Dandelion “Honey”
Spring is just around the corner, bringing with it an abundance of beautiful flowers that can be used to make wonderful natural products!
Enough chit-chat — let’s get straight to it! Here’s our recipe for making delicious dandelion jelly, also known as dandelion “honey”
Ingredients:
- 800 dandelion flower heads
- 3 kg of sugar
- 3 litres of water
- 8 organic lemons
- A lot of patience 🙂
Pick the dandelion flowers in the morning, after at least two sunny days, and away from sources of pollution (ideally in the high mountains).
Make sure to pick only the flower heads, without the stems.
We don’t wash the flowers, so as not to lose their precious pollen. Instead, we carefully check them one by one to make sure there are no insects.
Place the flowers in the 3 litres of water and bring to a boil. Add the organic lemons, cut into thick slices.
Simmer over very low heat for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool. It’s best to cover the pot, as the wonderful aroma is so enticing that it attracts all kinds of insects.
Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with a clean kitchen towel. Then use the towel to squeeze out every precious drop of liquid by hand.
Return the liquid to the heat (discard the cooked flowers) and add the sugar. Cook over low heat for two hours, stirring very frequently. Never turn up the heat, as this could cause the mixture to caramelize.
At the end of cooking, pour the hot dandelion “honey” into screw-top jars and leave them to cool, allowing a vacuum seal to form.
It is best to wait at least one month before consuming it.
You can use it as a substitute for sugar or honey (making it suitable for vegans), spread it on bread, or pair it with cheese.
Like other dandelion-based products, it is traditionally associated with purifying properties.
Let us know how your dandelion “honey” turns out! Share it on our Facebook page — we’re curious to see your results!
The time for a true Digital Detox holiday is NOW!
I don’t think there has ever been a time when a Digital Detox in Madonna di Campiglio has been more necessary than now, given what we have been through and are still going through. For more than a year now, our interpersonal relationships have been confined to the screen of a smartphone or a computer.
Without even mentioning our grandparents, who were forced into isolation and had to adapt to technology that was often difficult for them to understand; or the children and teenagers, like our own kids, who, between remote learning and being deprived of social interaction, will carry the consequences of this period with them… unless we act quickly with long periods of Digital Detox—returning to beauty, to a sense of wonder, to passion, to sport and, why not, to the healthy kind of boredom that gives us time to reflect.
And then there’s you, the “middle generation,” the majority of our regular guests, who, on top of maintaining interpersonal relationships via smartphone, have had to carry out most, if not all, of their work while constantly connected.
And so, you may ask, what’s the solution? We don’t have any solutions, but a stay at Chalet Fogajard in Madonna di Campiglio, approached with the right mindset and a willingness to embrace at least a period of Digital Detox, is certainly a good starting point for reclaiming your time. Your real time. The genuine, tangible kind—not the virtual one.
At Chalet Fogajard, you’ll have the opportunity to switch all your devices OFF and switch your life and your relationships ON.
One of the first steps is to let go of thoughts about what will need to be organized when you return, your commitments, and your new work projects. Stop. You’re on holiday, so your mind should be free and light. Simply managing to do this will stop you from constantly checking your phone and, why not, you might even forget about it. Bring a camera with you, like we used to do in the old days. It will keep you from reaching for your smartphone every time you want to take a photo or capture a memory. Carry those memories with you in your heart; there’s no need to share them online immediately with people who aren’t there with you.