Lesser Celandine in full bloom in the Burren, bringing much needed little bursts of sunshine to our lives, reminding us that Spring is here and of all the many beautiful blooms to come…
The dense flowered orchid is a small pale orchid with stems of 12-25cm high, few light green leaves, tiny (3-4mm) creamy white flowers with greenish- pink hues forming a dense cylindrical spike,.
Making Dandelion flower syrup, April 2021
Delicious and fun to make, Dandelion flower syrup is one of the wildflower based foods that I like to make every year
I usually collect my dandelions from my father’s field, knowing that he doesn’t use any chemical sprays, in return for a jar of wildflower syrup, everyone is happy.
In fact my children collect the 400 flower heads as their part of the process, the rest of the job I gladly complete
Removing the yellow flowerheads from the green bracts is a slow task, usually the flowers begin to close shortly after collecting them, this makes the job of separating the petals from the bracts easier
The recipe I use is an adaption from one of my favourite books – Ireland’s Generous Nature by Peter Wyse Jackson
Dandelion Flower Syrup recipe:
You will need 400 dandelion flower heads, 1 kg of sugar and 1 lemon, and 600ml of water
Place petals (without green bracts) in a pot, add 600ml water, simmer for an hour, squeeze in the juice of a lemon and leave to steep overnight.
Next day strain, add all the sugar and boil gently for aprox 1.5 to 2 hours or until the consistency of a nice golden coloured syrup is achieved. Pour into sterilised jars and cover.
Delicious on porridge, over pancakes, on toast, in drinks,
……full of nutritional benefits to boost. (See Dandelion in wild herb section)
Intense blue flowers of the Spring Gentian, electrifying the Burren landscape this Spring. This Arctic-alpine species is regarded by many as the jewel in the flora of the Burren. The Burren is the stronghold for this species in Ireland.