Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale
Parts used: leaves, flowers, sap, seeds, roots.
Taste: bitter-salty leaves, bitter-sweet flower, bitter root
Uses: food, liver function, poor digestion, skin eruptions, water retention, muscle pain, PMS.
Nutrients: fiber, calcium, potassium, vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, beta-carotene (good for eyes), zinc, inulin (for healthy gut flora), and manganese.
Habitat: disturbed areas, fields, lawns, pastures, meadows, roadsides, sidewalk cracks, full sun to partial shade.
Harvest season: spring ( flower & roots), summer (greens), autumn (roots).
Distinguishing features: dense basal rosette of oblong leaves with irregular teeth (2-14” long, 0.5-3” wide), broken leaves and stems excrete milky sap, one or more flower stalks with yellow flowers, in the aster family.
Preparations: food, oil, tincture, vinegar, decoction (roots).
Above: Dandelion fritters. (See this and other dandelion recipes here.) To make, we dip the flowers in batter, and cook in a skillet with butter.
Dandelion roots: We use these in our dandelion coffee. They’re great for your liver health and taste delicious!
Try cooking dandelion stems like you would noodles! Boil, strain, add a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
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