“It’s That Time of Year!”
Springtime recently arrived where I live, with an abundance of dandelions to enjoy. That’s the operative word, “enjoy”! Fresh or dried (and for the roots, roasted), you can’t make dandelion tea the wrong way. Find out your preference. Roasting gives the roots a “coffee” flavor, and a great season to harvest them is autumn, if that’s what you have where you are now. Most of the time I use the roots, leaves, and flower blossoms for tea fresh, just add simmering hot water to the cleaned plant. Of course, fresh has its own taste; find what works best for you. Sometimes it’s worth it to go to the extra steps to achieve a certain taste; other times, “quick and easy” works just fine. Use the plant however you wish, “it’s all good”: raw or roasted, finely chopped or… sometimes I use hot water to extract some of the goodness on the whole entire plant (not chopped), and then eat the cooked plant afterwards. Lots of sauces dress up the dish if you don’t want it plain. Yesterday, for instance, Hollandaise sauce made a great topping. I would love to hear your favorites! I have dried leaves on a window screen and also have used a dehydrator. For many thousands of years before dehydrators, people have loved eating dandelions! And they each can share their favorite recipes! One fun thing you might like is to ask people and see what they say! I did that yesterday and heard about “wilted dandelion salad” with mushrooms. Included in the feedback will perhaps be stories from childhood or previous generations. You might discover a treasure trove! And I would love you to write and share!
Ruth
