I used to think it was only weirdos who drank decaf coffee, now I am one of those weirdos, and despite the lack of caffeine I can still get out of bed in the morning. The really good thing is it is also easier to get to sleep at night. (Hands up all the middle-aged insomniacs).
While it seems everyone is going helter skelter with caffeine to try to keep energetic in this world where you are expected to be full speed ahead all the time, caffeine is also a building block for the stress hormone cortisol (the fight or flight hormone). If you would rather feel relaxed and happy than on a knife edge of stress, giving up caffeine is one of the cures.
Both dandelion and chicory are beneficial for liver and gallbladder health, are diuretics and antioxidants. According to a 2011 study published in Toxicology Research, "Dandelion coffee reduced acne related inflammation while increasing hydration and collagen production". A 2012 Japanese study found dandelion had potent anti-ageing properties capable of reducing facial wrinkles. All a bonus really, I just want it for its coffee-like taste.
There are a couple of warnings though — ingesting chicory and dandelion coffee has not been proven completely safe for pregnant women and the diuretic effect means too much would not be good for you and it would be wise to limit your intake to just a couple of cups a day.
I planted chicory in a raised bed with a fine tilth, which made it much easier to harvest. I have planted dandelions in a similar situation this year.
Harvest your roots in autumn of their second season by using a garden fork to loosen the soil to enable the pulling up of the whole root.
Chop off the tops and give the roots a really good scrub with a vegetable brush, before slicing into small pieces, as evenly sized as possible (about the size of a pea), then spread them on trays in your hot water cupboard to dry.
You can store them in sealed jars or tins at this point until needed.
The magic bit is yet to come. The chopped and dried roots need to be roasted just the right amount so they taste like coffee. I was forever burning mine in the oven, or not roasting them enough resulting in a nasty bitter brew. The trick is an electric popcorn maker. We got ours from an op shop for under $10 (bonus, it makes popcorn too).
Popcorn makers work by blowing really hot air around the roasting roots, keeping them moving and roasting evenly all over.
The little bits of root are inclined to shoot out the chute, but I might invent something that will stop this happening in future.
I left my 50/50 mix of chicory and dandelion roots in the popcorn maker until it stopped of its own accord, which proved to be the perfect roast, and then ground them in a coffee grinder.
Use two teaspoons per person made in an espresso pot and serve with frothed milk or cream. I use barista oat milk. It is a surprisingly good drink and has other benefits, such as costing nothing (the bought stuff is horrendously expensive) and there are no food miles for your cuppa. There are no supply chain problems either.
It is really easy to grow a couple of years’ supply, then you can sit back with a nice cup of Joe and think about what you are going to spend your extra $20 a week (coffee money) on. It is better than a tax cut.
