I was talking with my friend Lynn last week. And she has a field of dandelions ☺️ that she was ready to mow down😨  When she she asked if they were good for anything, I quickly answered “Yes!”

So glad she asked☺️  Lynn runs the popular low-carb blog TravelingLowCarb.com and just so happens dandelion greens are nutritious and low-carb.

In fact, you can eat the entire dandelion plant.  Dandelions are native to Eurasia, and were brought over by early settlers who grew them in their gardens as food and herbal.

For all my friends who have dandelions in your gardens (dandelions coming soon to my garden), here’s a few suggestions of what you can do with this popular ‘weed’:

Dandelion Greens:

Dandelion greens are awesome in salads!  Especially the young spring greens.  Pair with a balsamic vinegarette, sweet onions, and some straweberries. Toss in some pecans or walnuts.  Yum 😋

Quickly saute or stir-fry dandelion greens with garlic.  For a more decadent side, add bacon or pancetta.

Add chopped up dandelion greens to scrambled eggs or an omelette or quiche. The bitter green and eggs taste awesome! especially if you add a bit of parmesan cheese to the mix (although that’s not necessary)

Add chopped dandelion greens to soups for a boost of spring

Anywhere you use spinach or arugula are great recipes to experiment substituting with dandelion greens.

Preserving dandelion greens:  Dandelion leaves can be dried,  or quickly blanched then frozen in the same method as freezing spinach.

My neighbour dries her dandelion leaves and uses them for tea ☕  I find a tea made from dried dandelion leaves a little too ‘green’ tasting for my liking.

I will however, crumble up dried dandelion greens into a smoothie, or add into soups and stews the way I would add dried herbs such as parsley.

A Word Of Caution:  Dandelion leaves contain higher levels of oxalates (as does spinach, beet greens  and other leafy greens), so don’t be going crazy eating tons of dandelion leaves.  Everything in moderation.

Dandelion Flowers:

For me, dandelion flower petals don’t really have much flavour, although some claim they have a honey-like flavour.

But where I find dandelion petals shine is making dishes pretty with their bits of yellow.

Separate the tiny dandelion petals from the base of the flower.  The base of the flower is unpleasantly bitter.

Sprinkle dandelion petals into salads, or on top of any dish you want to brighten up.  Mix dandelion petals with chopped parsley for very spring-themed pop of colour.

Dandelion flower petals also make for pretty yellow specs when added to muffin batter.  I love the specs of yellow baked into blueberry muffins 💛💙

Dandelion petals make for an easy spring substitute for lemon zest – especially where you want the yellow specs effect but don’t care for lemon zest (that would be my son 👦)

Preserving Dandelion Flower Petals:  Dandelion flowers can also be dried to preserve them.  However, they have an uncanny ability to go to seed while drying.

For drying, choose the dandelion flowers the just started blooming (if at all possible).   Even though it’s messier than taking apart dried flowers, I would take apart the flower before drying them.

Dried dandelion flowers can be used to make a tea, or in place of fresh dandelion petals when they are not in season.

Dandelion Roots:

Dandelion roots are  mostly used for a caffeine-free tea, or coffee substitute.  I drink dandelion root tea in the evenings when I feel like a coffee, but don’t want the caffeine.

You can either boil fresh or dried roots for a few minutes to your desired strength.

Or, grind dried or roasted roots (i.e. in a coffee grinder), and either brew like coffee or place the ground dandelion root in a teabag and steep like tea (teabag is my preferred method)

Perserving Dandelion Roots:  Once you dig up the root, slice them thinly or grate the roots.  Then you can either dry the roots.

To roast dried dandelion roots, place in a 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, watching closely so the roots don’t burn.    Fresh dandelion roots can also be roasted at 350 degree F oven for 30 – 40 min.  Stir them around often to prevent burning.

Dandelion Harvesting Tips:

First off, make sure that you are harvesting from a location that there isn’t a risk it’s been sprayed with chemicals.   Many herbicide/pesticide sprays are not approved for use on edible crops.  And most people don’t consider dandelions edible crops.

I harvest dandelions from my garden and yard so I know they have not been sprayed with anything — and the prolific nature of the dandelion ensures there is plenty to harvest each spring.

Dandelion greens are best picked in the spring before they develop too much bitterness.

If you wish to harvest dandelion leaves later in the season, it is beneficial to quickly blanch them in boiling water to remove some of the bitterness.

Harvest dandelion flowers when they first open,  Separate the flower petals from the flower base which is unpleasantly bitter.

Dandelion roots can be harvested in spring or fall.    In my opinion, the best time to harvest dandelion roots is when weeding – lol.

Don’t Have Access To A Safe Supply Of Dandelions?  Or Just Don’t Want To Go Through The Hassle Of Picking Your Own?

Dandelion greens available seasonally in some European and Asian markets.  I often see them at our local Italian grocer.

Roasted dandelion root tea is sold online and in many supermarkets in the herbal tea section.

Lastly, if you don’t want more dandelions in your yard, mow they down before the flowers go to seed.   For a few dandelions, just pick off the flower stem.

Enjoy 🙂
Barb

PS: Here’s the link to Lynn Terry’s Traveling Low Carb blog…click here 

For more dandelion uses and recipes, pick up The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook: 148 recipes for dandelion leaves, flowers, buds, stems, & roots (An Amazon #1 Bestseller!)

 

 

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