There we go! Dandelion fritter recipe is in this book: The Front Yard Forager
Ooh, cool! I’m totally going to have to try those next year. I have a mental association of dandelions and extreme bitterness, which I think was more about the white sap, and probably comes from when I was a kid, ‘cause I certainly don’t remember ever sticking a dandelion stem in my mouth. :P
And the first amazon review for this is great:
“Chapter Six is a guide to poisonous plants commonly found in urban areas, so you know what to avoid. So you don’t, y’know, make a big batch of Deadly Nightshade cookies for the Band Camp bake sale and cause half the town to go into convulsions and poop themselves to death. Unless of course that’s your goal, in which case, it’s still a very useful chapter.”
Wow, that amazon review is a treasure. <3
shadesofmauve, dandelions can most certainly be bitter! Cooking got the bitterness out of the flowers. Younger leaves of the plant tend to be peppery and older leaves tend to be bitter. You can blanch older leaves to get rid of some of the bitterness.
You can make jam, wine, a coffee substitute, and dye from the Dandelion Plant. The only caution I have read is it’s suggested that folks with gall bladder issues avoid consuming Dandelions.
Isn’t it?
Thanks for the added info! I think the Dandelion entry in my mental library was last updated around the same time I added “Bifold closet doors are pinchy and evil”, which was only a few years after “STOVE HOT DON’T TOUCH”, so it does need some updating. :P
Oooh, ooh, I may have to get that (if)when we get to the states. Of course, the other thing to do with Dandelion is make Dandelion and Burdock Beer:
http://www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/river-cottage-dandelion-and-burdock-beer
