Dandelion Foraging

Spring is here and that means an onslaught of dandelions! They are just starting to bloom so I was eager to try making dandelion fritters.

Some rules of foraging

• Never trespass someone else's property. Do not harvest anything without the owners permission
• Make sure the area has not been sprayed with pesticides etc
• Positive identification is extremely important. Be sure to identify not only the flowers but the leaves - the whole plant before consuming. When in doubt, avoid.

 Dandelions, to me are quite distinctive, both by their characteristic jagged leaves (low growing, do not confuse with thistles with similar jagged leaves but grow 1-3 ft tall). They produce bright yellow flowers about 1/2-1 in across.

At the end of the season, they produce puff balls of seeds about 3" in diameter.

Again, do not confuse these with thistle seed balls that are larger - usually about 5" in diameter.

The flowers, leaves and roots of the dandelion are edible and are chock full of nutrients. The leaves are normally harvested in early spring, before they flower, but are edible throughout the season. They will, however, become more bitter as the plant gets older. 

The roots can be roasted to make a coffee substitute and the flowers are commonly used to make wine and jellies but I decided to start with fritters!