Dandelion Syrup

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DANDELION SYRUP
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Dandelion, the humble but ubiquitous golden flower is turned into a syrup and jam in the Alps. Here is how my grandma

did it.

One of my favorite syrups is dandelion syrup, but you cannot find in shops. My grandma, who
lived all her life up the mountain in the Swiss Alps, used to make dandelion syrup and always
gave me a bottle when I visited her. One summer, many years ago, she took me to gather
dandelion flower and we made this syrup together. Here is how you can do it too.
Dandelion Syrup
Dandelion flowers (taraxacum)
Mineral water
Sugar
Lemon
Quantities depend on how many flowers you gather and prepare - see below for details.
By dandelion I mean the yellow flowers of taraxacum officinale, one of the most common
flowers in the Western Hemisphere - they grow just about everywhere. In French they are
called pissenlit - literally 'bedpissers', an homage to the plant's diuretic properties. Please
make sure you identify the flower correctly (see wikipedia)and don't do this unless you are
totally sure.

select a beautiful dandelion field far from the road. Everytime you'll drink the syrup you will
be thinking about this field. It's like drinking a little part of the sun, wind and rain which were
bestowed on this spot, so take your time until you find one field so beautiful you'd want to
drink it.

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Gather as many dandelion flowers as you'll have the courage to prepare, at least 100 flowers.
The exact quantity is not important as you will adjust the quantity of water anyway.
Dandelion flowers were very popular that day, as you can see from this bee who was covered
in dandelion pollen.

After a couple minutes my hands too were turning dandelion pollen yellow.

The syrup can be prepared in various ways, the idea being to infuse water with the flowers
and to add enough sugar for the syrup to be sterile but still soluble.
Start by washing the flowers and cut their base to help detach the yellow petals from the
green leaves. We only use the petals. You can also do this entirely by hand but the knife
speeds it up.

In a saucepan, cover the dandelion petals with water. I use mineral water, but if you drink
tap water you can use that.

Mix well until all petals are covered.

Bring to a boil, cover and let infuse in the fridge overnight. Some recipes will boil the flowers
for 20 minutes - I find this quite barbaric given the delicacy of the flowers.

The next day, filter the mixture through a fine sieve and press with a spoon to extract all juice
from the boiled petals. Weigh the liquid. Add a little lemon juice to the taste. Some people
would boil the syrup again to make sure it is sterile, but others fear this might destroy the
more volatile components of the flower's fragrance. I think dandelion is rather rustic anyway
and err on the side of caution.

For each gram or pound of liquid, take 0.95 gram or pound sugar. Too much sugar will prevent
the syrup from diluting properly. Too little and it might become contaminated by bacteria.

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Mix well and heat slowly until all sugar is dissolved. Filter again and store in a bottle.

The pressed dandelion petals are headed for the bin but so beautiful.

The syrup is drunk diluted in cold water.

My grandma used a huge aluminum pot and prepared gallons of syrup at a time. She didn't
remove the leaves - they are edible and anyway there is so much sugar this will cover any
bitterness. If you don't have a grandma in the Swiss Alps you can buy this syrup from some
local mama at the folkloric food market in Vevey on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Some people
use more sugar, add a little pectin and cook it a bit longer to turn this syrup into a Dandelion
flower jam.
Published 19/04/2007
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39 COMMENTS
#1 Comment by barbara on: 26/04/2007
Hi Francois. Thank you for joining A Taste of Yellow. Your beautifully documented Dandelion Syrup looks wonderful.
I wonder if it would work with New Zealand dandelions. I'll be asking around and hopefully I can make it.
#2 Comment by dawn mclaren on: 11/05/2007
This is a very good recipe! Thank you!
#3 Comment by Monica on: 11/05/2007
Thank you for passing on the Dandelion Syrup recipe. Living in the states I watched my father use chemicals to kill
those "weeds" every spring in search of the perfect manicured lawn. I wish more people knew about the culinary
possibilities of dandelions. I'll do my part to spread the word amongst friends in the U.S.
#4 Answered by fx on: 14/05/2007
Dandelions are such friendly plants, you can eat them in salad and make syrups and jams from their flowers. And
they are so beautiful both when flowering and afterwards, with their white heads sending little parachutes all
around! Tell your father to spare them.
#5 Comment by Pille on: 16/05/2007
What a beautiful photo essay! There are plenty of dandelions near my house, but I've only made dandelion salad so
far. Thanks for inspiring me to make dandelion syrup soon, too!Pille from Nami-nami foodblog
#6 Comment by Amanda @ Little Foodies on: 16/05/2007
Hi, Just going through Barbara's great round up. My children are always picking dandelions and now we can make
good use of them. Thank you
#7 Comment by sandi @ the whistlestop cafe on: 20/05/2007
I posted a link in my own little yellow roundup~ nothing like the great job that Barbara did!Yours is the most clever
by far! My grandmother used to make dandelion greens... we thought it was so cool to go out and pick them. Little

