I got this recipe from a book titled, “Depression Era Recipes” by Patricia R. Wagner. I like old recipes, and this book has tons that utilize minimum ingredients, “found” ingredients and things the average non-farmer could grow themself (popular during the Depression Era). I noticed some dandelions growing on a small hillside near my house, and it made me think of this.
I have not tried this myself (yet). It is fermented, so please keep this in mind. It doesn’t say what the alcohol content will be.
Dandelion Wine
1 qt. dandelion blossoms
1 gal. water
1 lemon, sliced
2.5 lbs. sugar
2 Tbs. good yeast
Put all in a kettle, except yeast, and boil five minutes. Pour into a jar. When cold, add yeast. Keep in a warm place 3 days until it ferments, then strain and bottle - cork tightly.
So many people think of them as weeds, but they are loaded with potential uses- not just as hardy edibles, but also as medicinal plants. Plus they look like a thousand little suns out in the yard. When they appear, we know spring has arrived!
This sounds interesting! I wonder how similar the taste would be to dandelion root tea? I bet the alcohol is less earthy since it’s using blossoms instead of the roots, and it’s probably more on the sweet side. Would love to give it a try!
Yes, I’m feeling it’s an early spring this year… around here, anyway!
Since Prohibition was still in effect when the Great Depression started, a lot of people had to get creative. There’s a fair amount of homemade “adult beverages” recipes in the book (which has actual home recipes from 1930 until the start of World War 2), made from raisins and other easy-to-obtain ingredients. I’ll likely share more in time.
My dad use to make dandelion every spring when I was a teenager. Hated the taste of it, but really enjoyed watching the process of it developing from a dandelion flower into a wine.
