Dandelion coffee

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Dandelion coffee
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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 6:57 am Post subject:
Mmmm, so has anyone tried acorn coffee?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 8:18 am Post subject:

judyofthewoods wrote:

Add life to your days, not days to your life.

I like that one

But I think what TD is aiming at is, is it a worthwhile/nice drink on its own? For example nobody would claim that herb teas are the same thing as real tea (and you can fight all day over what is real tea

) but some are very pleasant and even useful drinks on their own.

From what you say Judy dandelion is useful but not pleasant

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-ça)

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 9:00 am Post subject:
Dandelion makes lovely beer though. I made it from 1973 to 1980 and have some bottles left. I had one last summer and it was very pleasant, although it had gone flat. I started out with a complicated recipe but in the end just used the flowers and stems, adding water, sugar and yeast. Very simple and a wonderful summer drink. I made elderflower the same way.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 9:35 am Post subject:

I've made dandelion 'coffee'.

Take the roots, ideally nice big ones bulked out in Autumn, and scrub them clean. Dry them out in a low oven till brittle, then grind them and roast them.

Makes a drink more like sweet, milky chicory (unsurprising, it's related to chicory) than proper coffee. As I like my coffee black and bitter, it's not the drink for me. I wouldn't have known that till I made it and tried it though.

judyofthewoods

Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 12:13 pm Post subject:

[quote="BugsFrom what you say Judy dandelion is useful but not pleasant

[/quote]
I'd say acceptable, but taste varies. If I wanted a tasty drink I'd have something else, if I wanted a liver tonic I'd have fresh dandilion 'tea' (from unroasted root), if I wanted to get my liquid intake I'd drink water on its own, the dandilion coffee would not be worth the bother to add flavour to it. It probably boils down to our reason for drinking something and personal taste.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 12:14 pm Post subject:

Umm, putting a small hand up here and saying I like coffee substitutes!

I enjoy coffee - got one now - but if I have anything with caffeine in it (even cocoa) from say about tea time onwards I'd never sleep, so as its nice, especially in the winter, to have a warm evening drink I have Barley Cup which is a barley and chicory blend. It doesn't taste much like coffee, I don't pretend it is , but I've drunk it for years and just like it.

I'll crawl back under my stone now.

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 12:18 pm Post subject:
I don't mind what people eat or drink (though I prefer it if they don't do either in the street), it's things being presented as substitutes that annoys me. Eat Carob/drink dandelion root beverage all you like, just don't claim they're a satisfactory replacement for chocolate/coffee.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 12:29 pm Post subject:
That's it, precisely, Sean. I like finding out about things that can be eaten/drunk though, and I like to try them. But I like coffee, tea, wine, butter, chocolate...I would probably like meat but that doesn't mean I wouldn't sometimes just make a chilli with only beans. Julie, I think the barley cup sounds rather nice, so come back out from under that stone

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 3:44 pm Post subject:
Anyone ever made acorn 'coffee'?

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 3:47 pm Post subject:
I've got Dandelion coffee, not the instant stuff but the bits of dried root, it's not bad but a bit of an acquired taste.

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 3:50 pm Post subject:

Cab wrote:

Anyone ever made acorn 'coffee'?

Yeah, it was nothing special, just oaky.

wildfoodie

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 2169

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 05 11:45 am Post subject:

acorn coffee
on a survival course a couple of years ago in scotland, in a group with a guy from Wales, at his suggestion, we boiled up the peeled roasted and mashed acorns and got something a bit like coffee to look at.. I was so hungry by this time I was a bit worried what such a tannin hit would do to my guts, so settled on a nice nettle tea instead! Nigel and my hubby both drank it and both still around to tell the tale!

cleaver seed coffee
Planning to try this year, as I found a recipe in a book on amercian wild food plants. Gather the seeds when turning brown, roast and grind.
jacky

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 05 11:48 am Post subject:
That's finally a use for goosegrass I suppose! One of those plants which is meant to be nice to eat, but I find it horrid!

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 05 11:56 am Post subject:
I'll place a foot in both camps on the "substitute" argument. Having got some "Carrot Whisky" on the go, I am reasonably happy that it has a whisky like taste after a fashion, and so deserves the name.

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 05 9:02 am Post subject:
Tried to make my own from an old recipe found in a very old book, absolutely dire, nothing like coffee at all. I repeat absolutely dire and a complete waste of time and effort!

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