How to Eat Dandelion Flowers
This is a follow-up article to the Dandelion Greens – The Perfect Spring Survival Food article I recently wrote.
If you’ve already tried preparing the dandelion greens from the prior article than you know how delicious this wild plant can be.
In this article I wanted to quickly present you with another pair of delicious recipes using a different part of this common every-day plant: the flowers.
Pickled Dandelion Flower Buds
I’d like to thank Rosalee de la Foret for this recipe!
For this recipe, you’ll want to harvest the flower buds when they are still tightly closed — before they ever opened.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup onions
- 3 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 1 cup dandelion flower buds
- apple cider vinegar
- tamari sauce
The Process:
Rinse the flower buds well and place into a pint jar with the onions, garlic, and ginger. Fill halfway with the apple-cider vinegar and then fill halfway with the tamari. Cover with a plastic lid or a metal lid with a buffer (vinegar will corrode the metal lid). Let sit for three weeks and then enjoy on salads, as a snack, or on tuna fish sandwiches.
Dandelion Fritters
Ingredients for the Batter:
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of milk
- one teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of honey
The Process:
There are different ways of making this recipe.
| One is to combine all of the above ingredients, dip the flower heads in the batter and then fry on a greased pan as I demonstrate in the following picture: |  |
| The other is to combine all of the above ingredients, mix the flower heads in the batter and then fry on a greased pan like a pancake as I demonstrate in this picture: |  |
| You’ll end up with them looking like this (very tasty!): |  |
| While the above recipe is good, my favorite recipe however, is to take a 1/4 cup cornmeal and 1/2 cup flour and put that in a bowl. Then put an egg with a dash of salt in another bowl and finally heat up some olive oil in a small pot or wok: |  |
| Then just take a flower head, dip it first in the egg then the flour mixture and then just drop it into the oil: |  |
| When it’s done you should have the best tasting flower fritters that are super light and fluffy (sort of like tempura), that look something like this (unfortunately the picture doesn’t do it much justice): |  |
As I mention throughout this site, the more you can practice these skills — whether it be learning to identify and prepare wild edibles to learning different off-the-grid medical treatments — during tranquil times, the better off you’ll be if you are faced with serious hardships during times of trial.
How’s that saying go? “The more we sweat in times of peace the less we bleed in times of war.” There’s a lot of wisdom to that quote. Now get out there and practice!
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Thanks for the suggestions! I’ve recently discovered that, though I can’t stand the bitterness of dandelion greens (and I eat a lot of bitter things!), dandelion flowers are sweeter and have a slightly bananaish flavor to them. I’ve been eating them with pinchfulls of sunflower seeds, or scrambling them with eggs and onion. I wonder how the nutritional content of the flower differs from that of the plants leaves?
I read the information in this site twice. I like the way the fritters look in the first pic, that’s
the best of all of them. However. I still have a hard time convincing myself that the
flowers are edible. I know that wine and tea are made from the flowers, tea is made from
the greens too. I was thinking of doing dandelion tea with the flowers. I hear that they are
sweet and it’s yummy. I will have to check with my doctor about eating them though.
I had renal failure before, and now I have a kidney, it’s going to be 7 years in June.
Anyway, they say that when you are dealing with any herbs to check with your doctor to
make sure it’s safe for you. I know they are edible and good for you, but sometimes you
can’t have herbs, it differs, so when I have my next appointment. I’ll ask him if I should
shy away or give it the thumbs up, they are fresh off grass. so that matters.
I did have a chamomile tea about, oh. I’d say it’s been about a month. My mother got the
tea in a bag of goodies for Christmas, but she doesn’t like tea, so I started drinking it, can’t
remember full name, but ingreedients were: (Chamomile,Dandelion,Licorice).
The tea was yummy, and I acually consumed some dandelion, however, it’s factory
made, so you see my predicament..
great site!
CMS,
Definitely seek your doctor’s advice before consuming anything you may be questioning (especially wild herbs). I’d love to hear what he has to say so be sure to check in sometime after you get an update.
THANKS for the sugestions! i ate some of the dandilion fritters with dandilion pancake with yougurt on top. I harested some of the fresh leaves as well and added them into a salad! one of the best meals ive had all week!
Collect the unopened flowers and toss into a warm pan with melted butter…they are done when the flowers “bloom”. As I diabetic I have learned that dandelions (among other plants) are actually QUITE good for diabetics!
My thoughts on eating dandelions greens is that I have eaten them prepared as suggested by boiling in 2 changes of water. The greens still seemed somewhat bitter, however, I have eaten chicory greens and they are not bitter at all and look very similar to dandelion greens.
I thank you…
Oh, I do like the nice fresh young greens, and I put some seeds just thrown out over a planter box and they grow well. I plan to try these yummy recipes for the flowers as well!! Thanks!!
I like to make soup with the green just as I would with watercress. Potatoes, onion, veggie broth, tofu chunks, and greens. Sooo good and nutritious!
my soup was fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks for the recipe.
my backyard has 1000″s and they are organic if u or anyone ever need any…..
great to hear!
CMS, I hope you consult with your doctor and ask him if that aspartame containing soft drink or fresh bought frozen pizza is “OK” to eat and wont be a problem…
I find it disturbingly amusing that people are so freaked out about eating something that “isnt approved” or “isnt packaged” and immediately insist to run to the “doctor” (whom is too ignorant to understand nutrition..they only understand which poisonous drugs to prescribe to you to MASK any and all unhealthy symptoms your body is displaying).
God forbid we think or act on our own.
Did you consult your doctor before spraying those chemicals on your lawn to see if there was any health risk?
Did you consult your doctor before you slathered your favorite skin cream all over your largest organ of your body to make sure those 14 first toxic ingredients on the list are OK for you??
Sorry for the rant, the truth be known, the doctors are just in it for the money & really truly (with the exception of a precious few) have no clue what health or nutrition is really about or how its achieved.
Next:; We need an article on Harvesting and preparing Stinging Nettles!!,
these wonderful plants quickly follow the emergence of the dandylions!
I agree with you, but you sound crazy. Btw, if you’re going to suggestion that someone is ignorant, you better get your grammar straight or you sound pretty ignorant, yourself.
*suggest