Dandelion has been used in European, Native American, and Chinese medicine for centuries. The spring tradition of gathering the first wild greens and flowers of the season was practiced by Amish and Appalachian families alike.
Ingredients (makes 1 quart)
- 2 cups fresh dandelion flowers, petals only, all green removed (or 2 tablespoons dried dandelion root plus 1 tablespoon dried leaf)
- 1 quart filtered water
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- Juice of 1 lemon, pinch of sea salt
Method
- For fresh flowers: remove all green sepals — only yellow petals go in, or the bitterness is extreme. Steep in room-temperature water 4 hours, then strain. For dried root and leaf: simmer in the water 15 minutes, strain, and cool.
- Add honey, lemon juice, and salt to the strained liquid. Stir well.
- Transfer to a quart jar, cover loosely with a cloth, and ferment at room temperature 2 to 3 days.
- Taste daily — when pleasantly tangy, refrigerate and drink cold.
Dandelion root contains inulin, a prebiotic fiber, at its highest concentration before flowering — which is exactly why the spring harvest timing matters. Refrigerate up to a week.
This recipe is one of twenty in The Forgotten Apothecary — our full digital cookbook of pharmacy-counter tonics, switchels, oxymels, and healing syrups.