Ten Ways to Appreciate Dandelions

(When this article originally appeared on Associated Content, at least one Yahoo editor hated it and didn't want to pay for it. Supposedly it wouldn't work with any ad...although Yahoo sponsors claimed to be Green. In fact, this article attracted advertising from a sponsor I hadn't seen on Yahoo before.)

Who made the decision that dandelions are less pretty than daffodils and buttercups? Maybe dandelions acquired their low status, relative to the other beautiful yellow flowers of spring, because they're so easy to grow.


Americans usually need a lot of practice in thinking for themselves before they can admit that dandelions are pretty. Nevertheless, True Greens appreciate dandelions. If you don't love these flowers as much as higher-status flowers of the same color, you need help from someone who does.

(Warning: Eating dandelions that grow within ten feet of a paved road, or on land that has been poisoned with chemical pesticides, is not recommended.)

1. When you really don't want dandelions crowding more delicate plants in the garden, watch for the first evidence of dandelions, and dig them up by the roots. Dandelion roots can be dried and brewed into herbal tea. Like Chinese tea and coffee, dandelion tea has a bitter taste and a stimulant effect. (In French and some other languages, the common names for dandelions refer to this stimulant effect, having literal meanings like "wet-the-bed.") Used in moderation, dandelion tea can be beneficial.

2. If you want a much milder stimulant, harvest dandelion shoots as soon as you recognize the jagged shape of the baby leaves. At this stage they're about as bitter as romaine. They contain Vitamins A and C, potassium, and other nutrients. They will become tougher and more bitter as they grow, so try to use them in salads before they are three inches long, while they're crunchy and "interesting" rather than overpowering.

3. If dandelion greens have outgrown their "salad days," try cooking them with other greens. The bitter flavor (and medicinal properties) will be noticeable, but a few dandelion leaves can make spinach more interesting.

4. If flowers have appeared, use them as anchors for a meditation on prejudice. Do you really think dandelions look "bad" while daffodils look "good"? When and where did you pick up this belief?

5. Pick the dandelion blossoms before they go to seed. They'll close up after a few hours, but they can be used as garnishes or centerpieces.

6. Dandelion blossoms add an interesting flavor to drinks on which they're allowed to float. Wine lovers even brew dandelion wine, in which the flowers are fermented with yeast and sugar. If you don't want wine, float dandelion garnishes on sweet, fruity drinks to find your own favorite recipe for "dandelion-ade."

7. If you have lots of dandelion flowers, make dandelion chains, like daisy chains, to use as leis or tiaras. They won't last as long as daisy chains, but they're just as much fun.

8. Notice the white sap in the flower stalk where you have picked dandelion blossoms. This sap is a powerful herbal astringent. Although its antiviral properties have yet to be exploited by the pharmaceutical industry, you can use your long-stemmed dandelion blossoms (picked near the ground) to remove warts. Crush the stalk against the skin. If one dandelion stalk does not dry up a wart, use another one.

9. If you have plantar warts (on the "plantar surface," the sole of the foot) or know someone who does, try walking around in an old pair of canvas shoes with no socks, only dandelion stalks between your foot and the shoe, for a few days. Remove the pulp of the stalks when the sap has soaked into the shoe. If the odor bothers you, sprinkle a little baking soda into the shoe and continue the treatment. Warts should disappear within a week. The shoe will never be the same, which is why it's best to use old, cheap shoes.

10. With all these ways to use dandelions, you shouldn't have to look at the white seed heads unless you want to. People who have learned to appreciate dandelions don't mind watching them go to seed. If you do, harvest the stalks. Dried dandelion stalks, without the seed heads, can be added to mulch and compost.

SOURCES

Dandelion recipes: Euell Gibbons, Stalking the Wild Asparagus

Dandelions in medicine:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/dandelion-000236.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6186812/does_dandelion_work.html?cat=68

See also:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5931206/dandelion_root_contraindications.html?cat=68