Harvested my first Burdock roots.

JodieDownUnder

Yesterday I dug up my first crop of Burdock. I only put a few seeds in late last spring, not in the best spot in my garden but they did do well and now I have roots drying out.

My question is, after they’ve dried out what is the best way to process them? Blender, chop with a knife? Is it best to chop up first and then dry? Your knowledge would be gratefully received.

marjstratton

I would imagine that Burdock should be able to be chopped and frozen for use in soups and stews. Drying them would also be a possibility and then re-hydrate for use in cooked dishes. I can't speak specifically to Burdock root since I haven't harvested them for culinary use. I have used them mainly for medicinal use making a tincture or other type of remedy. I think it would be a super idea to dig some of my wild dock root and actually use them for culinary uses. I've got plenty of them.

For dandelion root, we cleaned, chopped and roasted the roots and then once they were dry, put them in the blender or coffee grinder to chop them to use with or in place of coffee.

Torey

@JodieDownUnder Are you going to use these for food or medicine?

They are much easier to chop when fresh and then dry them. They dry quicker and more evenly.

@marjstratton Just to be clear, are you talking about wild dock roots or wild burdock roots? Two different plants from different families.

annbeck62

I've never grown burdock but I have used both medicinally and in culinary dishes. The burdock I purchased was chopped before dried. It was easy to rehydrate and worked well even for cooking purposes.

JodieDownUnder

@torey for medicinal use. Is tincturing or oil infusion best?

Torey

I would have some dried for use in decoctions. Great for gall bladder health. Its a nice ingredient in bitters. Rosalee de la Foret has a recipe in Wild Remedies for Roasted Root Brew using dried burdock root. It is in some detox programs as a beverage. I sometimes throw a handful into broths.

For other uses and extended shelf life, I would tincture it.

marjstratton

@torey Actually I am more familiar with curly dock than I am with Burdock. Our local co-op sometimes carries fresh Burdock in the vegetable section, so I would like to try that too.