We have a great summer dinner for you. It features dandelions for the appetizer, salad, main dish, and dessert, and is the perfect summer feast to celebrate the start of summer!
I’ve grown quite fond of dandelions over the years. Did you know that all parts of the dandelion from flowers to roots are edible? They’re also provide an import early-season food source for valuable pollinators.
It’s always lot of fun to involve kids in both the harvesting and cooking for these recipes. There’s so much that we could discuss about the benefits from involving kids in the growing, picking, and preparation of their food. But what I love about picking dandelions, or other wild edible plants, is that it creates a direct link between us and the “wild”. It can help kids make the connection that we are animals, AND that the domesticated plants growing in our gardens were once just wild plants that humans long ago harvested.
My boys LOVE filling up a big bowl with dandelion flowers, and they’re always excited to tell dinner guests that they’re “eating dandelions!”. The great thing about using dandelions is that they’re absurdly easy to identify and pick. Just make sure that you pick flowers from areas that haven’t been treated with pesticides or herbicides.
Without further ado, here’s our dandy menu:
- Start with dandelion fritters for an appetizer. I used chive blossoms in that post, but both flowers are equally delicious.
- For the salad course we recommend a dandelion and quinoa salad or our colorful pollinator power salad.
- How about gnocchi with a dandelion greens pesto for the main course. Again you have options here. I used stinging nettles for the pesto in that post, but you can easily substitute dandelion greens.
- And finish it all off with a golden piece of dandelion cake.
