A plant at a time: Dandelion

[LadyB]

What say we start gathering our thoughts and questions and stories here about each of the plants covered in Healing Wise, starting with that Weed to end all Weeds, the noble DANDELION!

Lady Barbara,
www.ladybarbara.net
where gypsies and goddesses bellydance
and Healing Happens!

[Anonymous]

hello,
my 6 yr old son (bless his heart, he's training to be an herbalist)is just hellbent on making a cut/scrape cleanser/healer with dandelion.[:)]

his latest concoction is the flowers (just the yellow part), water, lavender EO, and lemon juice. (imho the lemon is what cleans here, but OUCH.)

can the leaves, flowers, and/or root be infused in oil for this purpose?

or a water infusion?

any thoughts?

thanks,[;)]
melissa

[LadyB]

Well bless his heart indeed!

Okay, ChildofMelissa Budding HerbalistBoy! You're on the right track, my friend! What you need to do is to make an INFUSED OIL of those DandyLion flowers, but be sure they're completely DRY (though not DRIED) before you put them in the jar. Then put Olive Oil over them and really pay attention to getting all the air bubbles out (use a chopstick, poke, poke, poke) Check the jar every single day, poking the air bubbles out, letting them come to the top. Add some oil if it slobbers over the side (put the jar into a bowl to catch the slobbers) and mark it for SIX WEEKS later. Now, my good man, let's make something REALLY cool, OK? If you've got dandelions, you MUST have Plantain too. So make some plantain oil as well. Use the leaves, do the same thing, chop them into a jar, add olive oil to FILL the jar and make sure the leaves are dry before you start and get those AIR BUBBLES OUT!!! When six weeks has passed, strain out the leaves and flowers and MIX the oils....NOW you've got something SPECIAL.....The dandelion flower oil will relieve pain, and the Plantain oil will heal and stop things from itching. If Mama wants to HELP you make a salve (melting one TBSP of grated beeswax into every ounce of oil...all done over a double-boiler)you will have a DandyPlantain Healing Salve.....put it into very cool little jars or containers where it will harden into a cream you can put on.

If you're not QUITE sure what Plantain is (and I don't mean teeny little bananas!) Check out my article on it:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/16759

We want to HEAR how this all comes out!!
My own first Grandson is all of a week and a half old, and I hope HE decides to be a Budding Herbalist too!

Good luck, Professor!
LadyB

Lady Barbara,
www.ladybarbara.net
where gypsies and goddesses bellydance
and Healing Happens!

[LadyB]

As Dandelions DO.....dandelion questions seem to be getting loose all OVER the forum.

One was a question as to whether or not anyone had made Susun's glorious Dandelion Blossom Aperitif (blossoms, sugar, vodka, lemon). There was one yay response, that it was every bit as lovely as it sounded.

Another was whether the ENTIRE plant, flowers, roots and all could be vinegar-ed (*my* answer was that I probably wouldn't waste the flowers in vinegar when you COULD make that glorious massage oil from them.....)

And one more asked if the ENTIRE plant could be INFUSED.....to that I NOW answer.....we usually water-infuse DRIED leaves and roots and blossoms, and each part of the dandelion would take a different amount of time to dry. Dandelion LEAVES, especially big enough to have the plant blossoming, would make one BITTER infusion, in my mind.

But faced with a FIELD of Dandelions, or a mob of them slated for destruction by some lawn or garden project, and no time or inclination to start drying, tincturing, oiling, THEN yeah, I'd go for stuffin' a jar with EVERYTHING and goin' with the VINEGAR.

While they're still in bloom, you all SHOULD try Susun's Dandelion fritters (pancakes). They're SUCH fun and SO lovely, they were a Mother's Day breakfast for years between my daughter and myself.

I STILL haven't gotten my act together to make Dandelion Wine, SOMEday, when I have my own farm [^]. Has anybody DONE it and gotten anything DRINKABLE?? A friend of mine tried it one year and just got something sweet and utterly tasteless....

And truly, before you go gathering dandelion blossoms from the neighbor's lawn, make VERY sure they haven't been doused with chemicals.....yes, people still DO that to lawns......

Anybody else having Fun With Dandy Lions?

Lady Barbara,
www.ladybarbara.net
where gypsies and goddesses bellydance
and Healing Happens!

[LadyB]

hah! caught another one from sapphire kate:
"I've made dandelion leaf vinegar (its fine), and I've made dandelion blossom vinegar which I didn't like at all. Tastes wierd to me though it'd be ok as a cosmetic though probably.


