It seems today that the common dandelion doesn't get the respect that it deserves. Sure, it's a weed... a really persistent weed... but there are a variety of uses for the dandelion that most people never even stop to realize. Dandelion leaves can make a great addition to salads or be boiled and served like spinach, and the roots can be ground for use as a coffee substitute. The stems can even be used as a treatment for an upset stomach (not to mention that the plant was once used by the Chinese as a treatment for breast cancer.) The Russian dandelion is even used in the production of rubber. Perhaps one of the greatest uses of dandelions, however, is the making of dandelion wine... an act that has served as a summertime tradition for hundreds of years.

The History of Dandelion Wine

Long before it was a book by Ray Bradbury, dandelion wine was popular across most of Europe. The Europeans often believed that the making of the wine was a magical process, and that the fae (also known as faeries or fairies) helped the process along. After all, they were starting with bitter dandelions and ending up with sweet wine... how can there not be magic involved?

Often, families would get together to collect the dandelions to make their wine with during the late spring or early summer, and would work diligently to collect all that they could for a good batch of wine by fall. The wine made in early summer would age for several months, and then would be opened toward the end of fall and the beginning of winter. Enough wine was usually made to last well beyond the winter, so that by the time that it was gone the next batch was well underway.