How to Make Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee
Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee is a surprisingly delicious beverage! It closely resembles coffee in flavor and body when brewed properly. I serve it at all my workshops and presentations and am always amused by the response. People tend to hesitantly sample it with a look of serious doubt on their faces, and the next thing you know the whole pot disappears!
Dandelion Root is a rich treasury of vitamins and minerals, as well as trace minerals and micronutrients. It also contains numerous medicinal components, but one that draws particular attention lately is a substance called inulin, which may be an important ingredient in managing diabetes. Even the bitter flavor of the Dandelion Coffee is good for you as it helps to stimulate the entire digestive system, from the appetite all the way to the better absorption of nutrients. Truly there is a fine line between food and medicine with this precious herb!
There are no harmful substances in Dandelion Coffee, unlike our commercial coffees that do far more harm than good. Folks would be far better off if they started each day with a hot cup of Dandelion!
How to Harvest Dandelion Root
You will need a good shovel as Dandelion Roots are taproots that can go up to a foot and a half underground in good soil. Early spring and late fall are the best times to harvest for medicinal purposes or maximum nutritional value. This is the time when most of the plant’s constituents are being stored in the roots, although it wouldn’t hurt anything to harvest anytime for Dandelion Root Coffee.
Roots are much
easier to dig when the ground is soft, as during the spring thaw or after
a good rainy spell. Once the ground is baked hard by a long, dry period,
digging roots can be frustrating work, so plan accordingly.
The best place to harvest is from a farm field that gets plowed frequently or a large garden. The soil will be looser, which allows the roots to get really big and also makes for much easier digging. The dandelions in your lawn or other mowed places are generally stunted and yield very small roots.
Look
for the biggest, thickest clumps of dandelion leaves, as these are usually
fed by a nice, fat root. I also carry a knife with me to cut the
greens away from the roots. You will need about one 5-gallon bucket
of roots to make 3 or 4 quarts of roasted Dandelion Root. This would
yield 10 gallons or so of coffee.
If you have time, take the greens home separately and prepare them for freezing. A bucket of roots will give about a bushel basket of greens so plan accordingly! I like to make a day of it and stock up for the whole year on both greens and coffee.
Washing the Roots
I used to scrub each root by hand, and believe me this was a lot of work!
I have since developed a much more efficient method where I can process
large quantities relatively quickly.
To wash the roots, (you’ll probably want to do this step outside) put them in a bucket, fill it with water and agitate the roots with your hands until the water is very muddy. Pour off the water, fill the bucket again and repeat this process a few times until the water runs clear. At this point you should have a pile of beautiful, golden dandelion roots. Don’t worry if there is still some dirt left on them, as we will be washing them one more time.
Grinding the Roots
With a large
kitchen knife, cut the roots into chunks. Put these into a large bowl and
fill with water. Agitate with your hands until water gets cloudy, pour
off and repeat until water runs clear.
Put about 2
cups of chunky roots into your food processor and whiz them on high until
they are chopped into a coarse-looking mixture. Put these in a bowl and
whiz up the rest of the roots 2 cups or so at a time until they are all
ground. (Note: Other instructions I have seen for making Dandelion Coffee
roast the roots whole, but I find it a whole lot easier and more
convenient to grind them fresh.)
If you like, you can wash
this coarse mixture one more time to be sure you have squeaky clean roots.
If you do, let them drain for a good hour or spread them on a towel until
the roots are fairly dry to save time in the oven.
Roasting the Roots
Spread the
coarse-ground Dandelion Roots on cookie sheets about ½ inch deep. I can
fit 4 cookie sheets, stacked, 2 on each rack, in my oven. Try to roast as
much as you can at one time.
Set the oven at 250° and leave the oven door slightly ajar while they are roasting so that moisture can escape. You will be both drying and roasting the roots in this step. The roasting process takes about 2 hours. As the roots dry, they will shrink down to about ¼ of the size when fresh. After they dry they will begin to roast, going from a blonde color to a dark coffee color.
Be sure to stir them frequently with a spatula to assure even drying and roasting. You may have to rotate the cookie sheets occasionally if they are stacked to ensure even drying and roasting. As they get close to desired color, be careful not to burn them!
