Taraxacum officinale

  • Aster family
  • Native to Asia (we think, but are not actually sure)
  • There are hundreds of varieties, but they are difficult to tell apart, and they are all very similar
  • Pink dandelions exist, though

 

 

Dandelions

They seem to appear everywhere

Yards, garden beds, fields, sidewalk and driveway cracks. These tough plants pop up just about anywhere!

Some people spend hours of time and hundreds of dollars to try to change that fact, nearly insulted by the very thought of a dandelion appearing in the uniform green lawn.

Honeybees don’t mind, though. And neither should you! Dandelions are more than just an annoyance. They are actually both edible and nutritious. Just ask the honeybees!

 

To Eat?

Dandelions may seem like an odd addition to a salad, but they are actually a commonly eaten green.

Dandelion leaves contain:

  • Potassium, an important mineral
  • Vitamins A, B, C and D
  • Other minerals

People consume dandelions…

  • As a salad green, with raw fresh leaves
  • As a tea, made from young leaves
  • As roasted roots, steeped instead of coffee or eaten as a vegetable
  • As fresh flowers

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich from Pexels

Collecting Dandelions

If you are going to try eating this nutritious snack food, here are some tips to remember.

First, know where you are getting them from. Never pick or dig up dandelion from an area that has used dangerous chemicals. Also, if it is not your yard, make sure you have permission to take them.

Second, keep in mind that younger leaves and plants will taste better than older ones.

 

Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about picking too many and destroying the plant. Even a small bit of the tip of the root left behind can ensure that the plant will continue to grow.

 

 

 

 

Dandelions in the Lawn

Contrary to what some people believe, dandelions do not actually compete with grass growing in the lawn. The roots grow from much deeper down, and fill in between grass roots. They may complete visually, but once you learn to appreciate that golden glow of a dandelion field, why would you want otherwise?

 

 

This spring’s project:

Time to grow some PINK dandelion seeds! Stay tuned for updates on how this new variety turns out!

 

 

Update! It did not take long at all for the pink dandelion seeds to sprout, and now we’ve got little baby dandelions growing happily! Let’s wait and see as they get bigger and bigger!