Dandelions

[writer811]

Dandelions are very healthy for you and grow quickly and in abundance so they are easy to find. My grandma makes salads from dandelions and cooks the root occasionally. Does anyone here grow dandelions on purpose or gather them when they grow in the wild?

 

[xenon]

Well when my wife decided to buy dandelion seed many years ago I was a bit annoyed. I've changed my mind since. If you do get into them ensure you are harvesting the correct variety.
We now grow and harvest our own. We use them as a tea or coffee. What you do is collect and wash the roots. Chop into small diced pieces and put them on a roasting tray and in the oven at a hot temperature. It is vital to get this process correct as you only want to caramelise them not burn them or cook them too slow. Let them cool down and store away. You can then grind them to make coffee or simply put pieces into a teapot for a tea.If you get it right the tea and coffee is sweet. If not it will be bitter.

 

[Esperahol]

Dandelion greens are something my family knows about because of how often they were cooked during the rough times of the 30s when my grandfather was young. No one really eats them now because they're considered a poverty food and they can be difficult to get cooked right.

 

[AppleMay]

I've heard of this but have never tried it. I didn't realize though that there were different varieties with some being better then others. I'm thinking there are some good books out on this that would help someone who is a novice?

 

[Nina]

This is a great history lesson. My family came from a country background and ate all sorts of greens. They have never mentioned having dandelion greens, but I'll bet that's because there was a stigma attached to them. We made many a dandelion necklace when I was growing up. Dandelions were for making flower necklaces.

 

[shaunche]

Yep, wild dandelions are abundant at my nature reserve and I will never turn down free food! We usually make dandelion tea. Organic dandelion tea bags are quite expensive in the shops, no need to pay when you have a field full of dandelion.

 

[plsargent]

I never knew there were more then one "type" of dandelion. How do you know which are the sweet ones and which are the bitter ones. We have them all over our yard and normally just let the chickens eat them. But if we could eat them and use them that would be wonderful!

 

[writer811]

I never heard that before, that there was a poverty stigma attached to dandelions. I think it's ridiculous. It's a great food, very nutritious and doesn't taste bad when you prepare it right. It's sheer stubbornness and misplaced pride that keeps a stigma on dandelions.