Dandelions

[Chet]

Have you ever eaten them? Being considered a weed, it's hard to look at them as edible. I could feed an army though at this time of year. I have used a weed killer in the past to kill one at a time but I must have over did it because the surrounding grass went with it. Neighbors have their lawns treated and it works, but I have decided to live in peaceful co-existence with them. Trying to be positive, I see them as the first flower of spring. Does Europe have them?

 

[IrisSenior]

I thought you can buy them at certain grocery or whole food stores but I wouldn't as my hubby is allergic to them.

 

[Aunt Bea]

We ate them when I was young but I didn't care for them.

When I was a kid one of my boring jobs was to dig them out of the lawn with a long-handled asparagus knife similar to this one. The idea was to stick the knife into the ground near the crown and cut as far down the root as possible while in the same motion flipping it over to dry on the lawn.

 

[JustBonee]

I have never eaten them, but I do remember my mother picking/ cooking them, many years ago.
They are supposed to have many health benefits, like fighting cancer and helping with gut health.

I wouldn't touch any that weed killer has been applied to though ...lol

 

[jujube]

My dad enjoyed making wine out of anything he could get his hands on. Some of his efforts turned out quite tasty. Dandelion wine was most definitely not one of his successes. Nor was his persimmon wine.

 

[hollydolly]

MY o/h when he lived on our canal boat before we were married, used to make Dandelion and nettle wine...

 

[timoc]

Have you ever eaten them? Being considered a weed, it's hard to look at them as edible. I could feed an army though at this time of year. I have used a weed killer in the past to kill one at a time but I must have over did it because the surrounding grass went with it. Neighbors have their lawns treated and it works, but I have decided to live in peaceful co-existence with them. Trying to be positive, I see them as the first flower of spring. Does Europe have them?

An idea would be to get a goat, Chet, or in your case a herd of them.

 

[Giantsfan1954]

Ive heard of making dandelion wine...
I would wonder which patch is safe from the local dogs, lol

 

[SetWave]

I wouldn't touch any that weed killer has been applied to though ...lol

No LOL. That stuff is beyond poisonous. Avoid weed killers at all cost. Either pull 'em or, as I've encouraged before, spray them with vinegar.
Remember Agent Orange? We also sprayed defoliants called by other colors and just as dangerous. I lost friends to that crap.
No matter what the advertising claims, Roundup is NOT your friend.

 

[Don M.]

Every year, about this time, our yard turns into quite a weed bed....with literally thousands of dandelions sprouting up. A few years ago, I mixed some dandelion leaves with our evening salad, and it was OK, but nothing really special. Living in the boondocks, there is little value in spraying for weeds, as the next breeze just replenishes the "crop". I suppose if grocery prices got totally ridiculous, we could survive on a combination of our garden, the edible natural vegetation, and an endless supply of squirrels.

 

[Aunt Marg]

Never had the pleasure of eating dandelions, but do remember as a young child tasting the milky white juice within the stem, and what a bitter tasting flavour it was.

We see a crop of dandelions each year, but don't get overly excited over eradicating them.

 

[RadishRose]

I think a nice green lawn is even prettier when dotted with some buttery yellow dandelions.