Use these pickled herbs as a condiment as you would any pickle; mix into tuna, egg, green or potato salad, on a sandwich, next to a fine roast, and even enjoy straight from the jar!
When making pickled dandelion flower buds, make sure to pick only the flower buds that have not yet opened and exposed themselves to pollination.
Check out the picture above. The top is a dandelion flower bud that has not opened yet. The bottom is a flower that has opened, been pollinated, and is making seeds. While the seeds may have *some* medicine, the unopened bud is packed full of medicinal goodness.
Gather your ingredients:
The amounts of each will depend on the size of your jar. You’ll use 4 parts dandelion buds, and 1/4 – 1 part of the rest of the herbs.
- Dandelion flower buds
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Galangal aka Thai ginger
- Tamari, shoyu or liquid aminos
- Unpasteurized organic apple cider vinegar
Burdock Root Pickles:
Add burdock root instead of the dandelion buds. Burdock is a biennial, meaning it takes 2 years to complete its lifecycle. Burdock root is dug in the early fall from the first year plants. Burdock goes deep to detoxify the body, is cooling and extremely rich in life giving nutrients.
Did you know? Burdock root is called Gobo in Asian grocery stores and food co ops.
Cut the fresh burdock root into matchsticks. Fill the bottom of the jar with the onions, ginger, and galangal, then loosely pack the jar with the burdock. Add more of the other herbs and tap the jar on the counter to get the herbs packed. Add more as needed. Fill the jar as above. The maceration time and procedure is the same.
Pickled Dandelion Buds
Ingredients
- 4 parts dandelion flower buds – tightly closed. Not ones that have simply closed up for the night, but ones that have not yet opened.
- 1/2-1 part garlic, chopped
- 1/2-1 part onion, chopped
- 1/2-1 part fresh ginger, chopped
- 1/4-1/2 part galangal - hot and spicy, also antiviral!
- Tamari or soy sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Finely chop all ingredients except the dandelion flower buds. Mix everything together in a bowl, then transfer to a wide mouth jar. Fill the jar 1/4 of the way up with your tamari, shoyu, or liquid aminos, then fill the jar to the top with the apple cider vinegar.
- Put on a lid and place the jar on a small plate or in a small bowl. Let the mixture steep on the counter for 1 week, then put in the fridge to finish it's maceration for 2-3 more weeks.
- If a metal lid is used, make sure place several layers of parchment paper between the lid and the ingredients to ensure that rust won't enter the jar. Metal lids and apple cider vinegar are reactive! It is wise to use a glass or plastic lid to avoid this completely.
- The pickled dandelions and burdock will keep for up to a year in the fridge. You can eat everything in the jar - the liquid makes a fab salad dressing! Now that's good eats!!!
Notes
No need to ever refrigerate your pickled buds.
2 Responses
THIS is just too fascinating of NOT to learn more!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
You are most welcome! When we learn, we grow!