We’re rolling into week 3 of our Spring Foraging series with a wild edible that just about everyone is familiar with —- dandelion.

Dandelions are so plentiful, it seems a shame to waste them, doesn’t it?  In today’s post, I’ll be sharing why you might want to take a second look at dandelion.   I’ll also be sharing some unique ways that I’ve been using this wild edible plant.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our Spring Foraging series if you missed it!

Spring Foraging Week 1:  What I Found in My Backyard

Spring Foraging Week 2:  5 Ways to Use Cleavers 

Before I dive into the recipes, let’s look at why you might want to take a second look at this simple and common weed.

 Benefits of Dandelion

• all parts of the plant are beneficial

• high in micronutrients and phytonutrients and among the most nutrient-dense greens

• enhances digestion

• detoxifies the liver

• supports liver function and decreases inflammation

• the leaf is one of the few diuretics that retains potassium

• the root is a good prebiotic, supporting healthy gut flora

• the flowers have an affinity for the heart and are used to relieve headaches, menstrual cramps, backaches and stomach aches

• research indicates that low doses of dandelion root extract may be effective in killing cancerous cells.  For more on this, check out this recent article.

•  applied topically, it can relieve sore muscles

• the thick white substance inside the stems will reportedly remove warts with consistent application

5 Ways to Use Dandelion

Dandelion Salve

After reading about some of the benefits of dandelion salve, I was anxious to try it for myself. Dandelion Salve is known for relieving sore muscles and aches and pains.

I added some Roman chamomile essential oil to my salve but peppermint, rosemary, or even lavender essential oil would also be a good choice to enhance the salve.

It’s best to prepare for salve-making a few days in advance.  After picking your dandelions, spread out your dandelion flowers outside and allow the ants and other little insects to make their escape. A few hours should do it.

Next, you’ll need to let your dandelion flowers dry for a few days indoors.  Dandelion flowers have a lot of moisture in them so you will need to let them dry out before infusing them in oil.   Another option (if you have a dehydrator) is to dehydrate the flowers overnight at approximately 95 degrees.

If you have plenty of dandelion flowers, you could also make a large batch of infused oil for other projects like I did.  Simply store your infused oil in a cool place until you are ready for your next project.

 Dandelion Salve for Sore Muscles, Aches & Pains

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup olive oil (or your favorite carrier oil)

• 1 /4 cup dry dandelion flowers

• 1/2 oz (1 tbsp) beeswax

• 5 drops Roman chamomile essential oil (or substitute with peppermint, rosemary or lavender essential oil)

Instructions:

• Fill a clean, dry glass jar with the dandelion flowers.  Add the olive oil and shake to combine.  You can expect the flowers to expand a bit over the next day or so.

• Check your jar over the first couple of days to ensure all the flowers are completely covered with the oil as they expand.  Add more olive oil if needed.

• Allow your oil mixture to infuse for 2 weeks in a warm, sunny spot or infuse using one of the quick methods (see recipe notes.)

•  Strain your oil using a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth/muslin.

• In a double boiler or using a heat safe glass measuring cup in a pan of water, heat 1 cup of the prepared oil and the beeswax until the beeswax is melted.  Allow to cool slightly before mixing in the essential oil.

• Pour immediately into tins or small glass jars. Label and date your salve.

Recipe Notes: 

Since water can introduce moisture and bacteria, make sure that your glass jar and lid are completely dry before adding the herbs and oil.

If you don’t want to wait 2 weeks for your infused oil, try one of these quick methods:

Quick Infusion (Double-Boiler Method):

In a double boiler or a heat safe measuring cup in a pan of water, simmer the oil and dandelion flowers over very low heat.  Simmer gently for 30 to 60 minutes or longer, keeping the oil between 95-110 degrees.  As Rosemary Gladstar likes to say, “the lower the heat and the longer the infusion, the better the oil.”

Quick Infusion Method 2# (Dehydrator):

This is one of my favorite methods!  If you have an Excalibur (or similar type) dehydrator with a temperature control, you can infuse your herbs in it.

