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The last few years I’ve become very interested in edible flowers and plants (including mushrooms!) and spent much of the summer learning how to process edible flowers in my own backyard! Below is a DELICIOUS tutorial on how to make wild dandelion honey recipe! At the bottom of the post you can print out our recipe!
Most people groan when they look at dandelions popping up in their yard, but I see free food! Not only can you add dandelion greens in your salads, and use dandelion root for tea or as a coffee alternative, but you can even eat the dandelion flower!
It’s SO incredibly easy to make this wild dandelion honey, and there’s no need to get stung by bees or have an expensive bee box to make delicious honey.
When I first heard about dandelion honey I had extreme doubts that you could make anything remotely like honey just by using dandelion flowers. But WOW! This dandelion honey blew my taste buds right out of the water! It’s got a similar consistency and sweetness!
**A word of CAUTION – NEVER forage for dandelions (or anything for that matter) in yards that have been exposed to pesticides of any kind. If you’re unsure, err on the side of caution and do not forage there.
How to Make Wild Dandelion Honey:
Follow our step by step tutorial below and see how easy it is to make wild dandelion honey! It takes some time but it’s absolutely worth it! If you try it make sure to come back and leave us a comment and let us know how your dandelion honey turned out! Nothing better than fresh food from the outdoors! It’s much cheaper too!
Remove the yellow flower petals from your dandelion flowers. You can do this easily by chopping the green stems off of your dandelions, then placing the flower head upside down onto a cutting board like you see above. This will allow you to easily remove as much of the yellow flower petals as possible. Then just run a sharp knife over the yellow flower petals and separate!
2. Add the dandelion petals, plus 1 cup of water for every cup of petals you’ve removed, into a cooking pot.
3. Add half of a lemon slice for every cup of water into your pot. Lemon goes a long way here so if you want your honey less citrus flavored add less lemon in. The lemon acts as a preservative, however, so you do need to keep the lemon in your honey unless you plan on consuming it immediately. Trial and error will help you determine how strong you want your lemon flavor to be!
4. Boil the dandelion honey mixture for 30 minutes on your stovetop. Then steep your mixture on low for 6 hours. Don’t worry – it will look weird and chunky and gloppy like you see in my photo above. Keep going!
5. Drain your dandelion honey mixture through a cheesecloth or small strainer to remove the dandelion petals.
6. Lastly, boil your remaining dandelion honey mixture and simmer while slowly adding 1/2 cup of sugar for every cup of dandelion petals you’ve added. You will begin to notice the mixture thickening slightly. As it cools it will become quite thick like honey. Once it has cooled down it is safe to taste!
Congratulations! You’ve finished your batch of dandelion honey! I started off with a very small batch my first time – about a half pint of dandelion honey. I used a one quart sauce pan which was perfect for cooking this small of a batch. You can even use your extra dandelions to start a nature journal!
I can’t remember how many dandelion flowers I actually had to start with, I just filled a colander full of dandelion weeds and began measuring out flower petals. If you find that you have harvested too many dandelions you can simply dry them for use in fresh tea! I store both my dried dandelion flowers and my fresh dandelion honey (kept in the refrigerator) in mason jars.
Yield: 1/2 pint
How to Make Wild Dandelion Honey
Recipe tutorial on how to make wild dandelion honey.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time6 hours30 minutes
Total Time6 hours50 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup of dandelion petals
1 cup of water
1/2 slice of lemon
1/2 cup of sugar
1 quart saucepan
Instructions
1. Remove yellow flower petals from your dandelion flowers.2. Add dandelion petals and water into a one quart saucepan.3. Add lemon.4. Boil mixture for 30 minutes. 5. Steep mixture for 6 hours. 6. Drain mixture through cheesecloth or strainer.7. Boil then simmer remaining mixture while slowly adding sugar. 8. Cool and store in mason jar in the refrigerator.
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Remove all of the green stems from the base of the dandelion flowers as you pick them. ...
