Dandelion Poppers

These dandelion poppers are a great appetizer. When battered and baked in the oven, they are crispy on the outside and tender and oh-so-fresh on the inside. 

When harvesting dandelion flowers, make sure you have chosen a site that has not been treated/chemically sprayed. Harvest dandelion flowers during full sun, otherwise flowers tend to close up. Leave some flowers for the pollinators! Honey bees love these. You can just pick the flowers, if you are only making dandelion poppers. Or, pick the entire stem from the base of the plant and eat the stems. Or, bring a shovel and dig up the entire plant...the entire plant is edible! My favorite recipes, from the top of the plant to the bottom, include:

Dandelion poppers (flowers)

Dandelion "noodles" (stem)

Wild harvested salad with mustard vinaigrette (leaves)

Roasted dandelion root tea (roots)

Ingredients:

Dandelion flowers

Egg

Milk

Bread crumbs (half Panko, half regular)

Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Rinse flowers with cold water; dry on a clean towel.

2. Whisk egg & milk in a shallow bowl

3. Place bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in another shallow bowl

4. Coat flowers in egg mixture, then coat in bread crumbs

5. Bake flower face down about 10 minutes, or until edges are crispy and brown

6. Serve plain, or with a ranch dipping sauce if preferred

This recipe was inspired by Sam Thayer's book, The Forager's Harvest, which is a great reference book for wild edibles.