Dandelion Honey

Makes approximately 1L (3 jam jars)

About a year ago I heard about dandelion ‘honey’ being used as an alternative to honey for vegans. I was intrigued. I gave it a go and am really impressed. The flavour and texture are a perfect substitute!

It’s important to pick dandelions that are pesticide free and away from popular dog walking areas (for obvious reasons)! You can scale down the quantities here but this should make three good sized jars.

Ingredients:

Approximately 200 Dandelion heads

1 unwaxed lemon, sliced

1.5L water

1.2kg caster sugar

Step 1: Thoroughly wash the dandelion heads (I do this in a clean sink full of fresh water).

Step 2: Place the clean dandelion heads, the lemon and the water in a heavy bottomed pan. Bring to the boil and simmer, for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to cool and steep over night.

Step 3: Drain the liquid through a muslin or fine sieve. Discard the dandelions and lemon. Place the liquid back into the (clean) pan and add the sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer until the mixture has reduced and thickened (this took me about an hour and a half). Remember it will continue to thicker as it cools. As it cooks it will darken too. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

The high sugar content should mean that this will keep a long time.