Dandelion Wine

Lawns must be solid green....

That seems to be the social contract when you live in a "Deed Restricted Community" as we do.  Everyone's lawn on our street is a manicured mono culture of St. Augustine grass, a hybridized assault on human feet and a sure preventive of rollicking around in the grass.

The most egregious offender against this community solidarity is the Dandelion (or as the Italian's saw it, dente di leone ....tooth of the lion), poking it's sunshine yellow head up through the crew-cut green grass.  Feeling guilty that my lawn was a blight on the neighborhood, I spent some time this weekend, stooping down and pulling the offensive (?) weeds out by the root.  As I was doing this civic duty my mind flashed back to my youth in the Bronx, when I used to watch neighborhood Italian families dragging sacks and sweeping up whole fields of these delightful weeds, along the roads, to use in their salads and wines.

It bothers me that as a society we spend so much time, effort and money to keep these wasteful lawns growing, when we could be growing more useful plants.  Anyway, my thoughts went to the Dandelion wine that could be made from these wonderful little plants.  Here's a couple of recipe's to consider......I'm going to see if I can find some, or maybe make some myself.....


Dandelion Wine Recipe

Dandelion wine is an actual drink that is made from the blossoms of the humble dandelion. Below is a recipe from an old cookbook that dates from the early 1900's. (Be certain that there are no pesticides or herbicides on the plants, such as weedkiller!)

"Four good quarts of dandelion blossoms, four pounds of sugar, six oranges, five lemons. Wash dandelion blossoms and place them in an earthenware crock. Pour five quarts of boiling water over them and let stand 36 hours. Then strain through a muslin bag, squeezing out all moisture from dandelions. Put the strained juice in a deep stone crock or jug and add to it the grated rind and juice of the six oranges and five lemons. Tie a piece of cheese-cloth over the top of jug and stand it in a warm kitchen about one week, until it begins to ferment. Then stand away from stove in an outer kitchen or cooler place, not in the cellar, for three months. At the end of three months put in bottles. This is a clear, amber, almost colorless liquid. A pleasant drink of medicinal value. Aunt Sarah always used this recipe for making dandelion wine, but Mary preferred a recipe in which yeast was used, as the wine could be used a short time after making."

For dandelion wine made with yeast: "Four quarts of dandelion blossoms. Pour over them four quarts of boiling water; let stand 24 hours, strain and add grated rind and juice of two oranges and two lemons, four pounds of granulated sugar and two tablespoonfuls of home-made yeast. Let stand one week, then strain and fill bottles." Source: "Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled During Her Visit Among the "Pennsylvania Germans," by Edith M. Thomas, 1915.

Disclaimer: if you make dandelion wine using either of these recipes, you do so at your own risk.

For a bit more specific recipe, directions and photos, click here, here, or here.