10 Ways to Love Dandelions

By Nathaniel Thomas, founder of Terra Haven 

(3 minute read) 

1. You don’t need to buy organic dandelion greens at the market if you have them growing in your yard! Make sure no one is applying herbicides, and it isn’t in an area prone to overspray from any other source. Avoid harvesting from near the road as well to avoid exposure to runoff or other pollutants. Beginning early in the growing season and harvesting regularly is an excellent method of natural management. 
2. Sauteed or braised dandelion greens are great. There’s lots of recipes online if you haven’t tried them before. Cook them with some eggs for an energizing breakfast!
3. Harvest small, tender leaves for an astringent salad full of health benefits and pairs great with a citrus dressing. June is strawberry season, which will be a great time to toss some ripe berries on a bed of greens with some nuts & balsamic vinaigrette. Chickens, rabbits, and other small animals love the greens throughout the season too, so be sure to share!
4. Fried dandelion blooms are a delicious treat. Collect as many of those bright, freshly opened flowers as you can. Make a simple flour batter, dip in an egg wash & batter before frying until golden brown. The taste is similar to fried zucchini! There’s lots of recipes online or you can use your favorite batter method. BONUS – removing the flowers will prevent them from going to seed & spreading across the yard.
5. Ever hear of dandelion wine? If you're into home fermenting, making dandelion wine could be a fun & tasty new project!
6. We all know (and maybe at times despise) those deep-growing roots of dandelion. Something to be thankful for though, is the way those taproots aerate the soil, improving drainage. The hardworking roots also revive soil mineral content and reduce erosion, helping to heal depleted soil. 
7. Dandelions (and honeybees for that matter) are not native to North America, but Taxacum officinale was likely brought here by early settlers for its medicinal uses. Dandelion leaves, flowers, and roots have a long history of use as a diuretic, digestive aid, liver tonic, anti-inflammatory, and more. Do some research in Traditional Chinese Medicine or herbalism to learn more. Honey also has great medicinal uses as well! 
8. Feeling zapped and stressed from your coffee habit? Don’t despair, dandelion roots can be chopped, dried, and roasted to make bitter tea for a healthful coffee substitute. 
9. Tried and true—go and gather your mom a Mother’s Day bouquet of sunny dandelions (no matter how old you are)!
10. And if you’re not convinced and just tired of all those “weeds,” the best approach is to choke out unwanted plants with dense groundcover in healthy soil. Nuisance plants thrive in poor soil, so make sure to enrich your lawn with organic matter by spreading a light layer of compost or chicken manure every few months during the growing season to keep your lawn healthy and reduce the growth of dandelions naturally. 

Post in the comments below your favorite recipes or methods!