For Bay Dandelion Queen

[Carol Dee]

Oooo Pretty, not sure I have ever seen it here.

 

[baymule]

@Mrs. Thankful You have to make some dandelion tea or jelly! It is yummy. When you make the butter, so you take the calyx (green part) off the flowers and use only the petals?

 

[Mrs. Thankful]

@baymule If I'm making it for gifts, I take each petal off. If I'm making it for home/family use, I just take the whole flower (off stem) and leave the green base in. It doesn't effect the quality but does look a tinged with green and then you cannot tell easily if it molds. It lasts very long (year or 2) if stored in a cool dark place. I don't worry too much about it.

What does the jam or tea taste like? The leaves were a bit oniony for me- my husband puts them in his salads.

I believe its the Limnanthes alba (shown below) not the Limnanthes Douglasii (yellow/white).

 

[baymule]

@Mrs. Thankful the picture above, to me, looks like an evening primrose. Is this what you make your salve and butter from?

I have made dandelion wine

http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/dandelion-wine.15409/

and jelly

http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/dandelion-jelly-recipe.13496/

and I make tea from the dried petals. It is a deep golden color and is good hot or cold.


http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/dandelions-not-a-weed-i-made-tea-pg-3.13173/

 

[Nyboy]

I have been lucky enough to sample both Bays Tea&jelly !!! Fabulous

 

[Mrs. Thankful]

@baymule that is Meadowfoam (the picture) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnanthes_alba I use the oil as the carrier in my dandelion butter & salve. I buy the meadowfoam oil but in the future I want to grow it, and coldpress the seeds for oil but that time will come... it's on my list

I will read those threads. I think I might just end up making a little flyer for the neighborhood with a yellow ribbon, tell them to hang it on their door knobs if it's cool to harvest their dandelions.

The weather is so weird, I had 2 pop up this week in my own yard LOL

Do you sell your wine or jellies? Maybe at a Farmer's market?

Everything I make or grow is just for my family or friends for gifts or to barter. Before I moved I bartered regularly eggs and butter for a little bit of this and that from my garden.

 

[Nyboy]

One of the funnest threads I ever read here was a couple of years ago @seedcorn was trying to make Dandelion jelly with Bay guiding him thought it. He was having big problem removing the calyx from flower. One of Bay lines to him where " I know your a man, but you still should be able to do this" I don't think the jelly ever formed so seed called it syrup.

 

[Nyboy]

1. this photo came up typing meadowfoam flower don't know if it is one you mean.
   

 

[baymule]

I never sold any, just give away and use it ourselves. I just let them grow wild in my garden, (at our old house) which was always a mix of flowers and vegetables. I had beds all over the yard and the dandelion grew real good in my carefully composted and cared for garden! Some mornings I could pick 300-400 flowers! You can't see it in this picture, but on the other side of the periwinkles was Squash, the dandelions are mixed with marigolds. Across the sidewalk where you see more dandelions was a 4'x8' bed of tomatoes and LOTS of dandelions! I pulled the large leaves daily for the chickens and they fell on them like ravening wolves.

 

[bobm]

Anyone have a good use for tumbleweeds, and puncture vine ( can't walk barefoot without hopping in pain with every step or ride a bike without fixing up to 10 holes in each tire at every ride ) ?????