蘑菇视频

Apr 26, 2017 By Joe Carei for The 5 min read

You cannot get more local cuisine at this time of the year than dandelions.

There are two types of people in the world, those that see dandelions as food and those that see dandelions as weeds. Growing up in the officially named “Dandelion Capital of the World,” ingredients in our spring dinners meant that these were not weeds.

In our predominantly Italian community, there was affinity to “cicoria,” as it was called because of its similarity to chicory. So similar, they roasted the roots to make coffee as you would with Chicory.

But, in our town they used the plant for everything. At our annual Dandelion Festival, which is still going today, you could find flower, leaves and root all being used in recipes. The greens can be used to compliment a salad. The flowers can be fried for an appetizer and the root can even be used for brewing beer.

If we really understood the medical benefits of dandelions, there would certainly be a bigger market for them. It is rich in vitamins A and C, antioxidants, calcium and iron (more than spinach). The plant has been used for thousands of years to cure and treat many ailments such as eczema, digestive problems, to treat diabetes, hair tonic, the common cold, etc.

As we state, the whole plant can be used. For salads, you would want to use younger greens. The best are the ones just before the plant starts to flower. But, don’t let age prevent you from using the greens. You can find young greens until the end of May. After that, the greens will become more bitter, but if you soak them for a while and then pair with some sweet lettuces, it makes for a salad with personality. The older ones can be saut茅ed for beans and greens, with spinach or stuffed into peppers or sausage.

The heads can be used to make mine and your favorite: wine. You can also fry them as my mother did on a daily basis or to make quick bread. You usually need a lot of heads. So I hope you have access to kids, they are your best pickers. I saw a guy in a field near the hospital the other day with a 5-gallon bucket and three kids running around, gathering dandelions. Who said child labor is illegal.

As we know, the roots can be used to make chicory-type coffee. But, it can also be used to make beer. During times of hop shortages, some breweries had been known to use dandelion root to help offset costs.

Whether you are eating dandelion for your health, for novelty or for nostalgia, it is time. Look out your window and you will see your harvest awaits. If picking dandelions in fields other than your own, you run the risks of eating dandelions treated with weed killer. Know your harvest area or move on. There are plenty from which to choose … for now.

Dandelion wine

1 gallon bucket dandelion blossoms

1 gallon water

陆 pound white raisins.

2 oranges peeled and sliced

1 lemon quartered

4 pounds of sugar

1 cake of yeast

Rinse dandelions in salt water and drain. Heat gallon of water and blossoms until boil. Let stand 24 hours. Add fruits and peel and bring to boil again. Add sugar and bring to boil again. Let cool to room temperature, and strain, squeezing fruit. Add yeast. Let set in cool, dry place in sealed container(preferable one with fermentation trap) for three weeks. Strain and bottle. Optimal drinking time after 3 months.

For a homemade dandelion beer that uses the root and whole plant: Go to motherearthnews.com.

Dandelion bread

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Near quart dandelion flowers (60-ish) will equal about 1陆 cups dandelion petals

录 cup vegetable oil

陆 cup honey

1 egg

1陆 cup butter milk or milk

Pull green off of dandelion flowers to get petals. Mix petals with flour, powder, sugar and salt. Mix oil honey, egg and milk. Fold both together until just mixed. Bake in Preheated 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

Dandelion and sausage stuffed peppers

4 large peppers

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic minced

1 pound of mild or hot sausage

2 cups chopped dandelion greens

录 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 cup tomato sauce

Cut tops of peppers and clean out peppers. Dice tops and dice onion. Saut茅 with olive oil Add garlic and dandelion greens. Saut茅 until greens are cooked. Add sausage and cook until crumbly. Fold in sauce and parmesan cheese. Fill peppers and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15 minutes in pre-heated 350 degree oven.

Dandelion coffee

Gather dandelion roots. The roots will reduce by at least 陆 with roasting.

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.

Clean roots and put on sheet pan. Bake (roast) for about 3 hours. Roots should be dark and dry. Grind in coffee grinder or processor. Steep 1-2 teaspoons with 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Add honey and cream if desired. Can mix with coffee and have coffee with a personality. Store in airtight container.