Dandelion muffins with lilac jam

The unofficial start of Summer, Memorial Day, signals that Winter is behind us and the garden is exploding with growth. But for every lovely flower and plant that emerges, 10 times that number or more of weeds pop up. Plantains (Musa × paradisiaca), chickweed (Stellaria media) and crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) are early visitors to gardens. But the one weed that is a favorite—particularly of children—is the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).

Each day brings a new batch of these fluffy yellow flowers favored by bees and other pollinators to the garden. A few days later the yellow flower is swapped out by a translucent orb of white seeds that are ready to be blown either by the wind or a child leaving a thin, barren stalk.

Rather than curse this weed, you have the opportunity to love it in the form of delicious muffins. And at the same time you will be removing flowers that can deliver up to 200 seeds each. Now if you spray your lawn with herbicides, you will not be able to harvest any of these flowers. But there are ample opportunities to find these plants on the road side, in fields and in nearby yards.

First, you need the flowers: at least 100. Pick 150 to be on the safe side. This is how many flowers you will need to get a cup of petals. Now you don’t just throw the flower heads into a bowel but take the flower apart separating the green sepals, which are at the base of the flower, from the tiny yellow petals. You don’t want any of the sepals in your mix as they are very bitter. There are a few videos on YouTube as well as Pinterest that give good harvesting hints. (I just pinch the petals off the plant leaving the sepals in place but do whatever works best for you.)

Next, collect your ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (I often substitute ½ cup whole-wheat for all-purpose as it makes for a more substantial muffin)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup dandelion petals
1/3 cup dried fruit finely chopped (optional, I like raisins, blueberries or apricots)
1/3 cup almonds chopped (optional)
1 ½ cup milk
4 tbsp honey
¼ cup vegetable oil (almond, corn, canola)
1 egg
24 muffin papers with metal or silicone pans (that don’t need papers)

First combine all the dry elements in one bowl.
Next combine all the wet elements in a different bowl.
Mix the wets and drys together by hand gently until you have a wet mix. Do not overmix.
Heat oven to 375 degrees standard, 360 degrees convect.
Divide dough into the muffin pans.
Put into oven for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Though you may be tempted to eat them fresh out of the oven, wait until they cool (overnight is best) or the muffins will stick to the papers (not the case if you use a silicone pan.) The muffins have a light floral flavor accompanied by a slight taste of honey. Within each muffin are the petals of the dandelion, giving the breads their yellow tint.

If you like these muffins you may also want to try your hand at making lilac jam. Right now lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) are in full bloom. The bush in my yard has exploded with flowers this year in a spectacular fashion. (Gardening tip: If you want to have your lilac bush flower every year, make sure you deadhead old flower heads. If you don’t, next year’s flowers will be greatly reduced in number.) The smell from inserting your face in the middle of a group of blossoms is unforgettable making lilac a favored scent. My wife and I haven’t made any jam yet this year, as we still have a jar from last year. But within this week we will make more jam before the blooms fade too much.

Lilac jam has a lovely amber color (it is not purple as are many lilac blooms) and a very delicate taste. The latest batch my wife and I made last year is sweet with a slight texture. It has a mild citrus taste with a hint of nuts. There are plenty of recipes on the Internet. This one is typical.

Flavors mingle in my mouth as the lilac jam on my freshly baked dandelions muffins captures an essence of the season. Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner.