Before Throwing Out Dandelion Flowers, Add The Petals To Your Honey

Those golden flowers that dot your yard are more than just a pesky weed. Dandelions, once relegated to the yard waste bin, are now a major culinary player. The flowers are actually edible and make for a delicious addition to a number of baked goods, savory dishes, and spreads. So before you toss those frilled golden things away, consider adding dandelion petals to your honey. Although the dandelion as a whole can be somewhat bitter, akin to an endive or radicchio, the petals have a sweet and subtle flavor that pairs nicely with honey. Be sure to get rid of the flower head itself to avoid infusing your honey with a bolder, bitter dandelion flavor. 

If you're certain your dandelions haven't undergone any potentially harmful chemical treatment (for example, weed killer), you can either pluck the petals off the flowers, preferably in full daylight, or pick the full dandelion flower, dry it, then pluck the petals off before incorporating them to add a new dimension to your honey. The subtle bitterness and floral element will brighten otherwise one-note-sweet honey and bring out its reticent floral character.

Whether you have an at-home apiary or prefer to buy honey from a farmers market or grocery store, incorporating dandelion petals into it is beyond easy. Because every part of a dandelion is edible even raw, you can mix the fresh or dried petals right in. Consider candying dandelion petals with honey first, then mixing those in to add a textural crunch. This simply requires cooking them in a boiled honey-water mixture while keeping a close eye on the buds to prevent any burning.

Once you have the dandelion petal honey ready, feel free to use it on more than just your peanut butter toast and pancakes (although a good pancake recipe is a perfect starting place to drizzle this floral honey). A simple baked honey salmon recipe is ripe for reinvention courtesy of a little dandelion honey. Or if you'd rather read up on the different kinds of honey that dandelions can be added to, this Tasting Table guide will help you make the best choice when considering how to utilize the oft-overlooked yard bloom.