Taraxacum officinale ~ Dandelion
I love and appreciate dandelion. As an herbalist, I know the many ways dandelion can benefit your health, it’s one of my favorite herbs.
Yet, until I became interested in homesteading, I can’t say that I ever considered ways to eat and enjoy dandelion. I had no idea what I was missing! Our fore-mothers made regular use of foraged herbs and were skilled in identifying what was edible and what wasn’t. There was no “organic section” and many times, no grocery store to depend on back then. I am often in awe of how intelligent and skilled the women of past generations really were.
Untreated dandelion is plentiful in my area, why not look for a way to use it? Every part of the plant can be used, it’s organic and full of vitamins and minerals! (When harvesting dandelion, look for young ones.)
When I look out back at acres of the stuff, I can’t help but wonder how to make use of this free and organic food source!
Dandelion includes:
| One of the richest sources of beta caroteneof all herbs (10161 IU per 100g, which is 338 percent of the RDA) | Numerous flavonoids, including FOUR times the beta carotene of broccoli; also lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin | Possibly the HIGHEST herbal source of vitamin K 1, providing 650 percent of the RDA |
| Vitamins, including folic acid, riboflavin, pyroxidine, niacin, and vitamins E and C | Great source of minerals, including magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, and iron | Leaves rich in dietary fiber, as well as a good laxative |
Dandelion leaves can be used in salads, soups, juiced, cooked the same way as spinach, or dried (with flowers) to make dandelion tea. The root can be dried and roasted and used as a coffee substitute, and the flowers can be used to make dandelion wine. (The greens can be sauteed with olive oil and onion to add to eggs for a wonderful frittata! KM)
Dandelions are known for the following therapeutic properties:
- Laxative and diuretic; useful for premenstrual bloating and edema.
- Normalizing blood sugar and cholesterol (dandelion root).
- Tonic; appetite stimulant and a good general stomach remedy.
- Liver cleanser; remedy for liver and gall bladder problems ( I have personally used dandelion root to keep my grumpy gall bladder under control).
- Agent for treating burns and stings (inside surface of flower stems)
- Leaves are known to help with anemia, again, personal experience speaking. KM.
Dandelions also have antiviral effects so may be useful in combating herpes and AIDS. For more information on the nutritional and medicinal properties of dandelions, go to this article by Leaf Lady.
Be careful not to confuse dandelion plants with Hawksbeard, which can look very similar. Hawksbeard won’t kill you, but it certainly doesn’t offer the great nutritional benefits of dandelion. Here is a video showing how to tell them apart. (source)
In my quest to make dandelion our latest culinary delight, I found more ways to eat and enjoy dandelion that you can shake a stick at! Here’s a few…
* Batter Fried Dandelion Blossoms (my neighbor recommends this!)
* Dandelion Greens sauteed in Ginger Butter
I LOVE this book! It is so user friendly and also has tons of yummo recipes in the back!
Have YOU ever eaten dandelion? Do you have a favorite recipe or story about it to tell and share?
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About kmorris
I guess if you cant keep out of your lawn, you might as well embrace them, lol!
My yard doesn’t have too many dandelions…I’ve been letting my rabbits and girl child out to roam. They’ve cleared most of the dandelions. The best way I’ve eaten a dandelion and to feed it to a rabbit. You’re so weird. Or rabbits are really really smart. They love dandelions.
Sara,
I think it’s a little bit of both.
LOVE dandelion root tea!
Cindy,
Ditto!
Oh, I love all of the ways Dandelions can be utilized… My front lawn is blossoming with them right now. I can only imagine how a field of them would inspire you to learn more about them! I’ve just got to try at least one of these great ideas you listed here! Have a wonderful day Kelly! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Debbie, thanks for your comment!
Kelly the Dandelion was my favorite flower when I was growing up and then someone laughed at me and said it was a weed not a flower. I guess I spent my whole life liking weeds and I am okay with that! ha ha LOL! I consider myself to be an herbalist too but we don’t have a lot of dandelions in our area believe it or not I live in suburbia but people unfortunately use chemicals to get rid of them I don’t know why I am just wanting to cook some up so recently a friend of mine told me I could come pick some at a ditch near her house. Thanks so much for this blog post on a subject that is near and dear to my heart and Thanks for linking up at The Ole’ Saturday Homesteading Trading Post!
