Dandelion vegan honey, caffeine free dandelion root coffee and flower petal cookies

Dandelions are beautiful wildflowers that provide an important source of food for pollinators. They flower early in the year long before any other plants. Bees, butterflies, and many other insects feed on the pollen and nectar, and caterpillars of butterflies and moths feed on the plants. Some species of bird even feed on the seeds. The entire plant is also edible for humans, you can eat the leaves, stems, flowers, and roots of dandelions. They are a rich source of vitamins A, C and K and contain high levels of iron, calcium and potassium. Throughout history dandelions have been used for food and medicinal purposes. They were considered a delicacy by the Victorians who ate them in sandwiches and salads and up until the 1800’s it was common for people to grow dandelions in their gardens. They would even pull up grass to make room for them. Children throughout history have also taken great delight in blowing dandelion clocks. Its something I still enjoy as an adult. Did you know Dandelions fossil seeds have been found that date back over 30 million years ago?! It’s a shame that they have now become unwanted “weeds” that are often pulled up or killed off by chemicals. Not only because they are an important source of food for wildlife but also because actually improve the quality of the soil by increasing the content of nitrogen and other minerals. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all let these amazing wildflowers grow wild in our garden’s once again. Not only would you be helping wildlife, you would also be able to enjoy and have ago at making your very own dandelion honey and coffee like we did for 30 days wild. They both taste as surprisingly good as the real things, I actually thought they tasted better and fresher. You could also use dandelions in sensory water play, to make naturaly scented and coloured play dough or natural dye and paint.

Dandelion Vegan Honey

To make vegan dandelion honey you will need:

• 2 cups of dandelion flower heads*
• 2 lemon slices or two drops of lemon juice
• 1.5 cups of sugar (white or brown)
• 1.5 cups of water

Ideally you can use fresh dandelion flower heads, but if you want to make sure you still leave plenty for the bees you can pick and freeze them a few at a time until you have enough. Its best to pick the flowers first thing in the morning when they have just opened as they will be at their freshest with the most nectar. It might be an idea to leave the flower heads on a plate outside for a few minutes to allow any small insects to scuttle off. *Safety note: Please don’t ever eat plants that may have had pesticides or chemicals used on them. Carefully wash and inspect the dandelions to make sure they are free from insects. Now your flowers are ready place them in a saucepan with the lemon slices and water. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Leave to cool and  infuse for several hours or overnight. When you have finished infusing your mix, pour it through a strainer (we used a sieve but you could use a muslin) to remove the flowers and lemon slices. Next measure and weigh the amount of liquid that is left. Then measure out the same amount of sugar to mix in. Pour the liquid and sugar into the saucepan and heat again gently. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Then gently bring it to the boil for 12-15 minutes or until the mixture starts to resemble sticky honey. Carefully pour the liquid into a sterilised container and place the lids on whilst the mixture is still hot.  You can sterilise old jam jars by rinsing them out well with soapy water then filling them with boiling water for 5 minutes or by placing them in a warm oven for a few minutes (caution this will make the glass really hot, so handle with care and over gloves.) You can enjoy your Dandelion vegan honey on toast, pancakes, waffles or use it to flavour drinks or for baking cakes. Just store it in a cool dry place in an air tight container.

Caffeine free dandelion root coffee

To make dandelion coffee you will need:

• A handful of dandelion roots
• Water
• An oven

Simply dig up a handful of dandelion roots. Wash them well and pick off any little stringy bits of root. Place on a tray in an oven pre-heated to 180oc and bake for 40mins then leave to cool. Crumble the pieces into a saucepan with water (you want a cup and half full of water for each cup of drink you wish to make). Then simmer gently for 10-15 mins. Pour through a strainer to remove all the pieces of dandelion root. You can then enjoy your caffeine free dandelion coffee black or with a splash of milk. You could also use it to make iced coffee or as a coffee flavouring in a cocktail. Its really that simple! If you like you could also add a little cinnamon or other spices at the simmering stage to add more flavouring, or even add a dash of dandelion honey. But it tastes pretty good on its own.

Dandelion flower petal cookies

To make edible dandelion flower petal cookies you will need

• 100g butter (softened)
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 200g plain flour
• A handful of freshly washed and dried dandelion petals

Before you start it helps to preheat the oven to 180 oC/340oF.0 First put the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl and beat it together until it’s light and fluffy. Next gradually add in the beaten egg whilst continuing to stir the mix and finally add in a handful of dandelion petals.

Sift the flour into the bowl and fold it in, working the mix together until it forms a soft dough. Roll the dough into a ball and cover and leave it to firm up in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface then use cookie cutters to cut out any shape of biscuit you like. Place the biscuits shapes onto a greased tray or one that has been lined with grease proof paper.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown then leave to cool for a few minutes. Ours tend to get eaten very quickly (they are really tasty). But if you do want to store the biscuits they keep well in an airtight container for a week or you can also freeze them to enjoy at a much later date.

Some fun and interesting dandelion facts to share:

• • The name dandelion comes from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves.
  • Dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant.
  • The seeds can be carried upto 5 miles away from the plant by the wind!
  • There are 240 species of Dandelion in the UK and they are part of the daisy family.
  • The milky liquid produced in the stem of dandelions contains latex. Scientists have recently been able to produce environmentally friendly rubber tyres using this latex.

For day 2 of 30 days wild we made dandelion vegan honey and caffeine free dandelion coffee. (I’ve popped both recipes below for anyone that fancies having a go too.) If you like this you might like to try:

Sensory water play

Naturally coloured and scented playdough