Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Dandelions

Dandelions, though often an unwelcome part of spring, were often put to good use by Amish families. The tender little leaves made an interesting salad, and the blossoms when battered and deep fried made tasty little treats for a springtime dinner.

In some communities dandelions were welcomed and put to use by making dandelion wine.

Wine of any type was forbidden in the community we lived in, but when looking at some Amish community recipe books I found the more conservative communities always have a section of homemade wine recipes.

Including this one:

Dandelion Wine

8 cups dandelion blossoms
1 gallon boiling water
1 Tbsp yeast
5 lb sugar
3 oranges, sliced
3 lemons, sliced

In a large bowl, preferably glass, or a crock, pour boiling water over dandelion blossoms. Let set for three days, stirring every day. Strain at the end of the third day. To the stained liquid add oranges, lemons, yeast, and sugar. Let set three more days, stirring every day. Strain, place in crock and let set at room temperature for four weeks. Bottle and cap.

I have never tried it, don't really have an interest to, but if anyone else does will you let me know how it is?

27 comments:

  1. I remember during the war years, my mother picking young dandelion leaves for salads.

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    1. I haven't had a dandelion salad since we got married. Think I'll have to introduce it to the children and see how they like it.

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  2. In my local organic market the other day, I heard a woman asking a worker about organic weed killer made with garlic. The worker told her "I don't think we have weed killer. I think we're kind of pro-weed" and the woman looked really confused. I turned around and said "a weed is something you didn't plant, but they're usually edible or useful. Dandelion greens can go in a salad, and I have a friend who's been pulling out a 'weed' from her rose garden. She posted a photo online and a bunch of people want her to pot some up, because it's sorrel." Just then her husband came back, and she asked if he'd heard of eating dandelions, and he said "yes, and my grandmother made dandelion wine." "So why are we trying to get rid of them?" "I don't like them."

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    1. You're right, most plants, weeds included, have some kind of purpose other than being a nuisance.

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  3. Interesting !!! I think I will keep to just admiring the yellow dandelions !! I love wild flower and flowering weeds ....... dandelion wine ?! no thank you :):) doesn't sound appealing to me !! Another thought provoking lesson from my used to be AMISH friend :):) Love to you on this beautiful day xoxo

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    1. Doesn't sound appealing to me either! I would rather simply use the blossoms as a deep fried treat. In fact I may have to send the children out to see if they can gather a few for dinner tonight.

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  4. It is funny how people have learned to make wine out of so many different things. It was one of the first things that Noah wanted to get underway once the ark landed. I have never had dandelion wine. Maybe people decided to try it because you may be thought of as a lush if you grew a vineyard????

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    1. It is interesting how many different kinds of wine recipes I found in this particular Amish recipe book. The dandelion wine sounds better than the recipe for Red Beet Wine.

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  5. I have had homemade dandelion wine, but don't know the recipe so I'm not sure how close it is to the one you posted. It had a pleasant enough taste, but was way too sweet for me.

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    1. I was surprised how much sugar this recipe asked for. It sounds very sweet.

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    2. I know you need sugar for fermentation, but this does sound like a lot! I like to drink (dry) white wine occasionally, but not sweet - I don't like sweet food in general; I'm not much of a fruit-eater because of that. I'll take celery over an apple any day.

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    3. I know you need sugar for fermentation, but this does sound like a lot! I like to drink (dry) white wine occasionally, but not sweet - I don't like sweet food in general; I'm not much of a fruit-eater because of that. I'll take celery over an apple any day.

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    4. I would probably choose the apple over celery, but when I have dessert I like eating something savory afterwards to get rid of the sweetness.

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  6. I have had homemade dandelion wine, but don't know the recipe so I'm not sure how close it is to the one you posted. It had a pleasant enough taste, but was way too sweet for me.

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  7. I haven't had dandelion wine, but I have had them battered and fried. I love them that way! Most people say eww gross without even trying them, but they are so good.

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    1. They are good! Somewhat of a pain to make, but otherwise a nice treat!

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    2. Yes, I agree they are a bit of a pain to make. I wish they weren't quite such a pain or a mess. I'd probably make them more often! They are definitely worth the work to have once in awhile though!

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  8. I have a friend who is fighting cancer by what she eats, dandelion greens being one of those foods...her diet seems to be working too....God knows what we need. Glad to know the Amish make use of them too,maybe not for wine though....I don't use any wine or alcoholic beverage....not judging those who do :)

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    1. So glad to hear your friends diet seems to be working! I always like hearing about natural remedies that work.

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  9. I have never heard of frying a dandelion! I learned something new today! Thanks for such an interesting little post. Enjoyed it. =)

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    1. You're welcome! All this talk about fried dandelion is making me hungry.

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  10. Dandelions have always been of culinary use in my Italian family. When my dad was growing up he said it was quite common to see little old women picking dandelions on the side of the road where they frequently grew. I like my dandelions cooked and mixed with other greens. My husband unfortunately isn't a fan so the dandelions are now reserved as a treat for our tortoise.

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    1. LV doesn't think of dandelions as a delicacy either, which is probably why I haven't been serving it every spring.

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  11. I still use the spring leaves from dandelions in salads, as a substitute for cooked spinach and to make soup but have never thought of using the flowers for anything.

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    1. I hadn't thought of using dandelion greens as a substitute for spinach, but now I want to try them in our favorite spinach dip. Thanks for giving me that idea!

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    2. I've had it in a cheese dip and I've had them chopped up and baked into bread.

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  12. We had Dandelion Tempura tonight! My first time deep frying anything! I loved the outcome, and the kids ate a handful, but then decided the oil was getting to them. A treat though, for sure!

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I love hearing your thoughts.