Many people think about common dandelions as pesky weeds wreaking havoc with otherwise blissfully green yards and lawns. This innocuous weed, however, is actually one of the most nutrient dense plants you can eat, even more so than far more popular grocery-store items like spinach and kale. The best part? The entire plant, from the flower to the roots, is edible and delicious! And then there’s the price… Dandelion syrup has a lovely floral and spring-like flavour and can be used as a substitute for maple syrup on pancakes and waffles, or to sweeten tea and coffee.
Ingredients
- >> Dandelion flowers
- >> Water
- >> Organic cane sugar
- >> Lemon juice
- >> Weigh scale
Instructions
- > Start by washing the flowers and cut their base to help detach the yellow petals from the green leaves.
- > In a saucepan, cover the dandelion petals with water. Mix well until all petals are covered.
- > Bring to a boil, cover and let infuse in the fridge overnight.
- > The next day, filter the mixture using a fine sieve or cheesecloth – be sure to get as much of the liquid as possible.
- > Weigh the liquid. For each gram or pound of liquid, use a 0.95 gram or pound of sugar. Too much sugar will prevent the syrup from diluting properly. Too little and it might become contaminated by bacteria.
- > Mix well and heat slowly until all sugar is dissolved. Filter once again then add lemon juice to taste and store in a bottle (don’t forget glass is always preferable to plastic!).
