Sunday, March 28, 2010

Guerilla Gardening: Cultivating for Dandelion Wine


Learning to love dandelions might be a radical concept in gardening, but if you give it a try, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

"Why?!?!" you ask? Short answer, dandelions are the main reason for the accidental poisoning of our water systems through over exuberant use of pesticides. In North America today, most home owners use more Round Up than the average farmer in the 1970's did. Dandelion greens, roots and blooms are also considered medicines of the bitters variety (used in aiding digestion through supporting stomache and liver health) and can be found in some common "remedies", such as Jaggermeister.

Dandie images above - Emerson Made and Dandelion Clocks wallpaper. My favorite recipe for Dandelion Wine can be found here. Hints on Dandelion Wine making;

  •  Pick your dandelions on sunny mornings, immediately patting them dry, being careful not to crush them
  • Freeze your flowers immediately if you aren't planning to use them right away
  • If you freeze the liquid for later use, be sure to label your containers well lest you accidentally misidentify your wine stock as soup stock (speaking from experience here)
  • slip a little champagne into the mix before bottling

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