Creative Herb Gardening – Two Dandelion Recipes

Here are two Dandelion recipes that are favorites in my house.

Remember when picking and foraging dandelions in the spring and again late fall after a frost, only use the yellow blossom.

Dandelion Blossom Syrup

This is a traditional recipe passed down from the old world Europeans. It can be used as a substitute for honey in any recipe.

• 1 quart dandelion flowers, just the yellow flowers, the green cover is bitter!
• 1-quart (4 cups) water
• 4 cups sugar ½ lemon or orange chopped, peel and all. (The citrus is optional; it will give the syrup an orangey or lemony flavor.)

Put blossoms and water in a pot. Bring just to a boil, turn off heat, cover, and let sit overnight.

The next day, strain and press liquid out of spent flowers.  Add sugar and sliced citrus and heat slowly, stirring now and again, for several hours or until reduced to thick, honey-like syrup.

Can in half-pint or 1 pint jars.  

Dandelion Blossom Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt 1-cup sugar
• 1 cup Dandelion Blossom Syrup (Use Honey if you don’t have blossom Syrup)
• 1½ cups oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups Dandelion blossom petals
• 1 can crushed pineapple
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup coconut

 Sift together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, beat sugar, dandelion syrup, oil and eggs together until creamy.  Add pineapple, walnuts, and coconut, and mix well. Stir dry ingredients into the mixture until well blended. Pour batter into a greased, 9×13 cake pan and bake at 350° for about 40 minutes.  

Frosting

• 1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 or 2 Tbsp milk

Mix the ingredients together and apply to the cake after it has cooled.

* In the spring I collect extra dandelions and freeze to use later in the year.