{"id":1100,"date":"2013-05-09T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T08:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/asenseofplace\/?p=1100"},"modified":"2013-05-09T10:45:23","modified_gmt":"2013-05-09T10:45:23","slug":"dandelion-syrup-a-recipe-for-sunshine-in-a-glass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/asenseofplace\/2013\/05\/dandelion-syrup-a-recipe-for-sunshine-in-a-glass\/","title":{"rendered":"Dandelion Syrup: a recipe for sunshine in a glass"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

And over that potato-field
\nA lazy veil of woven sun,
\nDandelions growing on headlands, showing
\nTheir unloved hearts to everyone.
\n-from Spraying the Potatoes<\/em>
\nby Patrick Kavanagh; 1940<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Our gardens are full of Bearn\u00e1n Br\u00edde \u2013 <\/em>the sunny dandelion.\u00a0 I like to leave them growing because the bees and birds love them, so.\u00a0 I also enjoy making yummy things with their flowers, leaves, and roots.\u00a0 Today I gathered a few bright heads to make Dandelion Syrup!<\/p>\n

Here in Ireland, as elsewhere, dandelion has many uses: from children\u2019s games to herbal preparations.\u00a0 The \u2018clocks\u2019, or puffy seedheads, were blown to tell the time, with number of puffs signifying the hour.\u00a0 In Dublin, a cure for tuberculosis involved eating a sandwich of bread, butter, and fresh dandelion leaves.\u00a0 Among other things it was used for cuts in Counties Cavan, Wicklow, Limerick and Kerry; for sprains and swelling in Counties Kildare and Limerick; and for diabetes in County Kilkenny.\u00a0 In Ulster they referred to it as \u2018heart-fever grass\u2019, and as \u2018piss-a bed\u2019 in Co. Offaly.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In ancient Ireland a cure called \u2018Diancecht\u2019s Porridge\u2019 was prescribed for fourteen different disorders of the stomach, as well as for colds, sore throats and worms.\u00a0 It was a brew made from a mixture of dandelion, hazel buds, chickweed, wood sorrel and oatmeal.<\/p>\n

Foraging for edible and medicinal plants is something I do wherever I live: whether in my urban Austin neighborhood, along a trail in Colorado, or from my Irish hedgerow.\u00a0 It connects me to place in an immediate and sensual way\u2013through body awareness of the local fauna and seasonal\u00a0rhythms. The beautiful thing about harvesting Dandelion is how prolific they are, and how universal. \u00a0\u00a0Bearn\u00e1n Br\u00edde<\/em> \u2013\u2018the indented one of Brigid\u2019\u2013grows everywhere!<\/p>\n

Dandelion Syrup<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Gather as many dandelion flowers as you\u2019ll have the courage to prepare.\u00a0 I collected close to 100.\u00a0 The exact quantity isn\u2019t important as you will adjust the quantity of water anyway.\u00a0 Wash the flowers and separate the yellow petals from the base and green leaves.\u00a0 We use only the petals.<\/p>\n

In a saucepan, cover the dandelion petals with water.\u00a0 Stir or press to ensure they are well covered.\u00a0 Bring to a gentle boil, cover and let infuse in the fridge overnight.<\/p>\n

The next day, filter the mixture through a fine sieve and press with a spoon to extract all juice from the boiled petals.\u00a0 Weigh the liquid.\u00a0 Add a little lemon juice to taste.\u00a0 Some people boil the syrup again to make sure it is sterile, but others fear this may destroy the more volatile component of the flowers fragrance.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For each gram or pound of liquid, add 0.95 gram or pound of sugar.\u00a0 Too much sugar will prevent the syrup from diluting properly.\u00a0 Too little and it might become contaminated by bacteria.<\/p>\n

Mix well and heat slowly until all sugar is dissolved.\u00a0 Filter again and store in a bottle.<\/p>\n

The syrup is drunk diluted in cold water \u2013 a little glass of sunshine.<\/p>\n

You can use more sugar, or a little pectin, and cook a bit longer to make Dandelion Flower Jam.<\/p>\n

\u00a0May
\nCome walk with me along this willowed lane,
\nWhere, like lost coinage from some miser\u2019s store,
\nThe golden dandelions more and more
\nGlow, as the warm sun kisses them again!
\nFor this is May! who with a daisy chain
\nLeads on the laughing Hours; for now is o\u2019er
\nLong winter\u2019s trance. No longer rise and roar
\nHis forest-wrenching blasts. The hopeful swain,
\nAlong the furrow, sings behind his team;
\nLoud pipes the redbreast \u2013 troubadour of spring,
\nAnd vocal all the morning copses ring;
\nMore blue the skies in lucent lakelets gleam;
\nAnd the glad earth, caressed by murmuring showers,
\nWakes like a bride, to deck herself with flowers!
\nHenry Sylvester Cornwell [1831-1886]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sources:
\nAllen, D. & Hatfield, G. (2004) Medicinal Plants in Folk Tradition<\/em>, Timber Press.
\nLogan, P. (1981) Irish Country Cures<\/em>, Appletree Press.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dandelions adorn the Irish countryside this time of year. So this week, Traci shares some folk uses of this hardy little plant, as well as her recipe for delicious Dandelion Syrup. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1296,"featured_media":1109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,151,14],"tags":[224,118,7,8,223,10],"class_list":["post-1100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-connection-2","category-experiential","category-ireland","tag-dandelion","tag-food","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-recipe","tag-rural"],"yoast_head":"\nDandelion Syrup: a recipe for sunshine in a glass<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dandelions adorn the Irish countryside this time of year. 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