Dandelions are a treasure trove of potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin A,C,K and B6. Dandelions are edible from the root to the flower except for the milky filled hollow stem~but even that has uses, but just not for feeding our tummies.
The green parts are bitter, but the yellow of the flower is not. I throw several young dandelion leaves in my daily salad. The bitter of the leaves stimulates bile which helps cleanse your liver and digest your meal. The leaves can also be wilted in stir fries etc. Mary Voules-Ketsetzis told me that in Greece they boil the leaves a bit then cover them in olive oil, lemon and feta~seriously delicious!
The ground roasted dandelion root is used as a coffee substitute or extender, in tea, or added to hot chocolate. Roast the root at 350F until it smells like chocolate chip cookies baking.
The dandelion flowers are the most abundant in the spring, which makes this the time to collect the large quantities needed to make wine or syrup. Collecting enough dandelion flowers and removing the petals takes some time. My most favorite use of dandelion flowers is to make dandelion syrup. I have found even folks who are not into wild harvesting prefer dandelion syrup over maple syrup. Just remember to only use the yellow flower not the green base, as it is bitter. The flowers make a sunny addition to spreads, as a garnish on your green salad or baked into muffins, cookies, bread and egg dishes. Some fried options are fried dandelion petal fritters or just battering the entire flower head after you remove the little green downward horns at the base of the flower. I read about sautéing the unopened buds in butter, but when I tried the tightly closed buds opened in the heat and mostly just tasted like the butter I sautéd them in~with the added bonus that the yellow of the flowers dyed the plate.
The white crown between the root and green leaves is also edible. It can be eaten raw, but most recipes for preparing it involves bacon. Euell Gibbons’ book Stalking the Wild Asparagus has several recipes.
Some less informed folks spray their dandelions so always be careful where you harvest dandelions. How do you eat your dandelions?
Dandelion Syrup
Equal parts dandelion flowers (only the yellow no green), water and raw sugar. First take the yellow petals out of green holding them. Bring the petals and water to a boil, then take off heat and cover for 8 hours. Strain the liquid and add the sugar heat gently until it thickens like honey or maple syrup.
