Forage Your Own Dandelions For A Nutrient Rich Tea
Hey, everyone!
It's packed with nutrients, it has a long history of medicinal uses, and it's often time dismissed as a pesky "weed"... It's a dandelion!
This seriously underrated flower is esteemed by herbalists for its resilience and health benefits! Potassium, vitamins A, C, K, & E are just a few of the vitamins found in Dandelions. Not to mention, they contain calcium, folate, manganese, and iron!
Dandelions were even used as a valuable and nutrient-rich food source during the great depression - yes, you can eat them whole in salads + more!
Today, we're sharing our favorite way to consume this useful plant. As a delicious herbal tea! Let's dive into how to make this.
Ingredients: * forage ¼ cup fresh dandelion flowers or more * 1 cup boiling water * Honey for sweetness
Instructions: * Rinse the dandelion flowers quickly, if desired, and place them in your mug. * Pour boiling water over the flowers to fill the mug. * Let the tea steep for 5-10 minutes. Straining the flowers is optional. I like to keep them in my cup and eat them!
Notes: * For a less bitter tea, use only the petals in a strainer. * For a stronger flavor, include dandelion leaves in the steeping process. * Sweeten the tea to your liking with honey or your preferred sweetener.
Before we go, we wanted to leave you with a few spring foraging ideas! There are many wild plants and flowers that you can consume. ​We actually have a blog about wild harvesting magnolia flowers!​ Anyways, here's other plants/flowers you can enjoy foraging and consuming this spring!
- Clovers: Eat these raw in salads or even use as a pretty garnish! You can also steep them.
- Violets: Use the beautiful purple flowers to make jelly, syrups, or as a garnish. You can eat the greens raw in salads or even cooked! Steep these as well.
- Chicory: Use the fresh plant steeped as a tea or eat them raw. The roots are commonly dried and roasted to make a coffee substitute!
Happy foraging,
Chelsea Henderson (Founder & Formulator)