Dandelion Greens
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the leaves
Gather dandelion leaves before the plant blossoms.
Wash the leaves well and crisp them in cold water.
Blanch the leaves in boiling water for 3 minutes.
Pack and brine
Place the leaves in cans.
Prepare a brine with 4 lbs of coarse sea salt and 12½ gallons of water.
Hot dip the cans in the brine.
Cap and process
Cap, tip, and process No. 2 cans at 240°F (115°C) for 30 minutes, and No. 3 cans for 40 minutes.
Alternatively, process No. 2 cans at 212°F (100°C) for 60 minutes, and No. 3 cans for 75 minutes.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Dandelion leaves
- Form the main body of the pickle, becoming tender yet retaining a slight bite after processing.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the brine and draws moisture and flavor into the leaves while helping preserve them.
The step that matters
Blanch the leaves in boiling water for 3 minutes. Blanching briefly heats the leaves to inactivate enzymes that would otherwise cause discoloration and off-flavors during storage. Timing matters: too short leaves enzymes active, too long makes the leaves limp and mushy.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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