Dandelion Blossom Fritters

I love this time of year when things are just beginning to sprout and everything feels so fresh and tender. Here at Hawk Circle, we have just started to see a few dandelion flowers in bloom as well as violets. Dandelions are a great plant and unfortunately it's a plant that many of us spend a lot of time trying to get rid of. Myself included in areas that I don't want taken over by dandelions. However, I still have plenty of dandelions around my yard and look forward to their sprouting each spring. Before the flowers bloom, the greens are great for picking to add to salads or to cook as you would other greens. Look for the real tender new leaves. Once they've bloomed, they can be quite bitter so be sure to collect them before their flowers blossom.

Once the flowers blossom, they are so much fun and easy to collect. A great project for young children since they are so easy to pop off the stem as well as easy to find and identify. One of my favorite spring recipes is Dandelion Blossom Fritters. It's simple, delicious, nutritious, and inexpensive. What more could you ask for?
Dandelion Fritter Recipe
- Collect a basketful of fresh dandelion flowers, making sure you are not collecting near a road or where the area may have been sprayed with pesticides.  Wash gently and pat to dry.
- Fill a bowl with corn flakes and crush them slightly.
- Fill another bowl with a couple of beaten eggs and a little milk.
- Dip the flowers in one by one into the beaten eggs and then roll in the crushed corn flakes.
- Place in hot skillet with about an inch of olive oil and fry until they are lightly brown and crispy.
I serve these with honey and they are delicious. I have also made a violet flower syrup to go with them since the violets come out at the same time as the dandelions. However, since violet flowers are not easy to collect being so small, I prefer to use the flowers I have for making violet jelly. Have a great spring and enjoy nature's bounty!