Dance with Taraxacum officinalis – Dandelion

 

As the local gifts of Taraxacum sprout, bud 'n' bloom, the gifts of Food and Medicine continue. Here’s a few ideas to get your creative (and digestive) juices flowing…

Dandy Bud Capers

adapted from ForagerChef.com: Dandelion Capers with Ramps and Lemon

2 cups water

1 cup herbal infused apple cider vinegar

1 T kosher salt

7-8 cups dandelion buds

3 garlic cloves, chopped (or other Allium addition)

Zest of one lemon (or other citrus)

Simmer the water, vinegar and salt together until the salt is fully dissolved. Let cool. Pack your jar/s with the dandy buds add the garlic and lemon zest (dividing evenly between jars, if you’re using multiples). Pour in the warm liquid over the plant matter leaving about ½-inch headspace, using a chopstick to remove air bubbles (and adding more liquid if need be). Cover, label, and put in cold storage for several weeks before using (alchemy happens!). Then… enjoy as you would any caper!

Sweet, Tart & Bitter Dandy Syrup

adapted from TheNerdyFarmwife.com: Traditional Scandinavian Dandelion Green Apple Syrup

50-r-so dandelion flower heads, petals removed

2-3 sour apple (like the most-known Granny Smith), chopped

1-2 stalks of rhubarb, chopped

Juice of one lemon (or lime or other citrus)

about 1 cup of cane sugar (to match the measures by volume)

Simmer the dandy petals, apple, rhubarb and lemon juice for 20-30 minutes. Strain out the solids, measure the liquid and add an equal amount of cane sugar, by volume, to the liquid, return to the simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Bottle, label, refrigerate to increase shelf-life and enJOY as you would any other syrup!

Herbal Power

Powder your dried leaves to add to your culinary green powers. I often mix this and similar powders with onion, garlic, dried tomato “waste” from puree-making to keep in a shaker jar for adding to foods and as a garnish.

Temporary Tattoos

Henriette Kress suggests using the white “milk” of the plant to create your own body art. The art isn’t visible right away, but keep it dry, get a good night’s rest, and your brown tattoo will be waiting for you when you wake, and will last a few days (unless you wash it off).

A version of this entry was originally posted May 17, 2017 at When Weeds Whisper.

🕊 Peace.