Dandelion HoneyDandelion Honey

With the profusion of dandelions out at the moment, it seems a shame not to make use of them, and Dandelion Honey is a fantastic way to do this.

This wonderful alternative to honey is divine and like having your own little jar of sunshine. It’s the closest I’ve ever managed to come to putting this wonderful morning, with such a sky you never did see, in a box for me. It uses the flower petals, those bright little rays of sunshine that can brighten anyone’s mood. Unless you’re a gardener and they are in your veg bed – if you view your dandelions as a “shame of dandelions” maybe this recipe will make you see them in a brighter light?

I’ve tried the leaves in salads but found them bitter and unpleasant. I wilted the leaves of some I’d uprooted from the veg bed and cooked them as spinach, mixed with cream and a grating of nutmeg. They were pleasant but I think this might say more about the cream and nutmeg than the dandelion leaves…

I’ll try this method again with choice tender leaves rather than the ones that hadn’t been rabbited in the veg patch. But I’m not holding out too much hope without the cream.

Dandelion roots.

I’ve never had any success enjoying their flavour, boiled (even with changing the water) or stir fried. I’m eating a Lindor truffle as I type this, I definitely have a sweet tooth. I wrote a blog article about making the coffee, which was palatable to those which like coffee, you can find it here. 

I love eating wild foods, but I’m not prepping for surivial, and am not a fan of eating things that don’t taste too good. Dandelion Honey tastes incredible though, and is quite simple to make.

You’ll notice if you follow my work that a vast majority of my preserving methods include sugar or alcohol and this one is no exception.

I was asked to do a dandelion honey demonstration for the Greatest Online Agricultural Show in The BIG Skills Craft Tent. I’m delighted to be able to share this with you now.

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Dandelion Honey

A wonderfully flavoured flower and sugar equivalent to honey. Bottle the taste of spring, in this delicious spread. This recipe is the closest I’ve ever come to Oliver’s wish to store a beautiful morning by tying it up with a ribbon, and putting it in a box for me? We’ve just swapped out a box for a jar.

Course Breakfast, Conserve, Perserve, Snack

Cuisine British

Keyword Dandelion, Preserve, Spring, Traditional

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Steeping time 1 day day

Total Time 1 day day 4 hours hours

Servings 3 1/2 pound Jars

Cost £1.50

Equipment

• Jelly Bag or a sieve with a well washed tea towel as a liner
• Jam Jars with well sealed lids – Wash well and heat these before adding the Honey. Dont heat the lids though – they are often lined with a plastic coating that melts.

Ingredients

• 350 (ish) Dandelion Heads Remove the petals off the stem.
• 750 G Sugar
• 1 Lemon Sliced
• 1 Pints Water

Instructions

Preparation

• Collect your dandelion heads

  – This is best done a few hours after the sun has hit your dandelion supply, as dandelions close back up overnight and won’t reopen till they have the sun on the flowers.

  – Gently shake off any visible creatures.

  – Ensure you leave some flowers – although you’ll be surprised at how many are back tomorrow if you were to take all of them.
  
• Remove the petals from the stems and the green sepals of the flowers. 

  – I found this was easiest by pulling them off rather than cutting them off.
  

Extracting the Dandelion Goodness

• Measure your dandelions into a pint glass, add an equal volume of water.

  Put the water and the dandelion petals with the sliced lemon, cover and bring to the boil.
  
• Simmer for 30 minutes
• Take off the heat and leave to cool. It will smell amazing at this point, and be a beautiful bright yellow.
• Leave to steep overnight, I left mine for 36 hours by mistake once and it was still fine.
  

Adding the sugar

• Strain the dandelion and water mix through a jelly bag or in a sieve lined with a clean tea towel.

  – Don’t give into the temptation to squeeze it though, this can make your honey go cloudy.
• Place it back into the pan and return to a low heat, add the sugar. 750g of sugar is about right for a pint of added water. Keep to the ratio, but it doesn’t matter if you’ve made more or less. Stir until it has dissolved.
• Bring to the boil and boil the bejesus out of it uncovered until you have a rich honey like syrup. Watch out for it boiling over that can be very messy. It will set further as it cools. You can do a test for thickness with a small amount on the back of a cold tea spoon (keep a few in a glass of iced water), and take off the boil when the honey has reached your desired thickness.
• Pour the dandelion honey into your heated jars.
• Screw the lids on tightly to ensure an air tight seal.
  
• Label once cooled. (Or open it up and enjoy your honey on toast straight away.)