Dandelions.... Weed or Superfood ?

Dandelion greens are bitter, and more so as the summer does on, and just like lettuce, they become a lot more bitter in the heat, and after they bloom. I am not big on eating just dandelion greens straight, but I do go out and pick a few of those, some chard or beet greens, and maybe some comfrey, and then sauté them all together with some onions, and maybe a dab of meat or bacon if I have some. If I have tomatoes, sometimes I add those into the mix, too.
I don't know that I am ever going to become another "Eat the Weeds" person like Green Deane, but I am at least having fun experimenting.

We have lots of kudzu growing out here, and I did try cooking some of those ( they are supposed to be very nourishing ), but they are extremely tough, even when the leaves are small, so after one try, I abandoned that possibility.
My next kudzu experiment was to chop them well, and put them through the blender with a banana to make a green smoothie.
It is actually not bad that way, but I just have this aversion to drinking stuff that looks like camo-colored buttermilk.
 

Thanks for the memories, Guys! When I was a little kid my grandmother would take me along as she gathered the first tender shoots of dandelions. Then she would make a hot bacon dressing and everyone would enjoy the spring treat of dandelion salad. The season didn't last long as the plants went from pale yellow-green to dark green, and nobody wanted to eat them once they got bitter. I loved the "gathering" walks back then. My mother hunted the violets and bluebells (actually grape hyacinths) in the spring. Fall was the season to look for nut trees and take home sack for shelling. Ahhh nostalgia!
 

My grandpa was a great one for eating wild things. He would find wild onions, I think they were called leeks, and make a nice soup from them. We tore down an old barn,when I was little, and in a huge old, old manure pile was a giant puff ball. I guess it was from the mushroom family. The thing was bigger than a basketball and pure white. It somehow found its way to the supper table but I passed on this one.
 
Pappy said:
My grandpa was a great one for eating wild things. He would find wild onions, I think they were called leeks, and make a nice soup from them. We tore down an old barn,when I was little, and in a huge old, old manure pile was a giant puff ball. I guess it was from the mushroom family. The thing was bigger than a basketball and pure white. It somehow found its way to the supper table but I passed on this one.
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Ya gotta watch what yer doin' eatin' them wild things. Might end up takin' a trip without leavin' the farm...

And, tragically, some folks always end up seriously ill or dying every year from gathering wild mushrooms. Cannot stress, ya gotta know what yer doin'. Obviously, grandpa knew his stuff.
 
My grandma picked mushrooms, and she and I ate the yummy soup she made with them. Unfortunately, I never learned which were safe...we' ve lost so much knowledge, and are just beginning to learn some of what they knew.
 
Speaking of "trips" brought to mind an episode with my dog. I'd let her outside for a while and when she came in she was swingin' & swayin', and bumping into things. She acted like a total drunk and I couldn't figure out what happened - until I opened the door to find my yard had sprouted a big crop of red mushrooms! It took a while, but she "recovered". I hope it was a good trip!
 
janfromflorida said:
Speaking of "trips" brought to mind an episode with my dog. I'd let her outside for a while and when she came in she was swingin' & swayin', and bumping into things. She acted like a total drunk and I couldn't figure out what happened - until I opened the door to find my yard had sprouted a big crop of red mushrooms! It took a while, but she "recovered". I hope it was a good trip!
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Happyflowerlady said:
This is the time of year that the dandelions are starting to come up and show their yellow blossoms all over the yard, at least down South they are already out. Maybe not up north where they just keep having blizzard after blizzard . Why do we have all those dandelions, and are they a weed, or a super healthy green that is packed with vitamins and minerals ?

Dandelions are actually an herb, and were used not only as food, but also medicinally in Europe, and they were carefully brought over here by some of the first immigrants so that they could grow and use them in the new land. Obviously, they flourished here, and not only looked cheerful in the early spring gardens , but soon happily spread here and there over the countryside as well.

They were picked and eaten raw or cooked as greens, and in soups; and even the flower was cooked and eaten, or made into dandelion wine. Dandelions are packed with vitamins and minerals, and very easy to identify and harvest, so if you want to add some to your diet, it doesn't take much effort. The leaves get bitter as summer progresses, just like lettuce and other greens, so sautéing them with a little bacon or other meat is tastier than eating them raw in a salad.

Even the root can be dried, ground and added to coffee for a chickory-like flavor. So, if you are inclined, try out some of these healthy greens this spring, and see what you think. You may never weed again !
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Great op and thread.
 

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