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DANDELION: WINE AND COFFEE SUBSTITUTE

Picked up from the Net early 1996
From: arkinstitute@usa.pipeline.com
Newsgroups: misc.survivalism
Subject: Re: No coffee?Wine? Dandy Dandelions!
Date: 10 Jan 1996 00:45:21 GMT

... Seriously, the chicory is better than dandelion, but both are great for using the whole plant--no waste.  AND the dandelion flowers make very good country wine--make that, too.  Doesn't take much skill, just a bit o' knowledge and a source of unsprayed (chemical) flowers. Sugar helps. Thanks for the interest...I enjoy this group....Geri Guidetti, Ark Institute

Yes, Paul, you can use dandelions or Magdeburgh chicory roots. The latter is actually a better coffee substitute than the former. I have used both, but neither is likely to thrill you UNLESS you have no coffee. In either case, roast the cleaned, dry roots until dark brown throughout & then grind. Easy if you have a blender, food processor or coffee grinder but in "challenging times" you will need to do the old mortar and pestle thing. 

The similarity to coffee taste comes from the roasting. No caffeine of course, so no kick.  The chicory is easy to grow, harvest in fall.  Can eat leaves after a good frost and their inherent bitterness is softened.  More if you like...Geri Guidetti, Ark Institute

Walter writes: "Even better than a mortar and pestle would be a Corona grain mill..." for grinding roasted dandelion and chicory roots for coffee substitute.  Absolutely right Walter.  I have passed them first thru a
metal-bladed mill and then thru the Corona stone mill. Works great.

What I was envisioning--as I often do these days--was lots of people with little knowledge of this intermediate technology, stuck with nothing if all goes to hell in a hand-basket in a hurry.  What would they have at their disposal? Rocks for simple grinding tasks.

Subject: Dandelion Wine Request
Date: 11 Jan 1996 12:51:07 GMT
Chris Matthews asked for posting of a dandelion wine recipe: 

Pick 2 quarts (1 lb.) of unsprayed, fully- opened dandelion flowers without stems.  They are open in morning to afternoon. Put in polyethylene bucket and pour 1 gallon boiling water over them.  Cover, let sit for 48 hrs., no longer.  Return water and flowers to a large, stainless steel (not aluminum) pot.  Add peels only of 4 oranges.  Bring to boil and boil 15 minutes. 

Cover and let cool. Strain into large container through colander lined with muslin or thick cheesecloth. If not well strained, repeat.  Add 2 and 1/2 lbs. of sugar to strained juice, stirring with clean spoon to
dissolve.  When room temp., add packet of wine yeast and yeast nutrient according to package directions.  If you don't have a local supply of these, I use E.C.Kraus in Independence, Missouri.  (816) 254-7448.  

Get catalog. These are cheap commodities and come postage paid. There are other mail order suppliers, but I haven't tried and can't vouch for them.

Pour into two, 1 gallon bottles  fitted with airlocks or, better, a single, 2 gallon or greater fermentation container with airlock.  MUST have an airlock as fermentation produces enough CO2 to explode bottles! Cost about $.75, I think. Keep at room temp. in closet or other area. 

Siphon off into clean bottles when wine is clear -- a few  weeks, depending on temp. Store vertically in cool basement, cellar.  Don't cap tightly unless you refrigerate!  Can start up fermentation and gas
again. Make in May, drink at Christmas.  Aging makes even better.  Cheers!  Geri Guidetti ..Ark Institute 

 

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