Cool and store in glass jars.
Making the Coffee
Some
people grind the roots further in a coffee mill so that they are nearly
powdered and make it in their coffee pot. I prefer to use them as
they are, and make the coffee like a tea in a simmering pot of water.
Use 1 level Tablespoon Roasted Root for each cup of water. Or use 1/3 cup root for each quart of water or 1-1/3 per gallon. You make need to adjust these amounts to your taste if you like it stronger or weaker.
I make
the coffee in a pot on the stove, simmering the
roots gently for 10-15 minutes or until it yields a rich, coffee-colored
brew.
Serve hot with cream and sugar or however you like your coffee.
Purchasing Dandelion Root Coffee
Not everyone is able or willing to go to this effort to harvest and prepare your own Dandelion Coffee. There are several commercial sources of Dandelion Root that you might check out:
Dandy Blend Instant Dandelion Beverage This is not pure Dandelion Root but is a combination of roasted barley, rye, dandelion root, beetroot and chicory root. It reminds me a lot of Cafix, a popular coffee substitute on the market. A 3-oz jar makes 25-30 cups.
Frontier Herbs sells granulated Roasted Dandelion Roots for (gasp!) $31.00 a pound! (Note: It is possible to roast your own store-bought Unroasted Dandelion Roots which are half the price.)
Some other products are:
Alvita Tea: Roasted Dandelion Root
Roasted Yellowknife Dandelion Root
Dandelion Root Coffee recipes:
Besides a straight cup of Dandelion coffee with cream and sugar, the way I like it, I also use the Roasted Root in tea mixtures for some rich, delicious hot beverages.
Dandelion Chai
Chai is a Middle Eastern word that means “tea” but here in America we’ve adapted the term to mean a very spicy tea made with milk and sweetener.
1 cup Roasted Dandelion root
6 Tbsp Fennel or Anise seed
36 green Cardamom pods
72 Cloves
6 Cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp dried Ginger root
1½ tsp black peppercorns
12 Bay leaves
1. Add 1 Tbsp tea mixture for each cup of water.
2. Simmer 5 minutes, then let steep for 10 minutes.
3. Add 1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar per cup.
4. Add 2 Tbsp milk or cream per cup.
5. Gently reheat and serve.
Dandelion Chai 2
This chai is not as spicy as the first recipe but actually has a more ‘chocolatey’ flavor, kind of like an herbal hot chocolate.
2 cups Roasted Dandelion root
½ cup Cinnamon bark
½ cup Ginger root
½ cup Cardamom seeds
½ cup Star Anise
Honey
Milk
Use 3 Tbsp per 2 cups water. Simmer gently 10 minutes.
Add 1 cup milk and 1 Tbsp honey and heat through but don’t boil.
Serve hot or iced.
Warm Winter Spice Tea
1 cup Roasted Dandelion root
½ cup dried Orange Peel
½ cup Cinnamon bark
¼ cup dried Ginger root
Use 1 Tbsp per cup water. Simmer gently 10-15 minutes. Sweeten with honey, if desired.
And here’s a recipe for the really adventurous from the Herbfarm for, of all things:
Roasted Dandelion Root Ice Cream!
2½ cups heavy cream
1½ cups half-and-half
1¼ cups sugar
5 egg yolks
1. Grind Roasted Dandelion Roots into a powder using a coffee mill and sifter.
2. Place cream, half-and-half and sugar in a medium pot (double boiler might be best, or perhaps a crock pot). Bring it just barely to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Add Roasted Dandelion Root powder. Maintain heat at a bare simmer, be sure not to boil.
4. Let the roots steep this way for 45 minutes.
5. Strain out and discard root material.
6. Whisk up egg yolks in another pot. Gradually add the warm Dandelion Root cream.
7. Heat gently and stir until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
8. Strain one more time and chill.
9. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to directions.
If you do end up making a quantity of Roasted Dandelion Root and want to
experiment, here are some good links to Coffee recipes that you could
easily substitute Dandelion Root for. Imagine Dandelion Mochas, Iced
Dandelion, Dandelion Milkshakes…………….