Wednesday, April 27, 2011

dandelion goodness








I cannot believe I had never heard of dandelion honey! Someone over on the goddess circle mentioned it and after sending me her recipe (a non recipe and in metric measurements) it looked so simple, I figured even I could make it.

The fun part was gathering all the dandelion heads. Cowgirl and I headed out with a big bowl to a nearby field and quickly filled it with dandelion flowers. They pluck right off (you do not want any of the stem or leaves as they will make the honey bitter) and stain your hands a lovely golden shade.









I rinsed them thoroughly, trying to get rid of any bugs (but one did scurry to the top of the pot), and then dumped them into a large kettle and covered them with water. My directions specified around 1 to 1.5 liters but I probably added 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water. (I was almost finished when I realized I could check online for a recipe with more precise measurements - although it was fun converting kilos to pounds, then pounds of sugar to cups. The online recipe calls for 4 cups dandelion heads and 4 cups water.) I sliced up one lemon and added to the pot. Then I brought it to a boil and simmered for a half hour, after which I took the pot off of the heat, put the lid on and let it sit for 24 hours.

The next day I strained the mixture through a fine sieve (cheesecloth or tea towel I was told; the sieve worked fine) and had a lovely golden liquid remaining. I put that back in the kettle and added - yikes! - 2 cups of sugar (the online recipe calls for 2 1/8 cups) and then sat back and cooked the dickens out of it! I brought it to a slow boil, stirring occasionally (I have a gas burner) while waiting for it to become viscous as honey. After a couple of hours of cooking, I finally found the above mentioned recipe that noted the transformation from yellow sugar water into honey could take up to four hours ... which it did.









Once I got it to a honey-like consistency, I poured it into glass jars (my batch filled 2 normal size jars) which should keep for at least a year. Not that mine will last that long. I am enjoying it in my tea, on my yogurt and in my morning "tonic" drink. It has a lemon flavor to it that I like, although I can see why the recipe I didn't use calls for a vanilla bean.

There you have it - easy peasy dandelion sweetie honey! And barely a dent in the dandelion flower population.






12 comments:

  1. What a fun project for the dandelion gals! I love the color of the honey. Your final photo of the series is just perfect.

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  2. Wow, that is amazing that you can do that with dandelions! Looks like so much fun. I couldn't help but thinking as I read this post how many wonderful memories Cowgirl is going to have to look back on when she is grown up :) I can't imagine how much fun it would be to have such a soulful and creative mom! You probably surprise her all the time :)

    I am sending you sunshine thoughts. Can you feel them? :)

    xoxoxoxo
    Kristen

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  3. What a good idea. The fields are filled with dandelions these days. This would make some very nice gifts to very nice friends I think.

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  4. I've never heard of dandelion honey - and our yard is filled with them right now!
    Thank you for playing along with us this week!

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  5. JOY!! i'm pro-dandelion myself, what a lovely, lovely tribute to this noble blossom!

    not many dandelions here yet...it's too bloody wet...i think they are a bit waterlogged - BUT, when they do arrive....

    xoxo

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  6. I have dandelion envy. Not one yellow head has poked up here yet although with the last few days of rain we should be seeing them the first sunny day. Although they have an odd scent, I do like the smell they transfer onto my hands and love the colour! What a great adventure with something so many people abhor. I love to see whole fields of them, so gorgeous even if they are invasive. When you live in a cold climate you grow to love anything that is invasive.

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  7. Love you Lis.. you are always sharing such good stuff here my friend.
    Namaste,
    Karen

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  8. ohhh, that first photo is so YUMMY! the fuzzy flowers your fuzzy dog... sweet!
    i love this. what fun. what JOY.
    we have few dandelions at our elevation in the woods, yet zillions are out and about just down the mountain... now, to seek some out, without ruffling the feathers of ranchers or townsfolk :o)

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  9. PS: Let's set up a May Skype date! ;-)

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  10. Yum! I love that you have a blog title dedicated to dandelions. Dandelion is my herbal ally and I simply adore it. Awesomeness!

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  11. I have never come across dandelion honey before, what a wonderful idea :) Great to see you on the 52 Photos Project site xxx

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  12. Lis, Thanks! I will definitely share any knowledge you need about herbs. Herb gardens are such wondrous things!

    Oh, animal guides! I have found it amazing that things in nature pop up as little reminders just when you need it. I had always kind of listened, but really didn't understand the whole animal guides until 2009, when they started coming into my meditations.

    Sorry to hear about you breaking your neck, hopefully you had healed quickly and I am sure there was good learning throughout the experience.

    Mandy xoxo

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