Yes siree. Quite by accident I happened upon them at Heinen’s grocery store in Rocky River. Steve’s Hooked on Heinen’s ever since they opened their big extravaganza grocery downtown. Well, this is in the opposite direction, so often on one of our days off we’ll take a bus ride out to Rocky River and check out the grocery scene.
Steve just needed a few items for his diet, but mostly just wanted to walk the store, enjoying the ambiance looking for new items – especially new vegan items, but equally important is the produce section, where they carry a lot more variety than local or traditional stores.
While he browsed, so did I. WHAT?! DANDELION GREENS! 4$ for 2 bunches?? HUGE bunches? Is this sign right I asked Steve? He wasn’t paying attention. I checked and double checked. Sure enough. They were on sale. So fresh looking. Like they were just picked.
They didn’t look like the ones I bought from Lucky’s Market. Lucky’s cuts the tops and bottoms off all their greens, but then the cost is through the roof. I’d rather prep my own. By taking the tops off, they take too many good leaves with it.
So way sooner than anticipated, I had 2 bunches of dandelion greens in Steve’s cart. I said I didn’t need a cart today. I was just window shopping. Huh, he probably thought. He likes to separate carts so he can keep track of what he’s buying and spending. Not that it in the end it makes any difference.
At the checkout counter I already know what he’s going to say. “You got this?” I look at him quizzically and he follows with, “I’ll take care of lunch”. It happens every time. That’s what consistency is. Knowing what to expect.
Well I got my ‘LIONS and will mull over what to do with them. For now I’m cleaning them, then putting them away for when I decide. I won’t wait too long, since I know what happens to greens left too long in the refrigerator.
Prepping Dandelion Greens:
We prep dandelion greens much like lettuce greens.
Chop off the bottom mostly stalky parts and discard.
Separate the remaining stalks.
Finger through them to find soiled or black tinged leaves and discard.
Fill a large bowl or pot with cold water and submerge the greens.
Swoosh them around, drain water. Refill the bowl with water, swoosh again making sure that all debris and dirt go down the drain.
Shake excess water from greens. Place in colander for about 30 minutes, turning when the top layers are mostly dry, to expose and dry the undersides.
It may take longer than 30 minutes, depending on how much water you can shake off. Take your time – the greens aren’t going anywhere. They’ll drain while you do something else.
When the greens are ready for refrigeration:
Line a large flat plastic container with several layers paper towels.
Place the greens evenly on top of the towels in the container.
Top the greens with several more layers of paper towels.
Tuck down the sides. Cover and refrigerate till ready to use. Don’t wait more than two days.
Notes: You may be tempted to towel dry these greens to speed the process. Don’t. You may end up wringing the leaves inadvertently and that will destroy the crispness that we’re aiming for as they dry naturally.
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