Make your own dandelion greens, jelly, wine, and more!
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this happened to a friend of mine (shawn) and myself many years ago when hog prices were low farmers couldn`t give them away. My brother (ron) who raises hogs came over my house to visit. Shawn and i had gone muchroom hunting but didnt get enough for the meal so we breaded dandelion flowers and cooked them with the mushrooms. My brother seeing what we were doing blurted out " hogs are 6 cents a pound and you guys are eating dandelions ! " We all laugh about this every time it comes up. Dandelions are great cooked this way
As a young kid my mother would send my brother and I out to dig dandelion greens to make wilted greens for a spring dish. She didn't cook the greens, she just poured a hot white sauce over the greens and served that over mashed potatoes. We all loved that dish and knew it was very good for us as a spring tonic.
This year, we're trying for and heirloom pink dandelion, and pink dandelion jelly sounds like food from a fairy tale. Gotta try that if we have any luck with the plants!
Salad: 4T oil, 2 small slabs of salt pork cooked to golden brown in the oil. Remove fry pan from heat let cool. Add red wine vinegar about 1/4 C. Heat to boiling wilt weeds with dressing, salt & pepper to tast toss & enjoy😜
Yum! That sounds delicious, Lynn!
is it possible that you, Ramona Jackson, is a friend of mine from long long ago? Startling! does FDU ring a bell?
I love to find Dandelion flowers with long stems. Wash well and dry. Place the heads in a batter like pancake batter and fry them in a skillet. Children love this. Can do the same thing with Clover Blossoms.
Many, many years ago a family moved into my brothers' neighborhood on Long Island, N.Y. The husband told my brother that one of the reasons they had chosen that particular house was because of the hundreds of beautiful, golden flowers growing in the yard. It didn't take long before neighbors (not my brother, the son of a savvy, old Italian) enlightened them to their "weed infestation" and they were shopping for a lawn company to eradicate the now noxious dandelions. Go figure!
Could I start seedlings from the Dandelion Puffs (White) so I can have a clean product to harvest?
Yes, you can grow more dandelions from the white puff balls. The ball is made of several single-seeded fruits called achenes, which are each attached to a filament with a feathery tuft on the end. Separate out the small achenes and plant individually. (Just to be safe, select a dandelion that has not been exposed to chemicals or pollutants.) Be sure that you are choosing seeds from an actual dandelion, as there are several lookalikes. Also, if you prefer, there are cultivated gourmet forms of dandelions that you can find at mail order seed companies and other sources that are bred for their larger, less bitter leaves. Hope this helps!