Lots of blossom - I agree with LB, make infused oil, its very beautiful, smells amazing. Or Healing Wise has yummy recipes.

cheers,
kate."

this was in response to the question about VINEGAR-ING the entire plant, blossoms and all.....ladyb

[bettie]

I have made the dandelion wine for a few years now and it is an absolute success. I started out making the one batch and putting it into bottles. Then my son decided we should go big with it.He bought carboys for my birthday present and now I make 2 carboys each year (about 25 bottles) and he makes more than that. I have about 4-5 weeks when I can stagger the batches ( I make 4 batches). I so love to make it. My fingers are yellow with the pollen and I'm sneezing and still loving it.I give it for solstice gifts each year and use it in rituals. Once I put vervain essence in it and we passed it around, making rhymes and having the time of our lives. Everyone who tastes it is blown away by it. keep trying. It's so worth the effort. bettie

[Anonymous]

ladyb thanks for this thread...

here's my question - I live in the burbs - everyone sprays chemicals- and I am not sure if the reserves spray or not. How do I know if the dandy dandilion is "safe" to ingest? thanks ladyb[:)]

bettie - hello! your wine sounds great can you give more info on how to make it? I would like to try....thanks[:)]

blessings,
Beth

[LadyB]

First off, yes Bettie, your wine-making sounds splendid indeed!
Which leads me right into Beth's question. I won't be attempting any wine this year as the lovely dandelion blossoms in the lawn where I rent an apartment were treated to a thorough feeding of Scott's Lawn Chow by the landlord.....I only knew because I happened to catch sight of him out pushing the lawn spreader around with his five year old....sigh....I TOLD him about the Ringer Lawn Food, he didn't listen.

Unless you call the municipality in charge of the 'reserves' you'll never know. Most 'burb-sprayers are spraying to KILL the dandelions in their precious lawns, so a sprayed plant would start showing signs of decline in less than 24 hours. Beyond all of that, I pay REALLY close attention to how I FEEL about harvesting the plants. If I feel ANY hesitation, I figure there must be a VERY good reason.

It starts to come back to that Wize Women bumpersticker "Go have a talk with the PLANT!!!" [:D] LadyB

Lady Barbara,
www.ladybarbara.net
where gypsies and goddesses bellydance
and Healing Happens!

[bettie]

Hi Beth, The recipe I use for the dandelion wine is Susun's and it's in Healing Wise book. I follow it exactly. She says to use 3-5qt. of dandelions and I always go for 5. I also use organic cane sugar. It's darker than the white but the wine turns a beautiful dark golden color. I still use her method of putting the bread yeast on the toast although my son prefers to use champagne yeast. Both work. He also prefers to make gallons at a time and I like to do the smaller batches. I have known 2 good wine and mead makers who have not had success with the wine. I'm not sure why. I use little scissors and cut off the stem, up close to the petals, so I get only tiny amounts of the green in there. I think that's important. I also pick on sunny days when the dandelions seem to be smiling and offering their lovely petals to me.
I live on a 65 acre organic farm so the dandelions here are clean and gorgeous. My son was making his in a small town while he was in school at UNC. He would go to banks, etc and gather but he knew the policy there which was one of not spraying. Watch out for dog walking areas too. Poop in the wine could be a downer!
Best of luck! I'd love to know how it turns out for you. Bettie

[LadyB]

Just wanted to kick this one up again....been quiet for nearly a YEAR now!!

I did indeed make a SPLENDID batch of Dandelion Flower Oil by the simmer method and it was WONDERFUL. Turned insanely yellow, even though most of the yellow parts of the flowers were no longer visible by the time I got them home. The other half of the flowers I've done by the room-temp six-week method with the addition of some vitamin E and so far, so good. There was LOTS of bubble-blowing for about the first WEEK, but it seems quiet now...I should check it anyway. (which I did and there were STILL bubbles to coax out with a chopstick, but it hasn't ROTTED and the oil is turning a good yellow - I made it on 4/20)

When the simmered batch was done, I scooped a drip of it off the counter and rubbed it on the back of my hand. Nice....VERY nice. Susun touts it as the BEST Breast Massage oil,{page 63 of Susun's BreastHealth Book:} <i>"promotes deep relaxation of the breast tissues, facilitating the release of held emotions. Applied regularly to the entire breast area, glowing golden dandelion flower oil can strengthen your sense of self worth as well as your immune system." </i>but don't stop there! It leaves the nicest *shimmer* on your skin. Wonderful for honoring your GoddessCenterBellyPudding! I also rubbed it on my arms, as my forearms have caught every bit of sun I've ever been in and show plenty of SunSpots. Soon after rubbing the oil in, all the spots seemed much QUIETER....

Now....to figure out what to SCENT it with (as with most infused oils except for St J's, they smell like either nothing, or like vaguely cooked food) -- I want it to smellllll as 'sunshine' as it looks......

