Delicious Dandelions (A Recipe Round-Up)

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Spring. I absolutely love this time of year. Our starts are in the greenhouse, and I am already thinking about what all I want to harvest, can, freeze, ferment and dehydrate from this years harvest. 

But as much as I love harvesting what we've grown ourselves in our garden, there is something about foraging and wildcrafting that feels so much more exciting. Last year we harvested wild salad greens, went hunting for chanterelles, harvested (a few) wild huckleberries, and dehydrated and froze flats upon flats of elderberries. 

My knowledge of wild edibles is slowly growing, and I love learning a little bit more every year. With Doug Benoliel's book, Northwest Foraging by my side, I love to go on walks and see what I can identify. Of course, the theme of today's post, DANDELIONS, no one probably really needs a book to help them recognize....

As I started looking into it, I was blown away by just how awesome dandelions are for our health. According to Gardens Ablaze, 

The humble little Dandelion has remarkable nutritional value, being very high in vitamins A and C, with more beta carotene than carrots and more potassium than broccoli or spinach, not to mention healthy doses of iron and copper for good measure. Medicinally, Dandelions are considered very safe and effective as a general tonic that helps strengthen the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, stomach, and intestines, improving bile flow and reducing inflammation in cases of hepatitis and cirrhosis. Dandelions also help to dissipate gallstones and are believed to improve kidney function, thereby improving overall health and clearing skin problems.

Not only are dandelions good for us, but they are delicious. And, there are numerous ways to prepare them. I originally created this collection because I wanted to have one place I could refer back to that had all my favorite dandelion recipes. I hope that it has turned into something you will enjoy, too! 

Delicious Dandelions (A Recipe Round-Up)

***Drinks***

Dandelion Green Juice from So Let's Hang Out

• Dandelion Green Juice from So Let's Hang Out

• Homemade "Coffee" from Scratch Mommy

• 5 Recipes for Dandelion Wine from MNN

• Dandelion Greens and Ginger Tea from Salted & Styled

• Dandelion-Violet Lemonade from Blissville Living

***Eats***

• Garlicky Dandelion Greens + Farmers Egg from One Beet

Garlicky Greens + Farmers Egg
from One Beet

• Dandelion Fritters from Red and Honey

• GF Dandelion Fritters from Delicious Obsessions

• Dandelion Split Pea Soup from LittleOwlCrunchyMomma

• Wilted Dandelion Greens with Toasted Mustard Seed from Nourished Kitchen 

Dandelion Split Pea Soup
from LittleOwlCrunchyMomma

• Dandelion Pesto from Diary of a First Child 

• Dandelion Greens Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette from Divine Health from the Inside Out...

• GF Dandelion Cookies from Common Sense Homesteading

• Italian-style Dandelion Greens from The Herbwife's Kitchen

Dandelion Green Salad
from Divine Health

• Skillet Roasted Chicken Thighs with Dandelion Greens + Baby Carrots from Food52 

• Dandelion Pumpkin Seed Pesto from The Kitchn

• Dandelion Green Gumbo with Good Thyme Rice from Rachel Ray

• Dandelion Chips with Sea Salt from ShowFood Chef

***Informational Posts***

• Foraging for Spring Greens from Richly Rooted

Harvesting and Using Dandelion Roots from Common Sense Homesteading

• The "Tooth of the Lion" from Homegrown and Healthy

• Common Dandelion from Common Sense Homesteading

• Dandelion for Detoxing from Healing, Yoga and Qigong

• Harvesting and Using Dandelion Roots from Common Sense Homesteading

• Dandelion Infused Oil for Muscle Aches from ApotheKayla

Where to find Dandelion?

This might seem like a silly question, considering that dandelions or so pervasive in almost every front lawn. However, just because it exists so readily, doesn't mean you should eat just any dandelion. I wouldn't recommend harvesting from any area unless you know exactly what sort of things are sprayed (or not sprayed) on or around it.

At Lost Valley I can walk out my front door and feel perfectly safe harvesting dandelions, but I wouldn't feel that same way in the city. When I lived in Eugene, I could often find dandelion at the Farmer's Market this time of year. 

For those of you who don't have access to your own dandelion crop, or have a farmer's market that happens to sell them, fear not! You can still enjoy the myriad health benefits of dandelions. There are excellent sources available online. Here are a few links to quality sources that I recommend:

• Roasted Dandelion Root Tea 

• Dandelion Root Tincture 

• Dandelion Leaf Flakes 

• Dandelion Leaf Capsules 

• Dandelion Leaf Tea 

Further Reading

If you live in the PNW I cannot recommend highly enough the book, Northwest Foraging by Doug Benoliel. It is a great introduction to foraging in our area with great pictures for easy recognition. 

If you are interested in books specifically on dandelions, here are a few I recommend: 

The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook: 148 recipes for dandelion leaves, flowers, buds, stems, & roots. This is a great collection for anyone interested in learning more about dandelions and using them in their kitchen.

QuikGuide to: Dandelions is a short and sweet inexpensive Ebook that has a good amount of information about this awesome plant. 

The Dandelion Supplement: Alternative Medicine for a Healthy Body is another short and inexpensive Ebook that looks specifically at the medicinal uses that dandelions provides. 

Have you eaten dandelion before? What's your favorite way to prepare them?

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Photo sources for collage from Flickr- 1, 2, 3,