Dandelion Days

The dandelions are in full swing and happily blooming away here in my Oregonian garden. I do not consider them a weed and neither does my daughter. She has been plucking off the blossoms with abandon while making them into cute little bouquets for everyone. I took note of this the other day and realized that I better get my behind in gear if I wanted to collect any myself!

I smartly enlisted her in helping me and we had a lot of fun gathering blossoms together to make dandelion vinegar. After collecting a colander full I gathered our supplies and she helped me in the 3 step process. (I must add that my favorite container to use for gathering herbs is my old colander. The little holes are perfect for allowing any little insect that may have been hiding in the plant an escape route.)

Step one:

Gather your dandelion blossoms

Step two:

Place your blossoms into a glass jar

Step three:

Cover the blossoms with apple cider vinegar (I recommend organic)

You now want to place a non-metallic lid on your jar and leave the vinegar in a cool, dark place for approximately 6 weeks. After the 6 weeks have passed, strain your vinegar and use in your daily cooking. It can be used to make vinaigrettes, season a pot of cooked beans and soup, added to a marinade– I could go on and on! It is tasty and good for you!

For more information on making herbal vinegars I highly suggest reading this article by Susun Weed.

Tagged as: Dandelion, Herbs, Recipes