure you relate.
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Great stuff - never thought about dandelion liqueur, but it sounds intriguing. Dandelion greens are delicious, though, either raw or cooked. (Cooked, served with mashed fava beans is one of my favorite Mediterranean recipes)
I have an abundance of food in my backyard and didnt even know it. As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again!
When I was a child, my grandfather sent me into the yard every year, with a big paper bag, to collect dandelions for his annual batch of wine. Despite my parents protests, I always got the first sip, when they weren't looking.
It always amazes me where you can find memories of departed loved ones. Thanks for this one.
You could feed a lot of people dandelion leaves in a salad and they'd never even notice...
Edible flowers were always added to formal school social functions. You'd usually get just one person to eat them... I was never one of them. :-\
I love adding lots of different edible flowers to dishes; it brings so much color to the plate! Great hub!
The recipe I use has a lot less sugar than many I've read. You can adjust the sweetness and fruit flavor to taste.
Wow Relache - Danelion Liquer sounds fantastic, and it's really healthy! - I'll have to make some.
relache 10 months ago
If you are careful to trim off the green leaves at the base of the dandelion heads, it shouldn't come out bitter.