Eating Dandelions: Collecting, Cleaning, and Cooking
A foreign farmer talks about the daily consumption of dandelions. His mother began picking flowers and feeding them to the whole family as soon as their heads began to break through the grass in the backyard.
Raised during the Great Depression on a dairy farm in Vermont, she told many stories of forage plants that complemented a meager diet to keep her from starving. Dandelions, as the first spring greens, rank high on her list of the most important foods.
Related article: dandelion health benefits!
History of appearance
One of the common nicknames comes from the French word for "pissenlit" (to urinate in bed), thanks to the use of dandelion in traditional medicine as an effective potassium-rich diuretic.
Dandelion picking
The idea is to eat the green part of the dandelion. Collect them in a young stage, the underground crowns should be well cleaned. For collection, select an area that has not been exposed to agricultural chemicals and has not been visited by pets.
Trim small, thorny leaves just off the ground as soon as they begin to lean forward. They should be picked before the flowers open (unopened buds are delicious). If you delay in this process, the leaves will become too bitter for food.
To pull the plant out, it is best to use a weeding fork. It sticks about 7 cm into the ground under the dandelion rosette and breaks the articulation of the crown with the root. The dandelion is then pulled out of the ground and the dirt and last year's leaves are removed.
Dandelion cleaning
Pay close attention to removing sand and dirt from all crevices of the formed crown. Let the plants soak in a deep saucepan, changing the water several times. Then cut the crowns, being careful not to damage the leaves, and clean them out. The final rinse can now be carried out and cooking can begin.
Preparation
The smallest green leaves are good for fresh salads. You can also cook them with a couple of onions. For this, chopped onion with a few cloves of garlic is fried in a pan with a little olive oil. Then add greens, some water and evaporate until the leaves are soft.
Dandelions can be used as one of the ingredients in a tonic soup that also consists of young nettle, parsley, spinach, kale and Swiss chard. All herbs are cooked in a well-seasoned chicken broth.
In addition, a strong dandelion flower tea used as a hair rinse adds shine and accentuates light curls.
Dandelions can even make wine
Dandelions in the garden
As a perennial plant, dandelions have fairly deep roots and absorb minerals from the soil, making them inaccessible to small, short-rooted roots. Therefore, do not let the dandelions grow too much and completely pull them out where the vegetables grow.
The bright yellow flowers on the lawn attract pollinating insects to your garden and are also an early source of nectar for many butterflies.
Make sure you can accurately distinguish dandelions from other plants before collecting them. If you have never eaten them before, we recommend that you first prepare and taste a small portion and only then harvest in large quantities. Never pick dandelions from areas that have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals, such as a lawn.
Dandelions have been known since ancient times for their healing properties and positive effects on the body. You can eat them whole, or add them to tea. Either way, you will feel better with regular consumption of this plant.