Tiny tight dandelion flower buds, black berry leaves, fresh young grape leaves, along with salt, sugar, vinager, black peppercorns an a single clove bud form the recipe that will make Pickled Dandelion Flower Buds.

Now when I say, tiny and tight, I mean it, these should be the first spring buds that have not even yet risen up on their stalks, they should be found in a tight cluster deep in the middle of the plant, you will have a very narrow window in the spring to find these at their peek. Clean them well, if you want them less bitter, I have read that you can reduce it by soaking them in salt water, but I have not done this, so don’t know if true or not!

Think a lovely wild caper.. and they can be made to be more sharp/bitter or they can be made to be a touch more sweet/salty/with a bitter bite to them.. either way is yum but I tend to lean personally towards the sweet/salty brines with them.

Some folks tell me that they just put them in with vinager, cover and pickle them, some add salt, or a wine vinager and brine/vinager them..

I am going right out and well beyond that.. to make one pint.

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup of white plain vinger
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 and half cups of tight buds
• half a cup of even mix of blackberry leaves (fresh young) and grape leaves(fresh young)
• 4 or 5 black pepper corns
• 1 clove garlic (if you want, it changes the flavour so do try it both ways)
• 1 whole clove
• 2 tsp of sea salt

Put your buds, and leaves in a clean hot jar, bring the rest of the mix to a boil, then simmer for ten min, back to a boil and then pour over then, and put your lid on.. (yes you are open kettle canning here) allow to cool, place in fridge and allow to pickle for two to four weeks, can be served with fish, or lamb or a whole host of other ways..