Add all of your flowers and oil to a glass jar.  Shake to combine.

 Remove enough of the trays in your dehydrator so that your glass jar with infused flowers sits in the bottom.   Set the temperature between 95-110 degrees and leave it for 2 days or longer, shaking it periodically.

Dandelion Jelly

I don’t normally make jams and jelly this early in the year so it was nice to get in the kitchen on a cold, damp and rainy day and whip up a batch of dandelion jelly.

It is true what they say, dandelion jelly tastes a bit like honey.  It’s got a light, subtle flavor that is just delicious!  A million ideas jumped in my head as soon as I tasted it.  Dandelion would go nicely with so many other flavors and I am feeling inspired to try some new combinations using dandelion in my jams and jellies!

The recipe I used comes from Food.com.  I omitted the lemon zest and vanilla bean (mainly because I only had 1/8 of a dried up vanilla bean in the pantry!)  but next time I would like to try it with the vanilla.   The dandelion jelly was a hit with the whole family.  It’s definitely worth trying!

I was tempted to make a low sugar version of this recipe but I’ll save that for another day!  Let me know if you experiment with it before I do!

Dandelion Jelly Recipe 

Hibiscus Dandelion Lemonade

While some of the recipes I shared with you today can take a little time, if you are looking for something quick and easy featuring the dandelion, you’ll love this recipe.

If you don’t happen to have any hibiscus, you could easily just leave it out and still have a delicious dandelion lemonade.

Ingredients: 

• 1 quart fresh dandelion flowers

• 2 lemons, juiced

• 2 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers

• 1/2 gallon room temperature water

• honey or liquid stevia, to taste

Instructions: 

• Add dandelion flowers, lemon juice and hibiscus flowers to a half gallon glass jar.   Fill the jar with water and stir.

• Steep in the refrigerator for several hours or over night.  Strain and sweeten with honey or liquid stevia to taste.

** Recipe adapted from www.herbmentor.com

Pickled Dandelion

One of the things I was most looking forward to trying with the massive amount of dandelions I have growing in my backyard was pickled dandelion.  I had tried pickled dandelion flowers last year at my friend, Amy’s house and they were so delicious, I knew I had to make them.  While that is still on my “to do” list, I opted for an easier recipe for today’s post that doesn’t require the tedious taste of trimming off all the yellow petals prior to pickling.

This awesome Pickled Dandelion recipe comes from Fresh Bites Daily  and uses the dandelion buds, flowers and  leaves.   The only hard part is waiting 2-4 weeks to taste it!

Pickled Dandelion Recipe 

Sauteed Dandelion Greens

A quick and easy way to use young dandelion leaves is to saute them up with a little garlic, olive oil and a splash of fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar.   It’s so simple and easy!   Keep in mind that dandelion greens are bitter–that’s part of the reason they are so beneficial.   With that being said, while my husband and I embrace the bitter and all it’s benefits, my kids aren’t too keen on it. That’s okay!  There is more for us!

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of dandelion greens, washed and roughly chopped

• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar, to taste

• sea salt, to taste

Instructions:

• Heat the olive oil and garlic in a saute pan, until the garlic becomes fragrant (no more than a minute.)

• Add the chopped dandelion greens and saute until they are wilted down.

• Finish with a pinch of sea salt and fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar.

To download the recipes from today’s post,

Click Here

Let me know:  Have you ever tried using dandelion?   Are you curious to try it?   What recipe are you most excited to try?

Next week, we’ll be talking all about plantain, another common wild edible with many benefits as both food and a home remedy.  I hope you’re excited to learn more about this amazing plant and the many ways it can be used!

References:

Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Andrew Chevallier, FNIMH

Alchemy of Herbs by Rosalee de la Foret

The Earthwise Herbal by Matthew Wood

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/cancer-killing-dandelion-tea-gets-157k-research-grant-1.1248382

Rosalee de la Foret.  http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/

This site is for educational purposes only. It does not provide medical advice. Information found on myhealthyhomemadelife.com is meant to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider.

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