Dandelion Season

[GreenDrake]

First spring dandelion boil of the year

[mowin]

12 minutes ago, GreenDrake said:

First spring dandelion boil of the year

What do you do with them? 

When I was a kid, my dad would take us kids to the park and give us a garbage bag and tell us to fill it with dandelions. He made wine. I mow every dandelion down with a smile on my face, lol.

[sbuff]

X2 i still have flash backs of those 55 gallon bags fill to the top 

[GreenDrake]

We sauté them in olive oil with sweet onions...garlic...salt...pepper. Slightly caramelize the onions and garlic and then chop the dandelions and add.  Keep flipping around for 15 mins until tender. We parboil them for 15 minutes first. We freeze about 30 softball size packs a year. Its a ton of work but they are worth it. Have to pick them before the flower or else they are bitter. 

[Otto]

Love dandelion salad!  Just olive oil, salt, pepper and toss.  Delicious!  

The sautéed recipe sounds good too, I’ll have to try that real soon. 

[Cory]

Mmmmmm...  dandelions and cardoons are some of my favorites.

[Moho81]

Ok I’ll be that guy. Y’all are talking about the same dandelions that grow in just about everyones yard in the spring? Yellow flower.... some people pay a lot of money for them not to grow? Those same dandelions?


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[Otto]

Yes, but they are only good for salads, etc. before they flower.  You use the flowers to make wine. 

Also, if you do pick some, try to pick in areas that haven’t been sprayed with anything.  

[Moho81]

Yes, but they are only good for salads, etc. before they flower.  You use the flowers to make wine. 
Also, if you do pick some, try to pick in areas that haven’t been sprayed with anything.  

So you have to catch them before they flower? What if they have the bud but it hasn’t opened yet?


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[mlammerhirt]

I have a feeling ypur daughters are about to hate the idea you have floating around your head right now.

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[Otto]

1 hour ago, Moho81 said:

So you have to catch them before they flower? What if they have the bud but it hasn’t opened yet?


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The greens get bitter as they age.  Like people sometimes!  The sooner you pick them before any flowers the better they will be.  They are not at all sweet even when young, kinda like arugula tasting....

 

[GreenDrake]

They are alright if the flower bulbs have not opened yet. Once the flowers open, they are very bitter. Funny thing is my wife and I spent over $500 on Weed N Feed this weekend killing all the dandelions on our home property, just to go out to the farms and pick for the table.

[moog5050]

Reminds of my grandmother and great aunts and all the older Italian ladies that would stop at out field to pick them.  I never loved them, but did eat them.

[Moho81]

3 hours ago, Otto said:

The greens get bitter as they age.  Like people sometimes!  The sooner you pick them before any flowers the better they will be.  They are not at all sweet even when young, kinda like arugula tasting....

 

I love arugula in salad and on pizza! 

 

looks like I know what I'm doing when I get home with a beer in my hand!

[moog5050]

9 minutes ago, Moho81 said:

I love arugula in salad and on pizza! 

 

looks like I know what I'm doing when I get home with a beer in my hand!

around here all of them are past their prime and flowering moho.   You really need to pick them green and even then they are bitter.

[Bolt action]

Interesting, but it's a pass for me. Too many people walking their dogs around here. The last thing I'd want is to eat a pee'd on weed.

[Nomad]

19 hours ago, Cory said:

cardoons are some of my favorites.

Ha if I had a dollar for every old Italian lady I’ve seen with a plastic bag picking those weeds along the road . One who stopped IN the road ,  rt 104 access road to be exact .

[Moho81]

Of course my yard is loaded with them. I plucked 2 that had the tiniest of buds on them and pulled some leaves of one that had no bulb at all. Should I try them raw?





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[Otto]

Yes, raw is good!  And not just the leafy top part, eat the reddish stuff at the bottom too.  Some shaved Parmesan on top would be a nice touch! 

[Moho81]

Had it raw and it was good. I was expecting something a bit more unique in flavor but it was a very good. I’ll have to pick more and start using it in some cooking.


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[Robhuntandfish]

Saw a show where they cooked Milkweed and it didnt look too bad.  Get the flowers just before they open in bunches, then boil a couple minutes and cool.   Then mix with an egg wash, corn meal and sme spices and make patties and cast iron fry.  

found it -https://www.wild-fed.com/blog/how-to-eat-common-milkweed-flowers

A salmon fillet over one of the fried cakes might be pretty good with a hollandaise sauce.  I might try it. 

Edited April 20, 2021 by Robhuntandfish

[Robhuntandfish]

11 hours ago, Moho81 said:

Of course my yard is loaded with them. I plucked 2 that had the tiniest of buds on them and pulled some leaves of one that had no bulb at all. Should I try them raw?





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now if you have dandelions in your yard you can tell people your a farmer and those are your crops.  

[CharlieNY]

On 4/18/2021 at 8:00 PM, Otto said:

Love dandelion salad!  Just olive oil, salt, pepper and toss.  Delicious!  

The sautéed recipe sounds good too, I’ll have to try that real soon. 

My late mom and grandmother would make dandelion salad like Otto said and it was very good and dandelions are actually very healthy for you. The attached link is the simple recipe which is very easy to make.       valoroutdoors.com. https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/old-fashioned-wild-dandelion-salad/155803

[Grouse]

My mother's side of the family made dandelion wine too.  We had to pick the flowers.  My uncle told me the flowers really don't add flavor to the wine, just color.  I said we should just add a little food coloring and save our backs and knees the pain.  That didn't fly.  I decided not to uphold that tradition.

[GreenDrake]

If I am really lucky I will find a field with wild mustArd greens. They look like little broccoli florets. There is a weed that looks just like them but have rough rather than smooth leaves.  Pick just the floret. Sautéed they are phenomenal. If there is even a hint of yellow starting to show in the head don’t eat them.  They go from sweet to BITTER immediately