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did we realize she had us weeding her garden at the same time.
#8 Comment by Ian on: 25/05/2007
Thanks for the recipe! I made some today, and am drinking a glass now- it's really good. It tastes a lot like honey,
interestingly enough.
#9 Comment by Kevin on: 22/07/2007
I like the article very much. I've always knew about dandelion wine but never syrup, i will try making some. Thank
you!
Kevin
#10 Comment by sabrina on: 25/08/2007
Very interesting and I can't wait to try it as I grow lots of dandelions at home, but does it matter what type of
sugar to use, ie. caster, brown, or plain white?I will place you on my favourites so I can check out more great
recipescheers!
#11 Comment by Gabriela on: 19/09/2007
In fact, we call this "Dandellion Honey" (thought it is not honey, of course) in our country (Czechia), and use it like
flower honey (butter-honey spread for bread etc.). Honey is sure more beneficial to our health but this is much
cheaper and fun to prepare.It was new for me to read that it can be used as syrup or even jam! Thanks for the
article!
#12 Answered by fx on: 28/09/2007
I think white sugar will work best. Depending on how hot you cook the sugar you can have syrup or a jelly, which
is also used as jam on bread here in Switzerland. A versatile plant indeed!
#13 Comment by Gabriela on: 18/10/2007
We also make this from Elderflower and St. Johns wort. Maybe other plants work as well.
#14 Comment by Dr.Ir.Agung Nugroho, M.Sc. on: 12/11/2007
Excellent. God Bless You and Your Family.I am appreciate to your usefull article for the human being and the others
scientificts.
#15 Comment by Elizabeth on: 04/02/2008
I truly enjoyed this recipe and look forward to trying to make this come spring. I am a big Dandelion lover, so much
that the name of my business is Dandelion Soap. Thank You for sharing. Elizabeth Morgan North Carolina
#16 Answered by fx on: 05/02/2008
Elizabeth, I am glad my grandmother's humble dandelion syrup recipe completed your tour of the dandelion
world. Amazing flower indeed! Do you make dandelion-flavored soap bars?
#17 Comment by Niwat on: 21/03/2008
Thanks for your recipe, this is so great! I'm learning about this plant for it's medicinal uses and found that it can
also be made into syrup too, what a wonderful plant, wow!
#18 Answered by fx on: 24/03/2008
Niwat, try this syrup, it is very easy to make. You can also make a nice jelly with it. Fun in the summer!
#19 Comment by Fraser on: 13/04/2008
Love the recipe, and I love the taste, dandelions are my new passion and everything about them. they have
amazing health benefits. Cheers!!
#20 Answered by fx on: 13/04/2008
Fraser, thanks for visiting and I hope you'll have fun with dandelion recipes as soon as their flowers will again
ornate our fields!
#21 Comment by MsC on: 24/04/2008
This is so cool. I love this stuff . This is the ideal time to made some . Im going to try that jam use talked about. I
gave some to my sister she said it tasted like grass. she is so wrong but more for me her loss.I love thats it a free
food item.
#22 Comment by MsC on: 24/04/2008
I love this recipes I 1st found it in the reader digest back to basics book.
I just made some but I used Stevia as a sweetener as im diabetic. Im going to try that jam u mentioned. i had my
sister try it but she said it tastes like grass she is so wrong. well more for me lol.
#23 Answered by fx on: 24/04/2008
MsC, next time you have your sister around you ought to present this as honey, I think she might have associated
the grassiness with how you made the syrup/jelly.

