This spring, I’ve committed to going out to forage at least once a week. You can read about that here. This week was easy; I went out to my yard and harvested dandelion greens.
I’ve eaten a leaf here and there, but this is the first time I’ve harvested enough for a meal. It won’t be the last; we genuinely enjoyed the greens!
Foraging
Dandelion is probably one of the most recognizable plants on the planet. Despite the fact that it is often scorned as a lawn weed, the dandelion is a nutritious powerhouse. It is a source of vitamins A, B, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. (Source)
The entire plant is usable; the roots can be dried and used as a coffee substitute, young leaves are eaten raw, or cooked like spinach, and the flowers are often used to make wine.
My friend Kathy grew up harvesting dandelion – both the greens and the flowers. Here’s what she has to say about picking and cleaning the greens:
Use a paring knife and cut the plant out of the ground in a circular motion retaining some of the root, keeping the plant intact. To clean it, first pick off dried or dead leaves, grass, weeds, and flowers (I usually try to pick before it’s blooming.). Then holding it upside down in my fist, I cut the root off with a little of the leaf stems. I then take the knife and scrape across the cut stems. This brings out any buds, bugs, dirt, etc. Then I toss the cleaned leaves into a sink full of water. When I’m finished cleaning all I’ve picked, I swish it around in the water and scoop it into a colander to drain it.
Eating Dandelions
Dandelion leaves may be tossed with other greens in a salad and are considered a digestive aid. We enjoyed them this week simply sautéed in bacon fat. Young dandelion greens are low in oxalic acid, so there’s no need to blanch them first. Blanching does help to reduce the bitterness of older leaves.
Here are a few recipes to try:
Greens
Dandelion Greens Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette
Dandelion Greens with Ramps, Bacon and Blue Cheese
Flowers
Roots
Dandelion Killer
Perhaps you wouldn’t mind foraging for dandelion, but prefer to do that somewhere other than your lawn. According to the June/July 2013 issue of Organic Gardening Magazine:
The dandelion, at once the most hated and nutritious weed of all, is a bio-accumulator with a deep taproot that draws calcium to the surface. … If the lawn’s topsoil has plenty of calcium, dandelions are less likely to take root there. Ten pounds of high-calcium limestone, gypsum, or wood ash per 1,000 square feet can often make up for a calcium deficiency.
So, instead of looking for a dandelion killer, why not try adding more calcium to your lawn?
More Than Weeds
A Foraging eCourse for Beginners
Are you interested in foraging, but a bit hesitant because you don’t trust your own abilities? I created a mini eCourse just for you. In More Than Weeds: 5 Common Plants to Forage for Food and Medicine you’ll learn that identifying plants is all in the details.
Using common plants with which may be someone familiar you’ll learn beginner botany skills that you will be able to use as you move forward. You’ll gain confidence to use these plants for your family in food and safe, home remedies. Get started now!
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Shannon @ GrowingSlower says
Wow! My husband and I were just talking about whether you could eat the flowers or not. I can’t wait to try foraging for Dandelions and trying out some of these ideas.
Susan Vinskofski says
I’m looking forward to making wine myself.
Yanic A. says
How do you know if the leaves are too old to eat? If there a time where the leaves go from edible to not?
Great post! I have to do it this year… we have so many, I almost feel like I’m wasting food!
Susan Vinskofski says
Generally you would want to harvest the leaves before the flower starts to form. You can eat the leaves at any stage; it’s just that they get bitter as they get older. Blanching should take some of the bitterness away.
Yanic A. says
Thank you for being so quick to respond. We are just now starting to get some so I guess picking is in order! 🙂
Kat says
Do you know if the infusion for jelly can be frozen? I have a lot of dandelions and not enough sugar or cash to obtain it now.. Lol
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Kat, my guess would be yes, but I don’t personally have experience doing that. 🙁
Holly Bose (Your Gardening Friend) says
John and I tried dandelion leaves for the first time last year. I truly enjoyed the experience. John did comment on the leaf bitterness, so it’s great to know that blanching can help reduce the bitterness. I wasn’t aware of that. Thanks for the tip!
Next, I’m looking forward to making root tea and trying the flowers.
I’m curious how the dandelion root coffee compares to the taste of regular coffee. Do you know how the taste compares to coffee?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Holly, I’ve had raw dandelion root tea, but not roasted “coffee”, so I’m not sure how that compares.
Sarah @ Nature's Nurture says
Great roundup of recipes here! And thanks for including my syrup recipe 🙂
Susan Vinskofski says
🙂
Victoria Brofman says
I grew up eating dandelion greens. We would dig them in the spring BEFORE the buds become flowers. Different from the blog, we would keep the buds and after cleaning place them in the sink with about a cup of salt. This will kill any bugs or slugs and they will float out. Remove from the sink, drain out the water, and put the greens back in the sink and wash under running cold water. Put in a BIG pot, add water, and a generous piece of salt pork, bring to a boil and cook for about a half hour. We would eat a good serving for supper that night and the rest went into containers in the freezer for winter. Sometimes we would go “dig” every evening for two or three weeks until the greens were too big and bitter. They are best served with butter and vinegar and, of course, the salt pork. Sometimes my mom would put in some peeled spring potatoes to cook with them. The potatoes would take on the green color of the dandelions. This is the way my folks learned to cook them from their folks. This is probably two hundred years old.
Susan Vinskofski says
Sounds like a wonderful way to grow up!!!
Victoria Brofman says
Oh and by the way, the wine made from the blossoms is very, very potent. While you won’t get “drunk” like with regular wine you may lose your ability to walk as you legs seem to disappear!
desirae says
I have always wanted to harvest all of the dandelion I see, I just worry about pesticides and things. Is this a concern to anyone else?
Susan Vinskofski says
Absolutely! Harvest only where you know for certain that nothing has been sprayed.
Anna@Green Talk says
I make dandelion jelly but it takes forever to remove the flowers from the stems.
Susan Vinskofski says
I just discovered that fact myself yesterday when I started my winemaking process!
Kristin says
Great post. i love throwing some of the leaves in to my smoothies this time of year – so beneficial.
Congrats on being chosen as a featured post on this week’s Wildcrafting Wednesdays! I hope you’ll join us again and share more of your awesome posts.
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Amy says
What about the flowers how do you eat them or make tea
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Amy, in the post above under “Flowers”, there are several links to ways to use them. Fritters are my favorite! They can be added to salads, or used in tea like any other herb. Enjoy!
Teresa Mattsen says
My mom has been eating them and making the tea for years. I’ve never tried but I think I just might. She’s always telling to let her know when I start to get Dandelions.
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Teresa, you have a wise mother!!!
Alyssa says
If you clean the flowers and rinse them in a colander and dry them getting the majority of insects out, but then you infuse them with vinegar and behold there are a few bugs in the jars with dandelions and vinegar — are they okay? Or do the few bugs ruin the whole jar of infused vinegar? I am so disappointed ??
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Alyssa, yes, that’s a disappointment. I really don’t know the answer to your question. I’m pretty easy going about things and would probably still use the vinegar, but that’s not a decision I can make for you.