Dandelion Fritters
This time of year, one of my favorite activities is making and eating dandelion flower fritters. The simple dandelion is one of our family’s favorite herbs. Did I just say herb in reference to dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)? Yep! This plant is tenacious, despite many folk’s best efforts to eradicate her from their lawns, and thankfully so since she has so much to offer. But, I was going to tell you about fritters.
• First of all I love gathering the dandelion flowers – just the tops for fritters. They are easy to pick and so bright and cheery on a sunny day. Usually, I want to pick more than I need, just because the gathering is so fun. Do pick them in the sunshine when they are open, and when you have time to make the fritters right after gathering.
• Bring your basket of flowers inside, find a bowl, and mix together one egg and one cup of milk. Stir in a cup of flour and your fritter batter is ready to go. (If you like your fritters sweet you can add a little maple syrup or honey.)
• Now, prepare a skillet on the stove with gently warmed olive oil – keep it over medium heat.
• Take one of the flowers and hold it by the greens at the base of the flower petals. Dip the petals into the batter and twirl until the flower is covered.
• Drop it into the skillet, flower side down. Continue dipping and dropping flowers, checking the first ones every once in a while to see if they are brown. When they’ve lightly browned, flip them over and brown them on the other side.
• When they’re brown on both sides remove them from the skillet and drain the excess oil on paper towel.
• For a sweet treat, drizzle them with maple syrup, honey, jam, or powdered sugar. For savory fritters try dipping in mustard or adding some savory herbs to the batter.

Dandelion Pesto
Two cups (500g)
Because dandelion leaves are tougher than basil, I use the food processor to make this version of pesto. A blender would work as well.
This makes quite a bit and you can freeze whatever you don’t use, or cut the recipe in half. If you can’t get dandelion greens, I’ve linked to other kinds of pesto recipes below.
12 ounces (350g) washed and cleaned dandelion leaves
1 cup (250ml) olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
6 tablespoons (40g) pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 1/2 ounces (70g) Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
1. Put about one-third of the dandelion greens in the food processor or blender with the olive oil and chop for a minute, scraping down the sides. Add the remaining dandelion greens in two batches, until they’re all finely chopped up.
2. Add the garlic cloves, pine nuts, salt, and Parmesan, and process until everything is a smooth puree.
3. Taste, and add more salt if necessary. If it’s too thick, you can thin it with more olive oil or water.

Storage: The pesto can be refrigerated in a jar for up to four days. The top may darken, which is normal. You can pour a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent that. It can also be frozen for up to two months.