Thanks for commenting, KarenLynn! And you can always come over to my place, we’ve got acres of them!
Where I live (Toronto, Canada), pesticide use is very, very low, if not non-existent; so the dandelions are in full bloom right now on many peoples’ lawns, except for the few who obsessively tend to their lawns, eradicating any and all weeds in sight! I made some dandelion fritters for the first yesterday and drizzled some honey on them…they were so good! I can’t wait to try other recipes for this amazing weed!
Sarah,
Great to hear about your fritters, they sound wonderful! Thanks for commenting!
Hi Kelly,
This would be such a great post to share on Wildcrafting Wednesday! I hope you’ll join us.
Thanks!
~ Kathy
Since young nettles are also available right now, I saute the dandelion and nettle leaves together in oil with ramps (wild onion). I’ll also add whatever else I have available, maybe garlic or red peppers, season with salt, pepper, butter, or whatever sounds appealing at the time.
W. Kathy,
That sounds yummy!
My favorite way to eat dandelion is with bacon of course! Pound of bacon cooked, saute onion and some garlic in a little bacon fat, add greens and flours of dandelion (can substitute any green to make mock dandelion salad), easier to do this in a pot, add copped cooked bacon and some pre cooked potato(chopped up baked potato works well, no skins). salt and pepper to taste, add hot bacon grease on top, stir. Add cider vinegar and chopped up hard boiled eggs. Mom made this often growing up. Definitely a favorite! I like a lot of cider vinegar.
Matt,
That sounds wonderfullllllll!
i use those flovers for icecream- just need 2 pluck the flover from the floverhead- put em in birch juice ( from birch trees) for a night- and cook it into sirup- blend it into ur icecream before u freeze it:) tastes fantastic vith vanilla in too.
Thought this might interest you, seems you’re on to cancer prevention!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/04/20/wdr-dandelion-tea-research-grant.html
I just started using dandelion last year. Amazing what you can do with it & how good it is for you. I remember my mother always getting rid of them – How silly of her! lol. I tried the leaves in salad last year, & made some lovely coffee too with the roots. This year I plan to experiment a little more, & what better way than seeing all these wonderful recipes. Thanks for sharing
Ellie,
Every year brings new opportunity with dandelion and foraging in general. Good for YOU!!
Dandelion Kimchee
take the crowns from the roots before the flowers are up in the spring, sprinkle with salt, and add to other ingredients, like olives, kale, chard, sorrell, bokchoy, garlic.. allow to ferment. The finest of relishes.
Dandelion Peas
Are the unopened buds of dandelion flowers, and make a fine yellow vegetable. you may want to parboil them if you are fond of blandness, but fried with garlic or steamed with Japanese knotweed, sorrell, young hops shoots, asparagus tips, it is just fine…
Larry,
Interesting! Thanks for sharing!
I have never used dandelion but recently posted a cute story about how my son is always bringing them to me and saying “here Mom it’s your favorite flower” but my favorite flower in the sunflower. I don’t have the heart to tell him. I would love to link back to this blog (?) for a future post about the uses of the flower. And I am going to try some of the above recipes for sure, because we have a lot of those beautiful flowers here in Washington.
Noel,
Cute story, to your son’s credit, both sunflowers and dandelions are yellow! LOL!
Thanks. He’s a cutie. I will post the link back this week.
I am a practitioner of acupuncture and chinese medicine…For cleansing the liver in the spring, I recommend pulling up a dandelion plant, young leaves and root, wash the root well. Combine in a blender with a half a grapefruit….it is fabulous! You can add coconut water, chia seeds….ginger, aloe….get creative! It is a really easy way to get sour, bitter and astringent clearing out the winter sludge! Thanks for your post on my favorite backyard green!
Veronica,
That sounds great, thanks for sharing it. I, too, have been a long time fan of dandelion!
My Father told me about eating dandelions when I was about 5 years old. I’ve been eating the leaves ever since. A nice out door food that’s easy to find.