Dandelion time - Detox Tea, Wine and boiled
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| young and tender dandelion leaves |
The dreaded Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), for which we spend tremendous amounts of weed killer money to eradicate, has been prized over the years for its medicinal and nutritious properties.
In fact, dandelion roots, flowers and "dandelion greens" (leaves) are all edible!
Dandelions, with their deep roots, mine the soil and are called “earth nail” by knowing gardeners. Its tenacious taproot, like a carrot but creamy-white under its light-brown skin.
Dandelions are a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Dandelion has been traditionally used for hundreds of years to give your liver a little love and support kidney function by increasing the flushing of waste from the kidneys.
Native Americans used dandelion decoctions (liquid made by boiling down the herb in water) to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and stomach upset.
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| From a great blog: Sierra Foothills Garden |
• Dandelion roots can be roasted as a coffee-substitute, or boiled and stir-fried as a cooked vegetable.
• Dandelion flowers can be made into a wine.
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| from Little house on the urban prairie |
• Dandelion greens can be boiled, as you would spinach, and served as a vegetable or can be inserted in sandwiches or used as a salad green (it has a little "bite.")
Dandelion greens are high in vitamins A and C, and iron! The French even have a well-known soup called creme de pissenlits (cream of dandelion soup), which is easy to make.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/eating-dandelions.html
from Embracing My Health blog
Boiling them or stir frying them will further reduce their bitterness.
from the Herbwife's Kitchen website
My musings: It makes sense that, at the end of winter, when our ancestors were probably hungry and vitamin deficient, that Nature would see to it that they had a great source of vitamins proliferating all around them! No one had to seed them or turn over the soil...the Dandelions appeared just for the picking!
And today we spend so much money just to make them go away....something is wrong here.
Just make sure to avoid harvesting near roads, since road salt and/or toxins may be present. Likewise, you obviously shouldn't harvest from a lawn where herbicides have been used.
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| From Wellness Mama |
I have roasted the roots to make "dandelion coffee" a few times. I didn't care for the flavor, but used i all up by mixing half and half with regular coffee beans. It was a lot of work to dig and clean the roots, for very little end product. I don't know if I'll make that effort again. Never tried eating the greens, though.
ReplyDeletethat is a lot of work!...impressive, Jeane. The leaves are a lot easier.
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