Well unfortunately, something went wrong with my dandelion roots. I don’t know if I didn’t let them cool long enough before storing them or if my jar lid wasn’t tight enough. Whatever the reason, they grew green mold very well. I had to throw it out last week. The dried leaves still look good though.
In preparing for the fall planting, I harvested the dandelion that was growing in the corn plot. It easily yielded a nice, loose-packed bucket full. I washed the greens and roots as a whole, then cut them apart at the base of the plant.
These greens where kept together by the base, which made hanging them up to dry easier. I hung them up out on our clothesline along the side of the house with clothespins. One day in our sun and heat dried them quickly. At the end of the day, I brought them in. I tore them up to make a loose leaf for using in either recipes or teas. I tossed the ruminants of the stems/base in the compost.
I washed the roots again, this time using a vegetable brush I keep for such tasks. It removed the dirt you see above in the crevices and left them a creamy color. I could have chopped them by hand, but was running short on time so I decided to try out my blender. (It’s a Ninja with very sharp blades.) A couple pulses of it made short work of the job, rendering the roots to pea-sized cuts and finer.
I dumped the contents out on a cookie sheet and spread it out evenly. I had preheated the oven to 250 degrees as a blog I had consulted on roasting them suggested. I placed the sheet in, vented the door with a wooden spoon and stirred them every half hour. Two hours later they were done. I let them cool and put them in a jar with an airtight lid.
I’m excited that my first time roasting the roots went so well. I have heard that it can be used as a substitute for coffee in addition to its use as a tea. I am also curious if it can be used as a powder supplement. I haven’t read about anyone doing this, so please comment if you have heard of any such thing!
I noticed there were a good number of dandelion blooms in our yard. I figured it was time to start thinking about making dandelion jelly again.
I didn’t think we would get near enough on one round of picking so I looked up the recipe. Since it calls for making a tea from the flower petals and then using the tea to make the jelly, I think I’ll be able to make a batch of tea and freeze it for a week or two until we can make another batch to make up the needed amount.
Yesterday, after the girls woke up from their nap and I checked the recipe, we bundled up since the wind was cool and headed out. I carried a container for the flowers and pulled Caroline in a wagon. Savannah and I started on one side of the yard and systematically worked our way around the house. Travis was even able to join us for a while. Savannah had so much fun spotting and picking the flowers. She was very proud to carry the container in to show Travis how many we had once we were done. This really was a great activity to share with her at this age (3 years old).
Later, I separated the yellow petals from the green parts with help from Travis. We probably ended up with a cup and a half. (We need 4 cups for a full batch.) Right before bed, I poured boiling water over the flower petals in a metal mixing bowl so it could steep over night per recipe suggestion. I look forward to us doing this again to get our full amount.
I am slowly working on replacing the grass between the garden tanks. Once I get the old cleared out, I’ll reseed it with Kentucky bluegrass. I want to use it because it’s a short enough grass that I shouldn’t have to mow it.
Since I’m clearing out the old, I went ahead and dug up the dandelions in the area between the first tanks. I didn’t want to waste them. The dandelion is such versatile plant because you can use most every part of it. The root is used for tea and leaves for greens. The flower can even be rendered into a very good jam, which has a light honey-like taste.
Last night I seperated the roots and greens I could use and composted the rest.
Today, I washed the roots. I now have them out drying like I did with the thistle roots. I washed the greens and have them in the refrigerator. I even made a small salad to go with lunch.
I will warn you: dandelion greens are a little bitter. They are usually best mixed in with other sweeter lettuce greens. They can be a little too strong by themselves. This is why I had carrots with mine; they provided some balancing sweetness to the greens. I’m hoping to try the greens in some other ways too.
Raised in a Barn... 