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#24 Comment by Donna on: 26/04/2008

VERY NICE AND SO DISCRIPTIVE THANKS
#25 Comment by Deborah on: 30/05/2008
I just loved your folksy humor and beautiful choice of photos. Thank you for turning my day dandelion-sunny!
Deborah, living in Montana, USA
#26 Comment by Don White on: 31/05/2008
This is the first time I've ever encountered a recipe for Dandelion Syrup. I've long known (and used) Dandelion
salads and Dandelion Wine -and not necessarily in that order. :) But I'll definitely have to give the syrup a try.
#27 Answered by fx on: 04/06/2008
Deborah, thanks for visiting and I hope you get to try my grandma's Dandelion Syrup!
#28 Answered by fx on: 04/06/2008
Don, good luck with the Dandelion syrup!
#29 Comment by julia mc cusker on: 18/06/2008
I love this new receipe. Have always dandy lions as we called them as kids. I gather the blossums and gently wash
them, shake off excess water and put them into a paper bag. I add flour, salt, and a little fresh ground pepper.
Lightly shake and fry in cooking oil or vegetable shortening. Taste a little like oysters. Our family jas always
collected early spring leaves for salads. Thanks Julia
#30 Answered by fx on: 21/06/2008
Julia, you fried dandelion flowers sound lovely, I had never heard of the flowers used in a savory dish!
#31 Comment by hong on: 29/06/2008
A really happy bee on the beautiful flowers.
#32 Comment by Rob on: 22/04/2009
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I love the dandelion and elderberry syrups available in Europe and am so glad to
find a tutorial like this to make my own here in the States.
FX's answer Have fun with the dandelion syrup Rob!
#34 Comment by Louise on: 02/05/2009
I'm delighted to have found this link for Dandelion Syrup Franois. I'm doing a post for Dandelion Day which should
be up in a few hours and this recipe is simply perfect. Thank you so much for posting it. Thank heavens I have you
in my search engine. Louise:)
#35 Comment by Amanda on: 04/05/2009
I made this syrup yesterday and it is awfully runny. Is this normal? It is definitely not as thick as honey or maple
syrup like I had expected. Was Iwrong to assume it would be thick? I only simmered the mixture (dandelioninfused water, sugar, and lemon) for 2 hours exactly. Should I have done it longer? Or at a higher temperature?
Please advise. I am feeling frustrated with my "syrup".
#36 Comment by Marie on: 28/05/2009
I was wondering, can you make candy out of this syrup, and if so how? I am interested in learning how to make
floral candies, such as some lovely violet candies I had in France. I don't know how to go about it naturally though,
do you?
#37 Comment by Carolyn's Designs & Herbal Products on: 07/04/2010
This syrup is a beautiful color . I have made Dandelion Syrup for years.The taste is slightly different from any syrup
I have ever tasted. Love to make ! I Make & sell Dandelion Syrup. Check it out!!
#38 Comment by Sandy Taylor on: 05/05/2010
Thank you for the recipe of Dandilion Syrup I had great fun making this for the first time. However once made how
long can I store the Syrup for in a sealed bottle or jar?
The day I made it, it tasted very sweet but, the syrup has changed so much in 24 hours. As now it taste more
honey like so much so my wife asked me if I had added so honey to it.
I have added it to my coffee instead of suggar, I also added it to some plain yogurt and strawberry's But mostly I
have just watered it down to make a refreshing drink.
Thank Sandy Taylor

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#39 Comment by Linda Smith on: 06/05/2010

Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to try this recipe and love the fact that it is natural and healthy.
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