How're the REST of you doing?
LadyB

[dirt lover]

The leaves are great in pesto. Mix with garlic, olive oil, almonds, lemon juice- yum... sometimes I'll add other greens and parmesan cheese helps cut the bitterness if its too bitter. The Dandys are just beginning to think of blooming here. I'm excited to try fritters and the cordial. I love the flower oil- oh so good- and my experience with the wine is the longer it sits in the bottle, the better it is! Have fun!

[maria]

LadyB, you inspired me so thta I intend to make my first batch of infused oil ever, of dandylion. I have some questions- can the can have any air space at the top? do you close it with an airtight lid? is the air only harmful when inside the oil or also at the top?
also, where do you keep it while it is processing, in the dark, in room temperature, etc?
also, is it possible to buy plaintain and can dried herb be used to make the oil? I don't believe it grows where I live and in any case I rent an apartment...
thanks!

[LadyB]

Goodness, maria....talk about number your papers from one to ten[;)]

OK, here we go:
<font color="green">can the can have any air space at the top?</font id="green">
You mean the glass jar....it's best if it doesn't, and certainly you don't want any plant material sticking up above the oil, it will turn black
<font color="green">do you close it with an airtight lid?</font id="green">
Not quite sure what you mean by an airtight lid. A regular jarlid may SEEEEEM airtight, but if the oil starts blowing bubbles, the pressure released by the bubbles will force the oil around and around the threads of the jar resulting in some slobbering of oil down the outside of the jar, which is why we put the jar into a saucer or coffee-can plastic lid. Every few days you should check on the oil, gently ease any air bubbles out with a chopstick and replace the oil that slobbered out.
<font color="green">is the air only harmful when inside the oil or also at the top?</font id="green">
I believe the air bubbles that show up later are a result of MOISTURE in the oil that is fermenting and if they stay in the oil, that's where real SPOILING can occur. Susun always said if you open the jar and there's perfect WHITE mold on top, it can be scooped off with a spoon and the oil is OK. It's very self-contained. But if you come up with true SLIME...eeeeeewwwwwww. You KNOW it went bad.[xx(] But beyond that, the less air at the closed top the better. Now, we've had a number of members post that they've had total success with jars covered with nothing but cheesecloth and I did all my white pine oil in totally open jars because the slobbering was SO ridiculous. The pine needles were FIZZING, I swear.

<font color="green">also, where do you keep it while it is processing, in the dark, in room temperature, etc?</font id="green">
Definitely out of the sun, but it doesn't have to be so very dark. It's probably important to keep it where you can see it and so remember to check it every so often. And room temp is fine, no warmer. (unless you're actually doing the simmer-method*)

<font color="green">also, is it possible to buy plaintain and can dried herb be used to make the oil? I don't believe it grows where I live and in any case I rent an apartment...</font id="green">
For the most part, if you can find dandelions, you can find plantain...they are GOOD buddies. I personally can't convince myself that dried leaves have much to impart to oil, especially with the room temperature method. Not everyone here agrees.

*the simmer method has you putting equal amounts of plant and oil into a double boiler and keeping it over simmering water for about 3 hours. One advantage is no spoilage like you can get with the six-week room-temp method with some of juicier plants (like Comfrey, chickweed and Dandelion flowers)....the other advantage is getting the oil DONE in that time instead of having to wait six weeks!

Happy Oiling!
LadyB

[Darcy]

Oh, dandelion oil is going to be my next infused oil.

I don't do anything as fancy as all of you do with dandelion but thought I'd share because it has been very helpful to me. I use the root and leaves in a stew along with carrots, broccoli, red pepper, and any other vegetables your little heart desires, 3 frozen whole tomatoes from last years garden, 5 cloves of garlic, 3 onions, basil, rosemary or another type of mint, cilantro (I vary the spices and herbs) astragalus root, wakame and sometimes mushrooms with some type of legume like great northern beans. I simmer it for at least an hour or 1 1/2 hours. It really has helped my digestive tract, liver and seems to help balance my hormones.

[Guest]

I did a LOVELY pint of dandelion oil last month. I cheated and didn't do the proper double-boiler, but I left the burner on the lowest setting until the oil started to bubble, then turned it off and let sit, repeating a few times and letting it sit overnight. Next evening I strained and squeezed, and later that week I decanted it off to get the water out and added beeswax to make a very soft salve.

It is an INSANE yellow, and I LOVE putting it on my skin. To me it smells sweet, the same way dandelions do. The chunk of beeswax I grated into it doesn't smell nearly as strong.

Fantastic stuff. I think I'll make another batch when the blooms come 'round again.

persimmon