What to do with all those beautiful Dandelions?

Vicky M.
Vicky M. Posts: 74 ✭✭✭
edited November 2020 in Wild Edibles & Medicinals

This morning dug up some juicy dandelions from my yard, roots and all, washed them well, chopped them up, stuffed in a 1/2 gallon jar, added a heaping Tablespoon of salt, and filled jar with apple cider vinegar. This will set for several weeks or until needed and makes a wonderful salad dressing full of rich vitamins & minerals.

These we dug from our front yard, I leave the ones in back for salad greens.

Please do not harvest from areas that have been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. Dandelions can grow in almost any soil contaminated or not.


Comments

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    I had to buy my first dandelion plant as we had none! I found that hard to believe, looked everywhere, found the ones that looked like dandelion but they are not, multiple yellow flower heads and hairy leaves, not dandelion. Have a suspicion that previous owner may have sprayed. So I'm hoping my plant will go forth and multiply. I've made tea and picked salad greens with the one I have. They also encourage bees, great plants !

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    Great stuff! I love dandelions - just planted seeds in my garden. When I am home, I never have to plant them. They grow very well int e Appalachians mountains. I always just eat them. Someday, I'd like to make wine from the flowers.

  • chimboodle04
    chimboodle04 Posts: 286 ✭✭✭

    We used the blossoms to make dandelion salve - excellent for muscle aches and pains - my FIL even likes it better than CBD oil for his arthritis!

  • Alison
    Alison Posts: 179 ✭✭✭

    Some great ideas here.

    My thing is to just eat the flowers mostly. A quick snack as I go about the gardening. I have eaten the leaves raw as a snack also and given excess to the chooks.

  • nksunshine27
    nksunshine27 Posts: 343 ✭✭✭

    dandelion jelly, dandelion wine, the root goes in a lot of my herbal remedies, eat the leaves in salad in spring.

  • nksunshine27
    nksunshine27 Posts: 343 ✭✭✭

    @Vicky Morris very good advice about the spray and if you dont mind. i'm going to add and not were your dogs stay in the yard either

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Roasted toots for a coffee like beverage. I was in a local coffee shop lately and tasted a dandelion root latte for the first time. Much better than any other roasted root beverage I have ever had. I have heard that combining it with roasted chicory and burdock roots are excellent for gallbladder health.

    I love fritters, especially when made with flowers. So you can use dandelion flowers to make fritters. Any fritter batter should do.

    The flower petals can be added to many things. Salads, cookies, pancakes, muffins. Many choices.

    Sautée the greens, by themselves, or with other additions. Toss in some garlic. A little lemon juice or some balsamic vinegar is a nice dressing.

    Dandelion pesto.

    Following is a recipe that I think came from Susun Weed for Dandelion Lemonade:

    You’ll need about 2 quarts of flowers to make a gallon of lemonade in this dandelion recipe. Bring the flowers inside and place them in a gallon jar. Fill the jar with room temperature water and add the juice of 4 lemons. Add fresh honey to taste, and chill. You can strain the flowers out after a few hours or just leave them to fall into the glasses when you serve the lemonade.

  • Heide
    Heide Posts: 14 ✭✭✭

    I make golden syrup from the blossoms which tastes like an herbal honey...delicious! I sprinkle flower petals on and cookie/scone dough. I eat a leaf or two each I go outside. I believe bitter herbs stimulate the immune system.

  • 7207chablis
    7207chablis Posts: 46 ✭✭✭

    Dr Klinghardt says to eat plenty of dandelions against coronavirus.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Well, I know it is good for all parts of the digestive system and helps the body detoxify. I think there are a lot more components in the doctor's protocol than just eating dandelions. But eating dandelions is always a good addition to our health.

  • Vicky M.
    Vicky M. Posts: 74 ✭✭✭

    Thank you all for such good advice on the joys of the awesome dandelion. Dandelion who so freely gives so much of what we need. Salad greens digestive bitters, root & leaves a tonic for our liver, vinegars full of vitamins & minerals, tasty treats, golden oil to sooth our aches, golden wine to sooth our mind. I give thanks for the generous king of the open field dent-de-lion.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have noticed a few dandelion flowers showing up in my yard. At least one plant will be mine because it is in an area not frequented by my dogs and should remain unnoticed by my husband.

    ...still waiting for seeds to sprout in the house....

  • burekcrew86
    burekcrew86 Posts: 248 ✭✭✭

    I infuse the flowers in oil and make a salve that I swear by. It helps with everything from arthritis joint pain to healing cuts.

  • SherryA
    SherryA Posts: 314 ✭✭✭

    The dandelion blossom oil I made smells so good! I also love dandelion pesto. And of course tea from roasted roots. I love the idea of the salad dressing in the original post.

  • tammyrichardsmt9
    tammyrichardsmt9 Posts: 109 ✭✭✭

    Last year we made dandelion oil, dandelion salve and dandelion cookies. We put the greens into salads. Sadly, no dandelions here yet this season.

  • Vicky M.
    Vicky M. Posts: 74 ✭✭✭

    Dandelion pesto! That is so on my list of things to make. Thank you so much for this suggestion.

  • Devi
    Devi Posts: 18 ✭✭✭

    I've only ever made a tea from the flowers - I will have to try eating them now (hopefully in a few weeks they'll be out), sounds interesting!

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    I bought seeds of a white variety with a pink middle so my husband will stop pulling them up. He won’t listen or remember the rules about leaving the dandelion and removing the FALSE dandelion. Sigh.

    I hope they go gangbusters!!

  • 2017pams@gmail.com
    2017pams@gmail.com Posts: 12 ✭✭✭

    I had a friend who came over and uh helped me out and removed all my dandelions...Even the special red stemmed ones from the farmer market. Luckily they are all back this Spring. In 2005, I used dandelions to heal up my liver and kidneys after 2 surgeries and gallstone hepatitis knocked them out. I ate a lot of dandelions for a couple of years and both are back to about 98% on the blood tests which are all varied bits of information. My liver was 1 number from needing transplant so this works. Did milk thistle too.

  • Vicky M.
    Vicky M. Posts: 74 ✭✭✭

    If possible, would love to see a picture of the white variety with a pink middle.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I plan to make some fritters with the flowers, using Rosalee de la Foret's recipe from Learning Herbs. I made salve last year, and one day will try some wine, but not this year.


  • Gail H
    Gail H Posts: 359 ✭✭✭✭

    @chimboodle04 Could you please post the directions for making the dandelion salve? Thanks!

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have started offering the flowers to my parrot but so far she is not impressed.

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    @Vicky Morris of I remember I will post pics when they bloom. Here are a couple of (non yellow) varieties that rare seeds.com carries


  • sallyhoward
    sallyhoward Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    I have mostly the hairy leaved one here but occasionally an authentic dandelion will appear. Maybe I could try and domesticate it?

  • chimboodle04
    chimboodle04 Posts: 286 ✭✭✭

    @Gail H This is the recipe I followed - worked out great! https://melissaknorris.com/how-to-make-dandelion-salve/