Contrary to popular belief, dandelion is a beneficial plant to have. Dandelion is a prodigious multiplier, but the real reason why it has become so wide spread is more to do with its use as medicine and source of nutrients. The root of the dandelion can be dried and roasted and used as coffee substitute or added to any recipe that calls for root vegetables.įor herbalogists, though, dandelion is a powerful remedy. The flowers are sweet and crunchy, and can be eaten raw or breaded and fried, or even used to make dandelion wine.

Dandelion leaves can be harvested at any point in the growing season, and while the smaller leaves are considered to be far less bitter and more palatable raw, the bigger leaves can be eaten as well, especially as an addition to a green salad, stir fried, or added to soup, or steamed, which can make them less bitter. The quintessential garden and lawn weed, dandelions have a bad reputation among those who want grass that looks as uniform as a golf course, but every part of this common edible weed is tasty both raw and cooked, from the root to the blossoms. And unless we’ve been exposed to eating plants that are seen as common garden weeds, we see them as garden pests. Part of the resistance to eating plants that we believe to be weeds, is that we are conditioned to only consider the items we buy in the market as food, and not things that the rest of the neighbourhood sees as unwelcome invaders in lawns and gardens.

Infact, if you’ve spent countless of hours battling your dandelions, you might find a certain satisfaction in abandoning your hoes and sprays and simply eat the ‘‘enemy.” Edible and nutritious, but can be a great homegrown (and free) addition to our meals.

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