Many people perceive dandelion as a noxious weed. But in fact, this plant is very valuable, because it has unique properties. In order to get the maximum benefit from the dandelion, you need to make honey from the flowers. It is quite simple to do. The honey turns out to be thick, of a pleasant golden color.
What is the benefit of dandelion honey
Most often, when they talk about honey from dandelion flowers, they are talking about dandelion jam. Prepared at home, it has a wonderful specific taste and is useful.
In traditional medicine, dandelion honey is recommended to be used regularly as a supplement to the diet for diseases of the liver and gall bladder, urolithiasis, bronchial asthma, bronchitis, arthritis, osteochondrosis, chronic constipation.
Thanks to the healing properties of dandelion honey, the cells of the liver, gall bladder, lungs and heart muscle recover faster after diseases.
Such honey has an antibacterial effect and a mild analgesic, i.e., pain-relieving effect.
How to collect and process dandelion flowers
- Dandelions should be collected during the period of maximum flowering. It is better to do this at noon, when the flowers are most open. At this time, flowers contain the largest amount of nectar, so they have the maximum supply of useful substances.
- Of course, you need to collect flowers that grow on meadows, banks of lakes and rivers, remote from roads.
- Do not pick flowers after rain. Wait at least one or two days. In this case, more nectar will be collected on the flowers.
- Only those flowers that have fully opened should be plucked, or rather cut. All sepals must be removed.
- It is necessary to thoroughly wash the flowers under running water.
How to make dandelion honey
Dandelion honey (linden or elderflower). Recipe 1
A liter can is tightly packed with flowers (yellow petals without green sepals), 1 liter of water, 1 tbsp. spoon of citric acid, 3 l. sugar
Add water to the flower, let it boil for 10 minutes, leave to cool completely. Add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of citric acid and cook for another 5 minutes. Leave to cool completely. Strain it. Add 3 liters of sugar and cook for another 20 minutes, pour hot into dry and clean jars and screw on metal lids. According to this recipe, you can prepare honey from both dandelion and linden blossom and elderberry. Zinaida Bodnaruk’s recipe
Dandelion honey. Recipe 2
Wash and squeeze 300 dandelion flowers. Then soak in cold water for a day (change the water three times to get rid of bitterness). Squeeze the soaked flowers from the water and mix with 1 teaspoon of citric acid, pour 0.5 l of warm water. Put on fire and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool, strain through cheesecloth (discard flowers). Pour 1 kg of sugar into the strained broth and cook until it thickens slightly. Pour the finished honey into hot, sterilized jars. Ilona Peredereeva’s recipe
Dandelion honey with lemon. Recipe 3
A recipe that takes longer to prepare will take about two days. You need to leave the dandelions to soak in cold water for a day. Then squeeze them well. Pour the flowers with cold water in the same proportion as in the previous recipe and let it boil on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
3–5 minutes before the end of cooking, add 1–2 lemons, which have previously been finely chopped together with the peel. Then remove the decoction from the heat and leave to infuse for a day.
Then strain. Pour 1.5 kg of sugar into the strained liquid and continue to cook the mixture, bring it to a boil three times and then let it cool. In this way, the desired viscosity and honey density will be achieved. After that, twist.
Dandelion honey with lemon, mint and cherry leaves. Recipe 4
400-450 dandelion flowers, 10-15 cherry and mint leaves each, 1 lemon or vanilla, 1.3 liters of water, 1.2 kg of sugar.
Tear off the green sepals from the flowers and leave only the yellow petals (although they also cooked with the sepals and there was no bitterness). Do not wash, only pick insects! Place in a saucepan, cover with water, add washed and chopped lemon and washed cherry leaves. Bring to a boil, set aside for a day to infuse. Squeeze through cheesecloth, add sugar to the syrup, stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 40 minutes. Add mint leaves 5 minutes before the end. Turn off. For long-term storage, twist. Oksana Hlyniuk’s recipe.Dandelion honey. Recipe 5
Washed flowers (300 pieces) pour boiling water, put the container on fire, let it boil and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Then remove from the heat, put the grated lemon with the peel in the broth, let it stand for about 6–8 hours.
Prepare sugar syrup separately in the proportion of 100 g of water per 1 kg of sugar. Strain the mixture of flowers and lemon well, pour hot syrup into it, boil for about 20–25 minutes. Then you can pour the mixture into sterilized jars and twist.
Dandelion honey. Recipe 6
400 pcs. dandelion flowers, 2 lemons, 1 kg of sugar, about 5 liters of water.Pick the flowers carefully, wash them, soak them in cold water overnight. During this time, change the water 2-3 times. Drain the water. Cut the lemons into large pieces, add to the flowers, cover with water and boil for 15 minutes. Cool, filter, add sugar, bring to a boil and cook over low heat until the broth acquires a thickness and color like real honey. Ready to pour into sterile jars and hermetically close. About 700-750 g of honey is obtained.How to use dandelion honey
Dandelion honey is consumed in the same way as ordinary honey: with tea, buns, pancakes. It can be added to baking instead of artificial honey. In ancient times, it was part of one of the recipes for a love potion.
In general, doctors advise using no more than three teaspoons of honey per day, so that the benefits do not turn into harm.
Despite the enormous benefits of dandelion honey, these delicacies have contraindications. If a person has an acute form of gastritis, an ulcer, problems with the gallbladder, a tendency to diarrhea, it is not recommended to use honey from dandelions.
Also, if you are not sure about the tolerability of the product, it is better to first eat half a teaspoon of honey and see the reaction of the body.
