albert onglebod wrote:Just seen the syrup thread.
Coincidentally I have been making Dandelion coffee.
Dig up loads of dandelions and cut off the roots to use.
Wash them and dry them then put them in the oven to roast. I did it on 200 degrees c but that might have been a little hot .
When they are brittle and dark brown,grind them up to powder.
Put in a coffee percolator or cafatierre and make coffee.
About a teaspoon per cups worth.
It tastes very like (but not exactly the same as)coffee and even smells like it.
A few tips.
The best roots to use are the side roots; using the older main root can make the coffee overly bitter.
Before roasting the roots, dry them first - pop them in the oven overnight at around 70-80C. The roots should be brittle but not brown.
Then roast them for about 20 minutes at about 200C until they are chocolate brown all the way through. You may have to remove thinner roots earlier to prevent them blackening.
Then grind. You can do chicory in much the same way, but it's much harder to get a consistent coffee from it.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of dandelion coffee but dandelion wine, dandelion jelly and steamed dandelion leaves with crispy bacon and vinaigrette are much more to my taste.
