Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Dandelions

I love dandelions and we let them grow freely in our pleasantly unruly garden, even though this annoys my parents no end when they come to visit. They're weeds!, they protest. But I reckon they're lovely. Has anyone got any suggestions as to what I can do with them? Does anyone drink dandelion wine?

8 comments:

Pina said...

Dry them for tea. I guess they are a bit bitter...

T. said...

Du kannst aus den Blüten Tee machen und ihn kurmässig trinken. Das entgiftet die Nieren. Oder du machst daraus Sirup. Beides schmeckt süß und zart blumig.
Der Stengel ist sehr bitter, aber angeblich gut für die Galle, wenn man ihn kaut.
Die jungen Blätter kannst du in den Salat zupfen, sie enthalten viel Vitamin C (Ascorbinsäure)

Die Wurzeln kannst du im Herbst ausgraben, waschen und trocknen. Dann werden sie zerkleinert und verräuchert (zB. mit Wacholder und Sandelholz) Diese Räucherung reinigt und schützt, aber vor allem ist sie gut bei Melancholie und Herzschmerz.

Bodecea said...

You could make "dandelion honey". I did it sometimes but do not remember which recipe I used... just look after "dandelion honey"/"Löwenzahnhonig" in the WWW!

Best
Bodecea

Feronia said...

@ Pina -

I love tea - excellent idea. Any particular way to dry them?

@ Sefarina -

Vielen Dank! Was für eine klug Blume ist der Löwenzahn!

@ Bodecea -

Mmmm...dandelion honey. Sounds delicious.

Jane said...

I think dandelions are great as well. I have a dandelion clock preserved forever in a paperweight.
My Nan used to make dandelion tea, said it was very good for the skin. Sadly she's no longer with us so I can't ask her how she used to make it, but maybe it's worth doing a search on line for a recipe.

Diana Kennedy said...

Dandelions are great to feed to the rabbits, too. But when they grow unwanted, its a bit a pain in the butt to pull them out.

Pia K said...

unruly dandelion garden, oh i know just the thing, i too would like to make something of all those dandelions but i've yet to come around to it. but i think you can use them in soups too (like spinach). and possibly fry them in a pan. perhaps for salads early in the season when the leaves are tender. clearly one needs to go find some suitable recipes for next spring...:)

Feronia said...

@ Jane -

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll give them a try as a skin tonic. The dandelion paperweight sounds beautiful! Thanks for stopping by :)

@ Diana -

They do have very tough roots, don't they!

@ Pia K -

I'd like to try them fried - that sounds interesting. Thanks for visiting! :)