Celebrating Dandelions

Every year at about this time a wonderful thing happens. The dandelions appear.

To some they are a nuisance. I don’t think they are a nuisance at all. In fact, I love to see their sunny faces. My little Oskar loves to pick them for me and present them with sheer excitement as the most wonderful bouquet for Momma. How could you not love them? When they age and they are only a white orb of feather-light seeds he delights in blowing them across the lawn unknowingly spreading them for next season’s rebirth.

Did you know that dandelions are edible? That’s right, they are totally edible; flowers, leaves and roots. And all parts contain their own healing properties but overall they are very beneficial to our Liver and Gallbladder, as are many of the things sprouting from the ground at this time of year. An old family friend always snaps a stem and rubs the white school glue-like serum onto his age spots, stating that it helps diminish them. It kind of makes sense actually as age spots or ‘Liver Spots’ as they are also referred to are a sign of an aging Liver that perhaps is in need of some antioxidant nourishment.

Dandelions are only one of the many weeds that we deem annoying and are quick to pull out or poison. Some others that are fantastically nourishing (ironic huh?) are chickweed, cleavers, clover and yarrow. (Truth be known, I made a chickweed pesto once that was quite delicious!) Recently, my husband got the brilliant idea to put some dandelion greens into an omelette. I was delighted! Why didn’t I think of that? So today I decided to make another one in celebration of our wonderful sunny-faced weeds that seem to be everywhere right now just begging to be eaten up! I also know that Oskar is more likely to eat these things when I engage him in the harvest so he happily helped and even arranged a little bouquet for the table.

Hint: Gather up some dandelion leaves and flowers, from somewhere you know they have not been sprayed with yucky chemicals or pee'd on by wayard pets, and put them into an omelette as you would spinach. Don’t use too much of these greens as they tend to be bitter and may be too overpowering especially for delicate little taste buds. I find I can get away with using them if I break them up a bit and only use a thin layer. I use the flowers as a garnish and they can also be broken up and sprinkled on top for garnish. *Also a great addition to spring salads.

Some great accompaniments to the dandelions in your omelette are: goat feta & caramelized onion (which we used), fresh tomatoes, organic bell pepper, bok choy and/or wild mushrooms.
If you happen to have harvested the root also, clean it and steep it in boiling water for a cleansing tea. You can also dry it and store it in a jar for tea at a later date.

Important: This tea is safe for children over 2 in very small dose and lightly steeped. Please consult an herbalist for more specific details or to use dandelion medicinally.