Monday, April 27, 2009

Dandelions

As you might have noticed, I haven't blogged as regularly recently, and here is the reason: The gardening season has begun ! We have been eating our own spinach and green onions already, planted a lot of stuff and worked on our other garden beds to prepare them for what will soon be planted in them.

Tomorrow we will harvest a particular crop that grows unasked, but certainly not unwelcome, and in abundance: Dandelion greens.

Dandelions have roots that go very deep into the soil. Thus, they draw lots of minerals and nutrients to the surface of the soil, and store them in their greens too. Therefore, they are a very healthy addition to our, and your, diet, if you take the time to pick them.

All parts of the plant are edible, really, here is a list of uses (via About.com):
  • Dandelion root can be roasted as a coffee-substitute, or boiled and stir-fried as a cooked vegetable.
  • Dandelion flower can be made into a wine, or boiled and stir-fried as a cooked vegetable.
  • Dandelion greens (i.e., the leaves) can be boiled, as you would spinach, and used as a cooked vegetable, in sandwiches or as a salad green with some "bite."
After cutting them, wash your dandelion greens well, and cook them like spinach. A little bit of garlic and onion goes well with it, and if you add Parmesan cheese when you serve it, I am sure you will like it, too.

Gather your dandelions while you may.

2 comments:

  1. They come premixed in the spring greens we buy and taste good, but I always though it would feel weird to pick them. You must live somewhere a bit south too... our snow just melted here! (though there are still a couple of big piles in parking lots) I'm trying to grow seedlings to plant late May/early June but they're not doing too well...

    Trina

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  2. Trina,

    Thanks for commenting again.

    I guess you share this feeling with many - if you buy it at the store, it's fine, but picking a "wild" green yourself feels funny. I have to say, however, that there is nothing weird about picking dandelion greens, as much as there is nothing weird about harvesting your spinach or salad.

    I guess it is time to realize that there will be times again, and they might come sooner than we expect, when we won't be able to grocery shop anymore like we are used to, for one reason or another.

    So good luck with your seedlings, maybe they will take off once the weather gets a little warmer.

    Grace and Peace,
    Talitha

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