Eating Dandelions

'False Dandelion'

Can you tell a true Dandelion from the hundreds of 'pretenders'/look-alikes? If you are going to eat a wild plant, you need to be certain of what it is! Luckily in the case of Dandelions, all the close look-alikes are supposed to be edible. But what defines close? It depends on people actually - some similar plants can seem totally different to the trained eye. Anyway, a few years back, when I learned about the great health and nutritional value of dandelions, I wanted to eat some, so I tried to find out what what is not a dandelion. I was quite surprised to find that half of what I thought to be dandelions were actually just 'pretenders'. I will later post a guide to identifying true dandelions. For now though, lets look at why they are interesting...

"But they flower in summer - what use are they this time of year?"
Actually some species flower in winter (if it is mild) - but mostly, yes they flower in summer. However there are still the leaves and roots to be found at this time, which can be identified with a little care.
Recently, I came across an article on the Livestrong website talking about Dandelion as  a source of Vitamin D! I can't find the exact article again, but here's another talking about Vitamin D in Dandelions. Since we already have a lot of cloudy weather in Ireland and in the winter especially, a lack of vitamin D is more likely - which may be linked with Seasonal Affective Disorder among other things. If you are vegetarian/vegan, then sunlight and supplements may be your only source of Vitamin D. Since there is debate about the accuracy of vitamin D tests as well as the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation - all the more reason to be sure you get enough from natural sources. It is possible too (depending who you ask) that the vitamin D found in Dandelions may not be that usable by our body - but I think it is worth a try because there are hundreds of other good nutrients you'll get besides. Furthermore - by going to get some Dandelion, you are exposing yourself to sunlight (even if it is a cloudy day!).

There seems to be a lot of information on the internet about Dandelion. This page has many articles about the use of its root.

I hope that's convinced you of the value of this everyday garden weed. But do be careful, be sure you know what it is and that the surroundings are clean (free from chemicals etc.).

All parts of the Dandelion usually taste bitter - though this is less so in spring. Anyway, there are many things you can do with dandelion. Here's something I tried a few months ago - it seems the salt reduces the bitter taste a bit: Dandelion Root with Soya Sauce. Celtnet is a great website for wild food recipes. Next summer, when they are in flower, I intend to make Dandelion Jam/Jelly. I know, it sounds weird - but I'll let you know how it turns out. Meanwhile, you can find many other recipe ideas for Dandelions on the net.

And by the way - the photo is not a true dandelion, but probably either Cat's ear or Hawk bit - difficult to tell with only the top view (no leaves visible).