Dandelion Soup Recipe and Link Roundup

Your humble dandelion is more than just that annoying weed you try to get rid of every year.  Many of its parts are edible and medicinal.  This post focuses on one of its deliciously edible aspects, that of dandelion soup.  Dandelion greens are bitter but the flavor mellows a bit once they're cooked, especially when steeped in soup broth.

The recipe below is the one I use and was kindly given to me by the good folks at the Greenfield Village Taste of History Restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan.  I fell in love with it on a visit a few years ago and emailed them for the recipe.  Greenfield Village is a combination museum and historical village attraction founded by Henry Ford.  The recipes at the restaurant are inspired by the history presented in the village, and this soup is reminiscent of depression-era cooking.  The amounts they gave me are for a crowd, so you'll have to adjust the them to suit the size of group you're feeding.  I cut it back about 75%.  I give prepper tips and advice for gathering dandelions later in the post.

Dandelion Soup from Greenfield Village

Saute:

2 tbs. butter
2 tbs. garlic, minced
1 pound dandelion greens
1 cup spinach greens chopped
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced onions

Add:
(note: the recipe didn't say whether the herbs were fresh or dry, but I use dry)

1 gallon plus 1 quart vegetable broth
1 tbs. basil
1 tbs. oregano
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. cumin
2 bay leaves

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer (recipe didn't say, but I simmer for 15 minutes)

Add:

1 can northern white beans (I assume they mean industrial size.  I used about a cup of beans to 8 cups of broth).
1 pound small diced potatoes
1 cup whole kernel corn

Cook until potatoes are tender.

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Gathering tips:  You can sometimes find the greens (dandelion leaves) at the market, but the point of this exercise is to be frugal and gather your own dandelion greens.  But be careful.  If you don't have enough in your own yard, make sure that you forage from an area that hasn't been sprayed with pesticide or gets a lot of exposure to auto exhaust.  This year I picked young shoots from my own yard, but I'm actually going to grow some dandelions on the deck for other purposes that I'll discuss in future posts.

Soup and prepper tips:  This soup lends itself to adaptation.  In fact, I don't think I've ever made it exactly the way the recipe calls for.  You can try other types of beans, pork or tofu.  I think it would be great with squash.  It's also a good prepper soup.  Many of the ingredients can be used from cans or your dehydrated stores if you keep them on hand.  You can even dehydrate the greens in the summer for use in the winter.

More recipes:  This soup is heavy on the broth, but the greens go well in other types of soups.  Here is one that's a bit more creamy with ground beef, this one reminds me of cream of broccoli, and here is a simple one that uses cream of chicken soup as a base.

Besides the fact that greens are good for you, foraging is an excellent frugal and prepping skill to have, and dandelions are something most everyone can recognize.  Using the greens in recipes here and there is a good way to introduce them into your diet and start learning about the uses of wild edibles.

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