Dandelions

When I was a kid in Maine, I remember hearing some "old timers" waxing enthusiastically about eating Dandelion greens and Fiddleheads (emerging young ferns) in the early spring. Their delight in talking about these "delicacies" made a big impression on me which remained anchored on that big back burner all these years and emerging only as curiosity every once in a while as Spring rolled around. In contrast, my Dad's dislike of Dandelions and ferocious pursuit of their eradication took root in my brain pan as well.
It is this duality which has been at play in my own yard over the years. Unwittingly for a few years, I actually increased my Dandelions' number by 50% by pulling them out by their roots but not the COMPLETE root system. Ergo, that root remainder grew 2 plants from one. I found I wanted to "eradicate" them like my Dad but was opposed completely to any herbicides. So, if I wanted to get rid of them, I had to pursue a natural path. Indeed, one year I poured vinegar down the root holes. That worked a little but also produced large bare spots in the yard which only opened paths to many other weeds. For the last several years hearing that the first Dandelion flowers of the year produced the best crop via seed dispersal, I voraciously whacked the flower heads with the Weedwhacker and worked just as hard to rake up the remains. Alas, I never could compete with the ingenious seed dispersal and found, rather than fewer, there were exponentially more and more dandelions the following year.
This history brings me to last Thanksgiving and how I finally decided to use the Dandelions rather than fight them. At a friends' home, I tasted, once again, their homemade Dandelion Wine and this time, it made a big impression on me. It is a light, tasty, pretty looking wine and, indeed, proves itself to be quite a delicacy in the late Fall. As I sipped that light yellow gold nectar, I remembered the old timers and pictured my own yard in early spring and decided to make the effort this year.
I'm midstream with the process. It's been strained a couple of times and seems to be fermenting nicely. I check it every couple of days and it still seems to be some time away from "clearing". The process was initially very time consuming in that each stem and base had to be removed from each flower (a gallon's worth of them!). That was the definition of labor intensive for me! Once that was done, the rest seemed quite easy and fascinating. I'll keep you posted but, for now, here's the recipe (the result of clearing a gallon's worth of early dandelions will be told next Spring):

Dandelion Wine (from Cooks.com)

Pour one gallon of boiling water over 1 gallon dandelion blossoms and let them stand in a cool place for 72 hours. Pour liquid in a kettle and add the rind of 2 lemons and 2 oranges grated fine. Boil for 1/2 hour.

Add 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of sugar (I used organic) and the pulp and juices from the fruit. Allow the mixture to cool, then add 1/2 of a yeast cake (or 2 packets). Let sit for a couple minutes then strain through a fine mesh cloth and allow the liquid to stand for a week in a warm place. Repeat straining to assure a clear liquid (I use an unbleached coffee filter). When it stops fermenting, bottle the wine.

(Blossoms must be gathered while the sun is shining or the flavor will be lost.)