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Preparing Dandelion Leaves for Salad

jomacljomacl Posts: 18
in Fruit & veg
Hi hi,

I thought I would make a virtue out of necessity and put dandelions in a salad. Any tips on how to wash them? I'm worried the leaves will be covered in cat pee. 

Recipes also welcome! :D

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    You need to blanch them - that means covering the young plant with a pot or something to exclude light, like forcing rhubarb.  This makes the foliage pale and juicy so less bitter and more tender.  You don't just pick it from any old plant and give it a wash. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    In France they're known as Pissenlit aren't they @Obelixx :#
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Yes @wild edges as they have a diuretic effect.

    Widely sold in Feb and March as blanched salad leaves, just as they do with white and red chicons/endives for salad.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • jomacljomacl Posts: 18
    @Obelixx I had dandelion in a salad was in an auberge in Lozère, but I’ve never tried to do it myself. This sounds more involved than I bargained for, although I suppose if the plant is covered you don’t have to worry about cat pee. How long do you have to keep them covered for? Is it too late in the year to do this now?
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    They will probably be bitter now. I've only seen the French picking them in very early spring well before flowering.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Personally, I just wander round the veg garden, which is where they grow best and pick a few tender leaves from the heart of each plant. Wash under the kitchen tap, shake and add sparingly to mixed salads.
    Our water is straight off the hill, unfiltered, untreated and we've been drinking it for nigh on 40 years without ill effect, so our systems can cope with a few unsterilised leaves :)
  • jomacljomacl Posts: 18
    @Busy-Lizzie, yes this seems to be a French phenomenon. @Buttercupdays, I like your style!
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