Dandelion Can Make a Tonic, Tea or Salad

Over the years, myriad products have been deeloped to get rid of dandelions. But like most plants that are considered weeds, they keep coming back, not even needing to be pollinated to keep renewing themselves.

Europeans brought the dandelion here because they knew its value. Dandelion leaf tea has long been popular and is considered a tonic. The roots can be used as a base for tea also, which was frequently used for heartburn. The leaves are edible and are loaded with vitamin A. The contain nearly four times as much Vitamin C as lettuce or most leafy vegetables. They even have more iron than spinach.

Tea is hardly the end of uses for this yellow flower. Since the dandelion flowers from March until September, it is an excellent plant to use to help keep bees around so that they will pollinate all of our other flowers and fruiting plants. When the flowers are boiled, it is possible the get a yellow dye. The roots will produce a magenta dye when boiled.

Wine can be made from the blossoms and a coffee-like drink can be made from dried, ground and roasted roots.

Although the dandelions we see in our yards are edible and can fill all of these requirements and usages, commercially grown dandelions have larger and thicker leaves.

If you purchase seeds and wish to grow your own, you will find they grow “just like a weed,” as you suspected. However, you can tie the leaves together so that the leaves are rather bleached in appearance. This allows you to use them much like endive.