Dandelion Syrup

[hedgewitch]

Dandelion Syrup

Put 250 dandelion flower heads* in a large kettle. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the kettle, and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover kettle, and simmer for one hour. Remove from heat and leave the kettle covered overnight.
Strain the dandelion mixture and add 2 lbs of white sugar to the remaining liquid. Boil for one and a half hours to a syrup consistency. Wipe any spills from the stove immediately (or you'll need a chisel to remove it!) Store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.

[Muddypause]

As it happens, I was just going to cut the grass, which is full of dandelions. Might do some picking first, and have a go at this.

2 lbs of sugar to 4 cups of water sounds quite a lot - should more water be added at some stage?

[Wombat]

Ah yes! But what do you DO with it once you have made it?

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

Ah! My English neighbour said she tasted some Dandelion 'jam' round at a French neighbours - although she said it was runny and more like honey. There was a field up the road absolutely loaded with Dandelion flowers recently, so I'd know where to pick them!

But - is it worth it?

[hedgewitch]

It's very nice on pancakes and crumpets and if you like foraging for things and making something out of it then yes - it is worth it

[Muddypause]

Well, I can report that after picking a lawnful of dandelion heads yesterday, I now have a large jar of muddy green sludge in the fridge.

It's very sweet and sticky (to my amazement all that sugar disappeared into so little water), with a nutty-ish flavour, and it goes rather well with porridge.

And after that, the grass still needs cutting, and there are just as many dandelions in it now as there were yesterday.

[Chickenlady]

But don't dandelions make you wet the bed?

[Muddypause]

So that's what the problem is.

[Wombat]

[Millymollymandy]

They are called Pissenlit in French which literally translates as 'piss in bed'.

[herbwormwood]

They are called Pissenlit in French which literally translates as 'piss in bed'.

parts of them have diuretic properties in herbal lore but it is either the root or the leaf, I think the leaf. You can buy a tincture of dandelion at most good herbalists. Or make it yourself obviously.
The leaves and roots have a lot of medicinal properties too numerous to list here.
They are always listed in a herbal guide.
They can be boiled as a decoction or infusion. Young leaves can be used in salads. They have a slightly bitter taste but its worth it to get all the vitamins. They can also be cooked as a spring green.
Once the plant flowers, the leaves lose some of their medicinal value and become more bitter. In fact now we are into May their most useful period has passed.

[Lucy Robyn]

How long do these type of syrups keep for? Can you put them in sterlized jars (like jam) and keep them unopened for a longish time? When I made rosehip syrup I used it up in about a week to be safe.

[hedgewitch]

I'm not sure Lucy as I've only kept it up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
I would say it would last unopened in a jar just like jam would.

[Muddypause]

I'd say (but what do I know?) that with that much sugar in it, it's going to last practically forever.

BTW, I've noticed that the sugar is starting to crystalise out in the bottom of some of mine - there's what looks like pure sugar sitting at the bottom of the jar. Anybody know why this would be? Perhaps I simmered it for too long, and there is not enough water for the sugar to stay disolved in.

[Wombat]

I gotta go with Stew on this one, I would think it would be pretty indestructible!

Stew, sounds like you sugar solution is a bit concentrated and so it is crystallising out.

Nev