Harvest

All dandelion recipes begin with the harvest!

The best thing – it grows everywhere!
The most important thing -  find plants that have not been sprayed with pesticides!

Dig next to the leaves and lift up, up-rooting as much of the tap root as possible. You will want to collect as many plants as you can.

---

Clean

During this part of the preparation the leaves, flowers, and roots can be separated. Soak the leaves and flowers for a short time before rinsing them thoroughly, until the water runs clear.

The roots should be soaked and scrubbed with a sponge or brush, then rinsed.

The next steps of the process vary widely depending on what you want to do with the flowers, leaves and roots. We’ve included a number of recipes utilizing all parts of the dandelion plant.

---

Root Recipes

Root tea and coffee recipes begin with root preparation. Unless you plan to juice the dandelion root, you will likely need to dry and roast them. The method I have found to be most effective when roasting roots is to arrange them evenly on an oven tray, roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, remove and allow them to cool, then placing them in a coffee grinder or food processor.

Dandelion Root Coffee

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons ground roasted dandelion root
• 2 tablespoons ground roasted chicory root
• 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions:

Place water, dandelion root, chicory root, and cinnamon stick in a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Pour coffee into cups through a fine mesh strainer. Add coconut milk or heavy cream if desired.

---

Dandelion Root Tea

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. Water
• 1 tablespoon roasted dandelion root
• ½ tablespoons minced, fresh ginger
• 1 Cardamom Seed
• Honey or Stevia to taste

Instructions:    Combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil for 5-10 minutes. Pour tea into cups through a fine mesh strainer.

---

Flower Recipes

Coconut (or Avocado) Fried Dandelion Blossoms

Ingredients:

• 1 cups Flour
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tablespoons Himalayan Pink Salt
• ½ tablespoon Black Pepper
• ¼ cup Cold-pressed Coconut or Avocado Oil
• 40 Dandelion blossoms

Instructions: Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Set aside. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl, then stir in the dandelion blossoms until completely coated.

Bring the coconut or avocado oil to medium heat in a large skillet. Toss the dandelion blossoms in flour until completely coated. Cook in the skillet, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve and enjoy!

---

Dandelion Flower Cookies

Recipe courtesy of Peter A. Gail, Ph.D. From Cooking with Dandelion Flowers by Peter A. Gail, Ph.D

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 cup dry oatmeal
• 1/2 cup dandelion flowers (yellow petals only)

Instructions: Hold flowers by the tip with the fingers of one hand and pinch the green flower base very hard with the other, releasing the yellow florets from their attachment. Shake the yellow flowers into a bowl.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend oil and honey and beat in the two eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, oatmeal and dandelion flowers.

Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.

---

Dandelion Petal Wine

Recipe courtesy of Brigitte Mars, from Dandelion Medicine by Brigitte Mars.

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts dandelion petals
• 1 gallon water
• 2 oranges, with peel, preferably organic
• 1 lemon, with peel, preferably organic
• 3 pounds sugar
• 1 package wine yeast
• 1 pound raisins, preferably organic

Instructions: Remove any green parts from the dandelion petals; they will impair fermentation and ruin the taste of the wine.

Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the flowers in a large pot or crock.  Cover and let steep for three days.

Prepare the oranges and the lemon by zesting about half the skin off and cutting the rest off in very thin strips. Peel the citrus completely and slice into thin rounds.

Add the orange and lemon zest to the flower-water mixture and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat, strain out solids, then add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved.  Allow to cool.

Add the orange and lemon slices, yeast, and raisins to the liquid.  Put everything into a crock with a loose lid (so gas can escape) to ferment.

When the mixture has stopped bubbling (2 days to a week), fermentation is complete.  Strain the liquid through several layers of cheesecloth and transfer to sterilized bottles.  Slip a deflated balloon over the top of each bottle to monitor for further fermentation.  When the balloon remains deflated for 24 hours, fermentation is complete. Cork the bottles and store in a cool, dark place for at least six months before drinking.

---

Leaves Recipes

Pine Nut Dandelion Greens

Recipe courtesy of Tim Vidra of timvidraeats.com

Ingredients:

• Large bunch dandelion greens, rinsed of dirt and rough chopped with stems
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Splash of hot pepper vinegar sauce (apple cider vinegar can be used instead)

Instructions:   Heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering in a sauce pan. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring frequently just until the garlic starts to brown.

Add the chopped dandelion greens in and toss well to coat. Pour in the vegetable broth and simmer, stirring occasionally over medium heat until the broth is almost completely absorbed.

Toss in pine nuts, lemon juice, then add the vinegar and mix to incorporate. Serve hot or warm as a side dish — or make it a meal by serving with a couple of fried eggs.

---

Dandelion Pesto

Recipe courtesy of DIY in PDX

Ingredients: 

• 6 ounces washed and cleaned young dandelion leaves
• ½ cup virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• 1.25 ounces Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Instructions:  Place the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat. Lightly toast the nuts, stirring frequently, until they’re golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the nuts from the pan and allow to cool.

Put the dandelion greens in a food processor with the olive oil, and process until they’re all finely chopped up.

Add the garlic cloves, pine nuts, salt, and cheese, and process until everything is a smooth puree. Taste, and add more salt if necessary. If it’s too thick, you can thin it with more olive oil or water.

Get creative with all parts of the dandelion plant or just toss it into a simple spring salad. Season as needed to beat the bitterness of the greens.

Before longer you’ll find yourself waiting anxiously for these “weeds” to pop up in your yard in spring! Who would have thought that Mother Nature was hiding such a healthy, versatile plant right under our noses.