You know those little yellow flowers that some think are weeds? Well, turns out the leaves, root, and flower are edible. Imagine that! Dandelions have many beneficial aspects to them as well, such as being packed with essential vitamins and antioxidants that have been shown to reduce inflammation. Talk about an amazing plant!
Its been a few years since I first learned about using dandelions. I started with bread each spring, then moved onto muffins and they quickly became my favorite way to use dandelions. Then last year, I made wine for the first time. We still have every bottle of it! It is incredibly sweet, more of a dessert wine. I hope to be able to find a different recipe to see if will be less sweet. It is so fun to experiment with plants!
Dandelion muffins with beautiful spring florals
For making your own muffins, its super fun and the end results are totally worth every bit of effort. If you have kiddos, they will love joining the fun of collecting the dandelions! First, you'll need to find an area that has a fair amount of dandelions. You won't want to pick all of them in that area, shoot for taking 1/3, because you'll want to leave some for the pollinators and some to go to seed to be able to have more for next year.
My boys after picking dandelions
When we pick, I usually just pick the flower itself. Sometimes you'll get the stalk too. I just pull it off and leave it behind. I collect enough to use for what I am baking. Then, we sit outside and pull all of the petals out and put them in a bowl. You could pull all the petals out while collecting. It just depends on what you prefer. Its best to figure what works for you and do that! We're not all going to do it the same and that's okay!
Alright, this one might get you! Do Not Wash Your Petals! It's key to not wash because you would wash away some of the nutrients. If you are concerned about bugs in your petals, this does happen. After you pick, you could let them sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Sometimes this is enough time for the bugs to migrate out of your harvested dandelion petals. But, also take note while picking the dandelions, that if you see a bug or bee, just leave that one!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 Tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon (optional) sugar
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup dandelion flower petals
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup of sugar in a bowl.
In a separate bowl mix eggs, milk, honey, coconut oil, whisk and then mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Gently stir until mixed, without over mixing.
Fold in dandelion petals.
Prep muffin tin.
Fill each cup about 2/3 full
Sprinkle with remaining sugar on top (optional)
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
I hope that you enjoy this fun recipe as much as our family does. Let me know what you think! I would love to hear how your muffins came out. Best of luck and happy dandelion harvesting!
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