Friday, February 24, 2012

DANDELION ROOT COFFEE

Hi everyone,

Oh, my friend gave me some roasted dandelion coffee this afternoon. Actually her husband gave it to me. He came and gave my dad and I a ride to the tax office and then the grocery store.  Before I continue, this is my FIRST attempt at making dandelion root coffee. So I'll be writing another post on this as soon as I perfect the perfect brewing recipe.

Okay, here's the photo of the lovely package of dandelion root coffee from my sweet friend L. She gave it to her hubby, who in turn gave it to me, when he came to help my father and I with some errands. This couple is really sweet.  The husband wasn't sure if it was meant for me or not, so he called his wife to make sure. Good thing, because I wouldn't want him to get in trouble for giving the coffee to the wrong person. Indeed, the dandelion root coffee was for me.  My friend L.'s sister brought it from Great Britain. It's actually a product of Germany. As far as I know, it's not commercially available in the States, but you can certainly make your own if you have dandelions growing in your yard:






























Isn't that an interesting package and product? I think so.  I was really happy to get this, because I was literally going to buy a drip coffee at Whole Foods this afternoon, and add the culinary indiscretions of cream and sugar to sweet it up.  Receiving this lovely, healthy gift prevented me from buying coffee this afternoon. Here is what the back of the package looks like:






























So the first thing to do, in order to make dandelion root coffee, is to open the bag (insert laughter here)  I had to smell this stuff. It has a really robust, nutty flavor.  Now the rest of this blog is how I made my particular coffee according to my friend L's recipe:






























The first thing to do is place two TEAspoons of the whole dandelion root into a big stockpot. Yes, TEAspoons. Remember, this is just one version that I'm trying out.  It's recommended to grind it, but this time I just left the whole dandelion root bits in the pan.

Next, add 9 cups of water. Yes, I said 9 cups of water.  Bring it all to a boil.

Once it reaches full boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer for 15 minutes.  I kept the lid to the stockpot on top and slightly ajar to let some of the steam escape.  When I first placed the dandelion root in the stockpot with the water, it looked like wet wood chips. This is what it looks like after it's finished simmering on the stovetop:






























The roast dandelion root coffee has a nice, dark color. Now if I had ground the roast dandelion root, I think the color would have been even darker.  I used a measuring cup and a strainer, to strain the "coffee" into my favorite mug.  I also added one packet of Stevia, to add just a bit of flavor:






































And that's roasted dandelion root coffee. Well, remember what I said earlier about "not grinding the dandelion root"? Well, it made my coffee a bit on the weaker side. However, having said that, it still had a nice, nutty flavor. Next time I'm going to prepare it exactly like I would regular coffee.  When I do, I'll blog about it, and let you know how it turns out.

Oh, if you've actually made dandelion root coffee, PLEASE tell me how you made it and how it turned out. Thanks bunches.  This is a nice alternative if you're trying to QUIT coffee. Or, like me, your body decides to have annoying health issues and coffee is just no good for your insides. It's nice to have a healthy alternative. Dandelion is great for liver support and gallbladder function among other things.

In other news, I cleaned up the bathroom floor today. It looks nicer, but still not quite clean enough somehow. So I may go over it again tomorrow.  I also washed the floor mats. I'm feeling really domestic with the cleaning, and even more of a real-life farmgirl with the dandelion root coffee. In the meantime, I will continue to be a farmgirl of the heart :)

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather.

22 comments:

Laurie Neverman, The Common Sense Woman said...

Thanks for linking up to the Living Well Hop. I've got some dried dandelion root that I've been meaning to roast to try this, I just keep getting sidetracked. :-)

Patty Sumner said...

I am not sure I would have the patience for a cup of dandelion coffee. We bought a Bunn coffee maker because it makes your coffee in about 3 minutes. Enjoy your coffee and blessings!

jo said...

This is great! It's been a great substitute when I quit coffee..
I second Laurie, thanks for linking up to the Living Well Blog Hop!

A Primitive Homestead said...

