Amish Cook shares dandelion salad recipe

Lovina's column will return next week with some interesting activities at the Eicher home. For this week, enjoy the following from the Amish Cook:

This is the time of year when we are really enjoy homemade dandelion green salad. It's something our family enjoys every spring for just a couple of weeks while the dandelions are young and tender. Many readers have sent letters over the past year asking what my recipe is for the salad, so here it is!

DANDELION GREEN SALAD

4 cups dandelion leaves, cut

4 slices of bacon

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

1/2 cup vinegar

2 cups of milk

2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 hard-cooked eggs

Carefully pick over the first young tender dandelion leaves of the season and cut into inch lengths. They must be gathered before the plant blooms. In a skillet, fry the bacon crisp. Remove from pan. Reserve bacon fat. In a separate bowl, mix Miracle Whip, vinegar, milk and optional sugar until smooth and creamy. Some prefer a slightly sweeter salad and little sugar will provide that taste. Add bacon grease to mixture until well blended. Allow mixture to cool and toss dressing through greens until leaves are all coated. Heap salad in a mound and garnish with strips of bacon and slices of egg.