Wash the flowers and shake them dry.
Holding one flower at a time between thumb and forefinger, dip it into a beaten egg and then push it down into cornmeal to which you have added a little salt.
Here's something new: If you want to look and feel better, eat Dandelion flowers. Yes, the entire aerial portion is edible, including Dandelion's leaves, stalks, and buds, though if you really want to ingest more local nutrition and medicine from your landscape, eat the yellow flower.
Dandelions are packed full of health benefits. A powerful antioxidant, they are a perfect match for making infused honey. Infusing honey is simple! You simply place the flower, herb, or root you wish to infuse in a jar and cover with honey.
Remove the green parts of the dandelions as they can give the honey a slight bitter taste. The easiest way is to pull the petals off whilst holding the base of the flower.
Every part of the dandelion is edible: the flower, roots, stems, and leaves. Dandelion greens slightly resemble arugula, though longer, and have a similar spicy and bitter taste. You can harvest the blooms and leaves to make salads and sautéed dishes and use the roots to make tea.
To harvest the tops of dandelions use a knife to slice the plant a few inches below the top of the root. This will keep the leaves together in a cluster. Cut the flower just above the green base as the flower is sweet but the green base can be bitter.
To prep the petals you'll need to separate them from their bitter green base. To do that you can use your thumb and pointer finger to pinch them out in one go but you will crush the petals a bit. You can also snip them off with scissors — a little more painstaking, but you'll have fluffier petals.
The dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is an abundant “weed” plant that also happens to be edible. In fact, nearly the entire plant can be consumed in one way or another. The only inedible part is the stem, which contains a very bitter, milky substance. Let's start at the top: the flowers.
The quintessential weed, dandelions are rich in vitamins A, C, and K. They also contain vitamin E, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins. 2 Every part of this flowering herb, from the roots to the bright-yellow blossoms, can be eaten raw or cooked.
Some people may have an allergic reaction from touching dandelion. Others may get mouth sores. If you are allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigold, chamomile, yarrow, daisies, or iodine, you should avoid dandelion. In some people, dandelion can cause increased stomach acid and heartburn.
The primary health benefit of dandelion honey involves the digestive system. As a bitter digestive and liver tonic, it enhances appetite and digestion, increasing the flow of digestive juices and aids absorption.
Add the flower petas to a reusable tea bag or make a bundle in cheesecloth and add to honey. Leave in a bright, sunny place for a week, check flavor. Leave longer for a more pronounced flavor.
Dandelion honey color ranges from an intense golden yellow to a darker hue as it crystallizes. A vivid yellow color is indicative of greater purity. It has a pungent, sharp taste and an aroma reminiscent of the flower itself but stronger like an essential oil of dandelion.
From root to flower, dandelions are highly nutritious plants loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Dandelion greens can be eaten cooked or raw and are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K. They also contain vitamin E, folate, and small amounts of other B vitamins.
It's sugar syrup that is infused with dandelion heads. However, thanks to pollen, this really tastes like honey. The consistency and beautiful amber colour also resemble it.
Not only are dandelion greens safe to eat, but they also provide a range of health benefits. All parts of a dandelion plant are edible, from the top of the yellow flower down to the roots. The green leaves of the dandelion can make a healthy addition to salads, sandwiches, omelets, and more.
Dandelion greens can be eaten cooked or raw and are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K. They also contain vitamin E, folate, and small amounts of other B vitamins. Dandelion greens provide several minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium ( 1 ).
Amazingly, every part of dandelion is useful - the roots, leaves, stem, buds and flowers can all be eaten. What to bring with you? Be careful: Some people may be allergic to certain plants, even if there is no previous known allergy or sensitivity.
You can eat the flower fresh in salads and soups and use them to make dandelion jelly, syrup, or infused honey. When dried, the flowers make a healthy tea, and you can infuse vinegar with the dried flowers to make a homemade vinaigrette.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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