Foraging Diaries: Dandelion Tea
May 08, 2019
Back again with another recipe involving foraged ingredients. Although, I'm not even sure I can call this a recipe, it's too simple. But hey, works with the blog name I guess?
The humble dandelion. I think they get a little bit of a bad reputation as weeds. However, I am here to defend their case as a foragers dream. You all know how to identify this flower I'm sure, so you'll pleased to know that all parts of it are edible. Toss the leaves into salads, the flowers can be made into tea or fritters, the root can even be used as a coffee substitute!
If that's not enough, before you cut down your lawn make sure you read about the potential health benefits too. They contain plenty of vitamins, are great for digestion, and may also play a part in reducing inflammation, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Have I convinced you yet? Great! Let's put a cuppa on :)
Option 1: Fresh
Simply wash the dandelion heads, pull off the petals of 6-7 flowers and put them in a tea infuser.Use almost boiling water and infuse for about 10 minutes, or to taste.
Sweeten with honey or agave if you like, then enjoy!
Option 2: Dried
Again, wash all of the flowers, then spread out on a baking tray. If you're lucky enough to have sun, place outside for an afternoon or two, until fully dried. If not, just put in a warm place inside until fully dried. Then I broke the flowers up and dried further to ensure all the moisture was gone, and to make it easier to fit inside the infuser!
Pop in a clean, dry jam jar to store, then use a heaped teaspoon per cup.
Infuse for as long as desired and add honey or agave if liked.
Have you tried dandelion before? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Emma xo
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