So you think you have a Dandelion Problem?

[English Bloke]

... in France, we eat the young dandelion leaves in salad (before the flowers bloom)...

And very nice they are too...

In Britain there is a soft drink called Dandelion and Burdock which tastes a bit like sarsaparilla and many British kids will remember it being delivered to your door by the man in the 'pop lorry'.

If you fancy knocking up a pot-full in your efforts to control your dandelion population, there's a recipe here taken from Tristan Stephenson's wild drink blog.

Heat 1.5 litres of water in a pan, when boiling add:

2 teaspoons fine ground dandelion root (Might need a mortar & pestle)
1.5 teaspoons fine ground burdock root (Might need a mortar & pestle)
5x 50p sized slices of root ginger
1 1/2 star anise
1 teaspoon of citric acid
Zest of an orange

Leave that little lot to simmer for 15-20 minutes, it will smell a lot like a health food shop, then strain through a tea towel, muslin isn’t really fine enough. Whilst the liquid is still hot you need to dissolve about 750g sugar. If you prefer is sweeter or ‘not-sweeter’ adjust the sugar. If you’re finding the drink a bit flavourless simply add more sugar, it accentuates the flavours of the roots and anise.

In the summer I mix it with plenty of ice and stir through borage flowers for the ultimate English soft drink! Enjoy

Variations
Frederic’s - Use 4x the amount of citric acid for more ‘bite’ and double the amount of spices for more flavour.

[Ancienne Alliance]

And very nice they are too...

In Britain there is a soft drink called Dandelion and Burdock which tastes a bit like sarsaparilla and many British kids will remember it being delivered to your door by the man in the 'pop lorry'.

If you fancy knocking up a pot-full in your efforts to control your dandelion population, there's a recipe here taken from Tristan Stephenson's wild drink blog.

Heat 1.5 litres of water in a pan, when boiling add:

2 teaspoons fine ground dandelion root (Might need a mortar & pestle)
1.5 teaspoons fine ground burdock root (Might need a mortar & pestle)
5x 50p sized slices of root ginger
1 1/2 star anise
1 teaspoon of citric acid
Zest of an orange

Leave that little lot to simmer for 15-20 minutes, it will smell a lot like a health food shop, then strain through a tea towel, muslin isn’t really fine enough. Whilst the liquid is still hot you need to dissolve about 750g sugar. If you prefer is sweeter or ‘not-sweeter’ adjust the sugar. If you’re finding the drink a bit flavourless simply add more sugar, it accentuates the flavours of the roots and anise.

In the summer I mix it with plenty of ice and stir through borage flowers for the ultimate English soft drink! Enjoy

Variations
Frederic’s - Use 4x the amount of citric acid for more ‘bite’ and double the amount of spices for more flavour.

Hmmmm... By adding a bit of Gin this could become the official apperitive drink of the Order of the Dandelion !


Best,

Robert

[Wompet]

You may know that in France, we eat the young dandelion leaves in salad (before the flowers bloom).

It was my Grandmother Robertson who made dandelion tea ...

Hmmmm... By adding a bit of Gin this could become the official apperitive drink of the Order of the Dandelion !

... and it was my Grandfather or Great-Grandfather Robertson who made dandelion wine!
:ootd:

[davedove]

... and it was my Grandfather or Great-Grandfather Robertson who made dandelion wine!
:ootd:

One of our local wineries, Berrywine Plantations/Linganore Winecellars, makes a dandelion wine.

[A Hay]

There certainly would be ample dandelions to make salads and tea over here. However, one might want to wash them thoroughly.

In this part of Germany there are a lot of cows and pigs. Mostly you never see them because they are kept in barns. However, a cow or a pig is like a factory. They take in raw materials, process them into usable products like milk or ham, and there is a certain amount of natural output. I would not call it waste, more like a byproduct of the manufacturing process. The farmers take the byproduct and apply it onto the fields to produce more hay and dandelions. These byproducts have certain characteristics, including a very pungent aroma. You really don't want to be downwind or next to the fields for a day or two after the byproducts are applied. It's enough to make your eyes water.

So, with the beauty of the dandelion fields one has to put up with a few days of unpleasantness. Is it worth it? After twenty some years over here, I've gotten used to the aromas, but the beauty of the fields of dandelions, and other wildflowers, is a sight to behold every spring.

Just a few random thoughts from Germany.

My wife and I are off tomorrow morning to our first Scottish Highland Games of the season. The weather report is very favorable.
See you all next Monday.

Regards,

Tom:ootd: