Cosmic Reflections

Wilted Dandelions. By Netta Hetrick …a recipe on page 27 of Debbie Allen’s 1993 Cookbook: “Seasoned with Love.”

As is my tradition each spring now that Mom and Dad have passed, I make a “mess” of Wilted Dandelions from the first crop of these nutritious greens most people hate to see growing in their yard. It has been decades since I’ve used any chemicals (e.g. weed killer, Roundup, etc.) or commercial fertilizer on our small urban lot, so I can safely consider this batch of 2013 dandelions, already showing off some cute yellow flowers, to be legitimately organic. Just like back home some 50 years ago when farming was so different – before Monsanto patented Roundup and hundreds of genetically modified (Roundup tolerant) plants.

So as these delightful yellow flowers reveal their location in the yet to be mowed yard and yet to be planted garden this time of year, albeit for just a day or two before transforming into a puffy cloud of virulent seeds, I walked around with my long handled dandelion cutter, slicing the tap root an inch or so below ground level and retrieved a cluster of leaves along with the sunny yellow flower.

As I now sit and enjoy this spring harvest of home grown greens on boiled potatoes, what some might consider a rather unusual modest meal (that my cardiologist must never know about as you will understand by one of the ingredients), I can hear Dad saying to Mom how much he enjoyed wilted dandelions and potatoes – something she had known for years and years. The spring before he passed away, I called Dad from Denver one evening. He was alone at Bethany Place Independent Living Center missing Mom who’d gone 2 years earlier. I mentioned that I had wilted dandelions for supper. His voice lit up and he replied that he really missed that treat Mom would serve us each spring – he said just thinking about my meal made his mouth water.

In your honor, Mom, on this special day of the year we continue to find pleasure in your simple unusual home-cooked meal. And Dad, we sit here today and enjoy this meal of “wilted dandelions” in your memory.

For any of you brave hearts who someday may want to try this dandelion recipe yourself, here’s Mom’s simple recipe for Wilted Dandelions as written in Debbie’s cookbook:

Gather the green dandelions in the spring before they bloom – the sooner the better.
Wash and clean as any other green.
Make “sour” dressing of vinegar, egg, mustard, bacon.
Serve over boiled potatoes.

Since Mom didn’t measure out ingredients, I am providing a more traditional recipe complete with suggested quantities.

Wilted Dandelion Gravy (serves 2-4)
2-4 cups Spring Dandelion Greens (cut into 2” long pieces)
4-6 Potatoes
Gravy
4-6 strips of bacon
3 tbsp flour
4-5 tbsp mustard
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
salt (dash)
1 tbsp sugar
½ cup milk

Pick and clean dandelions (See Caution below).

Peel and cut four potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Boil about 15-20 minutes or until a fork slips tightly through the slice. While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the “gravy.”
Cook about 4-6 strips of bacon in a large skillet until very crisp but not burned. Remove the bacon to cool and later crumble into small pieces. Save about 3 tbsp of the bacon drippings.
Add 3 tablespoons of flour to the drippings and stir thoroughly, add 4-5 tablespoons of yellow table mustard. Add 1 tsp of sugar, a dash of salt and several tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (more flavorful than white vinegar). Stir in one egg lightly beaten, and about ½ cup of milk (non-fat is probably preferable considering the bacon drippings you started out with). Stir over medium heat until the gravy thickens – add a bit more milk if too thick. Fold in a batch of clean dandelions cut into 2 inch long pieces and allow them to wilt for a moment under the medium heat. Fold in the bacon crumbles and serve as a topping over the small pieces of boiled potato.

Enjoy this old fashion farm meal (that a generation ago was made with ingredients grow/raised at home).

I’ve been eating this dish for more years than I can remember, so it may be an acquired taste. Nevertheless, right now my mouth is watering.

Caution: If you do use herbicides or “weed & feed” fertilizer on your dandelions, I regrettably recommend that you forget the dandelions and substitute a leafy lettuce like: romaine, tango, green chard, arugula, red leaf, radicchio, etc.