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Meet Traute Klein, biogardener.

More on Edible & Potable Plants

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Dandelion
Magical properties and uses of dandelion.

Don't fight the dandelions, drink them.

by Traute Klein, biogardener

Dandelions make the most delicious coffee substitute as well as a wine which is as potent as most hard liquors. Second article in the series on dandelions.



Series on Dandelions

This is the second article in a series of three on the benefits of dandelions. In the first one, I share how I eat them, and in the third one, I encourage you to use them as medicine. Both articles are linked below along with other articles on plants with health benefits.

Are you addicted to coffee?

Well, if it is the caffeine which you crave and you want to overcome the addiction, this article may not help you. If, however, you simply like the taste of coffee, you may want to try a dandelion blend for a change. During World War II, real coffee was not available in Germany. The "Kaffee" which people drank was made of roasted grain, mainly barley. To this day, many Germans drink barley coffee. The most expensive and best-tasting coffee substitute, however, is made from roasted dandelion roots. It has a delicious flavor which even I like, even though I never touch coffee. There is a German brand of instant dandelion coffee which is so delicious that it might be addictive if it were not so expensive in North America. Half a teaspoon of it is as satisfying to me as a piece of dark chocolate. It enhances the taste of chocolate ice-cream when sprinkled on it, converting it to mocha ice-cream. It also turns hot chocolate into a hot mocha drink.

Make your own dandelion coffee.

One year here in Canada, we made our own dandelion coffee. We had a lot of healthy dandelion roots from a field which had just been converted into gardens. It takes a lot of dandelion roots to make the exercise worthwhile. Endive roots, however, can be used in place of dandelion roots. They are larger and mature is one single growing season, whereas dandelions require several years to make the harvest worthwhile. The taste is the same.
Dig up the roots. Wash them. Cut them into pieces. Dry them. Then roast them in a cast iron pan with the element on high, stirring constantly for uniform roasting.

That is how I remember the dry barley being roasted, in a cast iron pan.

Dandelion Moonshine

What else can you do with dandelions? Well, you can make wine with it. Mind you, the wine uses so much sugar that the medicinal value of the remedy appears suspect. If, however, you are going to consume liquor anyway, it might as well contain some beneficial nutrients. I must admit that I have never made dandelion wine, but I have tasted it at a Hutterite colony in southern Manitoba. After the tiniest sip, I decided that I did not want to finish my shot-glass. It tasted like hard liquor, and just the thought of hard liquor turns my stomach. In my childhood, we had to swallow a mouthful of Schnaps whenever we had an upset stomach. Ever since then, every time I taste hard liquor, I remember the upset stomachs of my childhood.

Here is a dandelion wine recipe for those of you adventurous enough to try it. The site is linked below. It also has other dandelion recipes. I have changed the text somewhat but not the contents.

Dandelion Wine Recipe

This is what you will need:

• 2 gallon crock, but I am sure that a glass jars will do as well
  
• 3 to 5 quarts dandelion blossoms
  
• 5 quarts water
  
• 3 lb sugar
  
• 1 orange
  
• 1 lemon
  
• 1 package live yeast
  
• whole wheat bread toast

Directions:
Pick the flowers without stems. Put them into a large bowl, not metal. Boil the water and pour over the flowers. Cover with cheesecloth and stir daily for three days. On the fourth day, strain the liquid. Boil the liquid with the sugar and citrus rind for 30-60 minutes. Return the mixture to the crock. Add the citrus juice. When the liquid has cooled to room temperature, soften yeast and spread on toast. Float the toast in the crock and cover for two days. Strain on the third day. Return the liquid to the crock and cover for one more day. Then filter into clean bottles and cork until ready to use. Drink after six months.

I prefer to use screw-top wine bottles. They are more convenient and just as good.

All I can say now is "Prosit!" or "To your health!"