14
whatsupyukon.com
July 14, 2021 column with
Michele Genest
GATHER Michele Genest is a Whitehorse-based chef and writer. She is also somewhat of a gardener. Michele has also written two books “The Boreal Feast - A Culinary Journey Through The North” and “The Boreal Gourmet - Adventures In Northern Cooking.”
We’d Like To Help Your Business Soar
DANDELION SEASON
WHATSUPYUKON.COM e sales@whatsupyukon.com
p 867-667-2910, ext. 2
PHOTO: Upper lower case
Clayton’s CAR CARE Tips
Mixing flower with flour
HOW ARE THINGS UNDER THE HOOD OF YOUR CAR? Have you had a look under your hood, how are your fluid levels, what about your belts and hoses. Most owners manuals show you where to check fluids at, if you have to add any fluids make sure they are the ones for your car. The belts and hoses are sometimes a little harder to check, if you are unable to check them or have any questions, take your car to your mechanic so they can have a look at it for you.
Tire Shop: MON-SAT 7:30-5:30 Mechanical Shop: MON-FRI 8-5
867-667-6102 107 INDUSTRIAL ROAD
Don’t hate them! Not only are dandelions beautiful, the bees love them and we should too! They are delicious. Instead of pulling dandelions out of the lawn and heaving them into the compost, try cooking them. The flowers can be turned into fritters, cakes, wine, or jelly. The greens are great in salads when they’re young and tender, or briefly cooked after the plant has flowered. Once the seed heads have developed, the greens are still edible, but they need a bit more cooking to tone down the bitterness. For they are bitter, that’s one of the attractions of dandelion greens; like radicchio, escarole and mustard, they add bite and interest to salads or cooked dishes (for salads, if you’re unused to dandelion greens, try combining them with sweeter lettuces). As with any wild food, it’s important to be sure you’ve correctly identified dandelions—the familiar yellow flowers help, but pick with a knowledgeable friend or bring a good field guide with you. It’s also important to eat dande-
Not only are dandelions beautiful, the bees love them and we should too! They are delicious. Instead of pulling dandelions out of the lawn and heaving them into the compost, try cooking them
lions sparingly until you know you won’t have an allergic reaction. And, as always, avoid picking by busy roadsides, or where you think herbicides or pesticides might have been used. When picking, gather the leaves of the dandelions together with one hand. With the other, slip your knife underneath the crown and slice so that each plant comes out of the earth in an attached bundle. This makes them much easier to clean—simply hold them by the crown and plunge up and down into the water. Old-fashioned recipes for garden greens tell us to “wash in several waters.” This is good advice, particularly for dandelions—typically it takes five or six changes of water before they’re really clean. Before chopping, cut off the crown and remove any wilted leaves. If you get a flower or two into the mix, that’s great, but avoid the stems. As you may remember
from childhood, they take bitterness to a mouth-puckering extreme. CHEESY DANDELION QUESADILLAS The bitterness of young dandelion leaves mostly disappears in the cooking, but just enough remains to give these quesadillas some bite. Ingredients • 1 medium onion, finely chopped • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 2 tbsp butter • 4 packed cups chopped dandelion leaves, well washed • 6 oz mozzarella, grated • 4 oz old cheddar, grated • Salt and pepper to taste • 8 homemade flour tortillas
cont’d on page 17 ...
Friday
from 8pm to 10pm
CKRW.com | Phone: (867)-668-6100 ext.230 |
Email: info@ckrw.com