I am not a coffee drinker but years ago my Gram would clean the leafy stems from those yellow flowers then boil them til tender. I would not touch them but she said they were good for you. Blessings!
Lara

Astrids dragon said...

I've had dandelion wine, but never heard of dandelion root coffee! I'm interested in hearing about how it tastes when ground.

Farmgirl Heidi said...

Wow Heather,
I am going to try to uproot some of my nuisance dandelion roots, dehydrate and roast them. I wonder if it will work. probably not as well as something professionally roasted, but it's worth a shot. Thanks for sharing.

Under Her Wings said...

I've never heard of dandelion root coffee! I'm always a guinea pig for new products. No caffeine, I hope?

Clint Baker said...

I have heard that it is very good for you. I will have to try sometime!

http://theredeemedgardener.blogspot.com/2012/02/veggie-seed-give-away.html

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Very cool! I have never heard of this before. Certainly have tons of dandelions in my yard :)

Anonymous said...

Heather I have heard of this but have never tried it and I am so appreciative of you sharing it because we have some dandelion fields near us that are not treated with pesticides and we may just look into this! Also I have been wanting to make some dandelion wine one of these days :)

Susan said...

I wish the computer screen had a "scratch-n-sniff" function lol. It looks like it would smell good when you open the bag. Cute vintage coffee jar :)

Hugs,

Susan

Vicki said...

Hi, Heather, sweet friend,
Well, I must confess I have never heard of this kind of coffee. My hat is off to you for trying new things. You are an adventurous lady! I am a real coffee lover. I have 2 cups of a morning and then a cup of decaf at night. So far I have had no ill effects from my coffee drinking. Thank you for coming by for a visit. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Vicki

Jill said...

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I have heard of dandelion tea also and that it is really good for your body! good for you for trying something new and sharing with us. :-)

Hope you have a wonderful week!!

Blessings,
Jill

Beth said...

Heather, Congratulations on your efforts to eat healthy! I know it's not easy...it's a day to day thing. It sounds like you liked the dandelion root coffee. I'll have to give it a try!
Hugs and blessings from cold and wintery Iowa! Beth

Betty @ Little Farm in the Big City said...

Hmmm, this sounds very interesting. My husband and I love coffee, but I'd like to find an alternative. I can't wait to see how the next bathc turns out.

Jessica Heights said...

Wiw, I have never heard of such a thing! You introduce me to so many interesting foods! :)

Poppy said...

Hi Heather,

Your posting made me smile. I switched out our coffee with ground roasted dandelion root "coffee" one morning and my ex-husband was surprised to say the least. He didn't expect it and was not thrilled with me. Needless to say, he never warmed to the idea of dandelion root coffee!

I do like the taste, it's a bit chocolate like to my taste buds when cream and sugar are added.

Enjoy!

Leaon Mary said...

What a special gift!
I've never seen anything like it Heather! I'm anxious to hear what you think making it the usual way.
Blessings my friend!

Susan Hutchinson said...

I do this fairly often! Just go out and dig up some of those "dandies" as my kids call them, wash the roots, cut them about 1/4 inch thick. I put them on a cookie sheet and roast them in my oven on the lowest setting until they are quite brown and "toasted". I've never ground the roasted root pieces but I'm sure it would make the final result stronger. Dandelion root coffee is excellent for bladder and kidney issues (its a diuretic), as are the fresh greens (I toss them in the blender when making smoothies). I'm going to try grinding them the next time - yummy!

Unknown said...

Hi Heather! Dandelion Root coffee???
Who knew? Great post farmgirl by the sea! thanks for your kind words over on Dollys' blog too! Hugs!
Deb

Carol J. Alexander said...

I would love to try your dandelion root coffee. Celestial Seasonings has a tea made with it and chicory that is good. I can't drink coffee either so I just might look for this. Although I switched to green tea a few years ago and am hooked. But my son drinks way too much coffee so I might share this with him.

Annesphamily said...

I would love to try dandelion coffee! It sound so delicious and healthy!
Heather you are one informative girl! :)
Anne