Dandelion Fritters
It’s May in Vermont so I’m looking at leaves. With the rain, all the rain, and the sun the world just seemed to bounce into technicolor overnight. Now the trees are all blossoming in that golden green of spring, vibrant everywhere. Chartreuse fuzzy leaves, new red maple buds, dogwood and flowers suddenly there.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit how amazing I find plants. Really – a tomato plant in fruit can leave me speechless. How do these simple life forms know to do what they do – a petal here, a bud there, a leaf that curls just so. How does a bud know when to open? How does it turn that tightly curled bead into an unfurled leaf overnight?
But this year I’ve been teaching in our school’s environmental education program and I’ve learned that I had that point wrong. The bud forms slowly in the year before it blossoms. It spends the good growing days using the plant’s resources to build the leaves that will appear next year. It’s not a miracle, or maybe not a sudden miracle: it’s slow growth under the surface. The plant doesn’t have to spring into action when the weather is most in doubt and turn itself beautiful. It just had to do a little bit at a time when light and food and water were plentiful, and then sit tight and wait through the hard times.
And when the sun is good and strong get out there and stretch and reach and grow. And, if you’re in my family, get out there and forage for what you can freely find – like the dandelions just after they burst bright and yellow into the spring.
Dandelion Fritters
Serves 2
- 2 cups of dandelion flowers, rinsed gently but thoroughly (make sure to pick them where the dogs haven’t been and nothing has been sprayed on them)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour (I used chick pea flour, but just about anything would be fine)
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/4 t. black pepper
Whisk together eggs, flour, salt and pepper until smooth and free of lumps, then beat in the dandelions.
Heat up 2 T. butter in a medium skillet until bubbling and fragrant, then pour in dandelion-egg mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until firmly set on bottom, then flip and cook 2-3 minutes more. Serve immediately. It’s nice with a salad, and a little hot sauce won’t hurt a thing.
