Friday, March 26, 2010

Roasted Dandelion Root and Ma Fey's Mocha-Momma Coffee

One of my favorite early spring harvest is Dandelions ... Greens, roots and blossoms.

I love dandelions in my garden bed because they bring up nutrients from deep in the soil which are beneficial to many plants, it is so sad that people spend so much money to eradicate them from lawns.

Early Spring is the best time to harvest them as they are"sweeter," and late fall is also a good harvest time. But in summer leave them be as they are to bitter!!!!
The best way to harvest dandelion roots is with a pitchfork , just after a good rain, as they will be easier to dig in their entirety and this is when they are highest in nutrients as well as having smoother flavor .

To obtain your fresh roots , you have a couple of choices. You can just harvest them from the yard ( and the neighbors to if they will let you) --OR-- choose some dandelions to transplant to a chosen spot in the garden to keep them safe from pollution and pesticides, to harvest later this fall or early next spring.



One of my favorite year long treats is dandelion root coffee ground in Grandma Clara's ol' coffee grinder.
(Yes, I have another Grandmother Besides my Grama Grace..lol)

It will take about one 5-gallon bucket full of roots to make 3 or 4 quarts of roasted Dandelion Root . This will yield approximately 10 gallons of coffee





But for your first time you can start a bit smaller


you will need :

20 or more fair to good sized root, with the greens snapped ( or cut off)

good sharp knife and/or a food processor

the oven warmed to 350 degrees F.

a cool day with low to no humidity

plenty of cold water

strainer

glass bowl

cookie sheet



First wash the roots by hand till as clean as you possibly can get them .( a new soft bristled tooth brush can be quite helpful in this process)


Then cut them into approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch lengths.

Put these in bowl cold water and with your clean hands agitate them a bit till the water becomes cloudy.

Drain them, and repeat this process till the water finally runs clear. ( may take several rinses till the water remains clear)



Strain and lay them in a single layer on top of a clean dish towel or White paper towels for at least an hour ( more is better)

Chop them into smaller pieces with your knife or process them in your food processor. BUT Don’t make them to small, remember that they will shrink down to about a quarter of their size when all the water is evaporated or dried out of them.

Spread these in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.. or not lined.. DO NOT oil or grease or spray the cookie sheet.

Place the cookie sheet in the cooler part of your oven and reduce the heat to 200 degrees F.


Roast these till they turn a dark brown ..

about the color of a coffee bean .

and have a snap crisper than a dry twig..


Let them cool,

then store in an air tight container.




To make 6 cups of coffee you can use one of a multitude of methods. No matter which method you use, you will want to add the same things to this coffee as you would any cup of coffee you plan to enjoy..

1 grind a 50/50 mix of coffee bean and dry roasted dandelion root together in the desired amount for your style coffee maker

OR

Place eight level teaspoons of dry roasted root per six ounces water in the grounds basket of your coffee maker and brew as your would for 6 cups of coffee (48 oz. of water ) .

OR

Place on teaspoon dried root in to a cup of good water and bring just till boiling. Remove from heat and steep 3 to 5 min or so then strain and prep as you would any coffee and enjoy.



Or Try this ( It's one of the best ways to have dandelion root coffee!)

Ma Fey's Mocha-Momma Coffee

this makes about 4 - 6ounce mugs


1 1/2 cups strong , hot , dandelion root coffee
4 teaspoons dark chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon ( divided into 3/4 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon
organic sugar

1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon hazelnut flavoring
1/2 cup
fresh whipped cream

Put 1 teaspoon of the dark chocolate syrup into pedestal mugs ( or other style mug that is 6 ounces in volume - should be 4 mugs)

Fold 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the sugars into whipped cream that is just to the soft peek stage.


Whip the cream a bit more until you have soft peaks once again, but not to long or it will turn to butter.


Place the last 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and the flavoring or extract into coffee, and stir


Pour coffee into cups, stir till the chocolate syrup is completely incorporated.


Top with whipped cream mixture. Serve hot .




1st Harvest Blessings Every one!
Don't forget to enter my gaarooooovey giveaway

Ma Fey



9 comments:

  1. i never heard of dandelions being made into coffee. how very cool. i never spray my yard and i allow dandelions to grow. when i lived in the suburbs it freaked me out how all the lawns were sprayed and they all looked pathetically the same to me. i embrace weeds and try to make them work for me. are you posting any more dandelion recipes?

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  2. This is really cool! Have to tell my coffee-crazy mother about this :)

    Ever since Ray Bradbury, I've always wanted to make dandelion wine ♥

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  3. I've always liked dandelions, but only visually I never knew you could eat them!

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  4. Haahaa! I posted Dandelions as the Herb of the week on my blog monday! Hooray!

    Blessed Be, Fae

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  5. I'm definitely going to save this recipe. I've never had dandelion anything except one of my favorite books is "Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. It conjurs up a summer day and features the wine. Wonderful read and I'll bet the wine is interesting.

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  6. Hey Every One!!! I was just logging on after prepping for another dandelion post and found all these lovely comments.. I am so excited! when you read the next few posts you will all see why! It's wines and food recipes a links to Fae Kieran's wonderful post .. I should check for comments more often..LOL.. could have saved my self some search time..roflmss (mss -- my self silly)
    OH well it's a meant to be thingy ... sorry io am chatty today... I got to got to the GREEEN HOUSE!!!! But thats yet another post..LOL .. ok I am off to compose and post!
    Blessings every one!!

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  7. Feoneafey, you can totally link to my blog when ever the mood suits you =D

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  8. I love infusion of roasted Taraxicum! Straight up, nothing added. YUM!

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