is a unique approach to everyday cooking that develops easy to follow and customizable recipes. Whether meat and potatoes are your thing or your menu is mostly fruits and vegetables, we teach you to improvise on a daily basis.
Read Susan's Foodie Lit review of
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook and discussion with educator Jennifer Avery on her experiences reading children's books with recipes.
Little House on the Prairie Dandelion Soup
"What!" we thought. "Eat weeds from our garden? You've got to be kidding!" What a shock--this soup was delicious!
You can pick dandelion leaves in your own yard but be very sure that no chemicals have been sprayed. Early spring provides the tenderest new leaves.
We used dandelions from our garden and washed them multiple times to be sure they were very clean. If you prefer, try your supermarket, farm stand or specialty store. If you cannot find dandelion leaves, you may substitute other greens, such as spinach, kale or collard greens.
The slightly peppery taste of the dandelion leaves are worth the effort to make the recipe the way the Ingalls and Wilder families enjoyed it!
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the beloved Little House on the Prairie series. She also wrote a cookbook later in her life which included this Dandelion Soup, a recipe from her childhood on the frontier.