Dandelion Secrets

Dandelions get a bad wrap for causing seasonal allergies and taking over perfectly trimmed yards and gardens meant for flowers and plants. 

 

But not everyone knows that these bright yellow wild flowers are edible and can be incorporated into your favourite dishes or baked goodies! You would use them in a similar fashion as other edible flowers, including elderflower, lavender, rose, hibiscus, marigold and lilac.

 

People tend to use shortbread to add herbs and plants when they bake, as these delicate cookies have a subtle taste and serve as an excellent base for highlighting added ingredients. The off-white colour of the cookies will also make the natural colour of the dandelion petals pop.

 

Separating the petals provides me with moments of calm and mindfulness...a meditative process that you can do to de-stress, unwind or to just put yourself in a zen state-of-mind. Like any other relaxing hobby or activity it slows down the baking process a little and makes it perhaps more enjoyable than without the added floral touch. 

 

You can even turn it into a whole project by letting the kids forage for these wildflowers is also a fun activity for the kids to do. Use ones that are found in safe areas, like away from the sidewalk and roads and in where pesticides or herbicides aren't used. The safest place would probably be to get them right from your backyard, if you let them grow there! But why not take the kids on an adventure and introduce them to foraging. But wherever you get them, you'll need to give them a good wash. A safe practise that is free of toxic chemicals is to use a solution of equal parts vinegar and water.

 

The petals have a mild taste that is similar to honey. To enhance its floral flavour, you can use wildflower honey. The only downside is that this kind of honey loses its nutritional value from being pasteurized. For a healthier alternative, use raw honey instead. But these cookies are meant to be a treat, after all, so unless you're on a strict diet, why not bring out the full essence of those dandelion flowers!