Dandelion Fizz

oh dandelions!  aren't they beautiful?  those abundant vibrant yellow blooms that turn into "wish flowers" granting wishes made with close eyed visions and eye lashes batting?  seeds flying in the wind...wishes gliding on hopeful breezes.  CUT!!! what are we talking about here? every time my son goes out to harvest his wishes i see the seeds in matrix vision...all the new plants springing forth before my eyes.  you should have seen how many we had on our uncut lawn about  a month ago. good thing i do secretly adore them!  even better that i found a recipe a few years back for this dandelion fizz that knocked my socks right off to utilize this years lawn harvest.  it is sooo good! like magic really....divine sips of sweet sunshine on your lips.

the best part of this recipe is that you get to cut the heads off those flowers before they turn into "wish flowers" and reseed, replacing your grass with yellow fields of dandy times.  hmm, that sounds really awesome actually.  and now that this fizz is in my life...might just be what happens.

i am excited to try this recipe with other flowers and herbs.  very similar to elderflower cordial, in fact.

dandelion fizz

dandelion fizz recipe

6 cups dandelion flowers

5 quarts water

4 cups sugar, honey or other sweetener

2 lemons (less lemon or none if you use honey)

first off, collect  flowers.  you wanna make sure you are picking them from a place out in nature that has not been sprayed with anything but rain and sunshine.  i employed my little guy, Loji, and his best bud, Jasper for this job.  i had already gathered a pot full of them, but it was soOoooOo beautiful out, i thought we'd have some really sweet outside times.  they had so much fun!  they wanted to keep going and going.  so, i let them.  they filled up an entire backpack with dandelions.  i quadroooopled the recipe.

only cut the flowers that are in the direct sunshine.  i saw this tid bit in a recipe i had found it an old old herbal book (not the one where this recipe comes from) and love it.  i think it's really sweet and that it is why it feels like you are drinking sunshine when you sip'a'da'fizz! 

now, go through and be sure to snip the flower right at the stem. you only want the flower head in there. 

clean dandelions if necessary, there was an ant or two (okay, mabe 20) in mine trying to come to the party but i swooshed them right off with a quick shower.

put flowers in a heat-proof container made of glass, ceramic, enamel, or stainless steel.  i used a large crock.  love them. i want to marry crocs when i grow up!  

bring water to a boil and pour over dandelions.  cover, and leave over night, or at least for 12 hours.

strain flowers through a cloth.  you can use cheese cloth, a piece of muslin, a clean tea towel, a nutmilk bag, or...i'll let you in on a little secret...raw foodies sell special nutmilk/strainer bags online for about $11+ each...did you know that you can get the same product, pretty much, at a hardware store for pennies? they are called paint strainer bags.  i think they are just a few dollars and i get mine 3 to a box. boom. 

now, add sweetener, lemon juice and rind.  i used local honey. i think you should too. 

heat and stir till dissolved but do not boil.

strain into jugs or jars and leave to cool.  be sure to cover the jars.  fruit flies are not invited to this party.

pour into clean, dry bottles with tight screw caps and wait for as long as you possibly can. store in a cool dry place.  don't forget about them...enjoy them within a couple months.  they could, you know, explode on you if you leave them lonely in your pantry for too long. 

brew will do it's thang, ferment and become fizzy.  there will be some alcohol content in it; as that's what fermentation does, but no more than kombucha might have.  brew is ready to drink in 3-4 weeks!  summertime enchantment is what you'll experience popping one of these beauties open. super special moment!  enjoy!