I was getting the spaghetti ready for dinner tonight when I asked my husband to prepare a salad; I was thinking Spinach, but he had other ideas. He asked me if I knew anything about making “Dandelion Salads”. Since my main image of Dandelions is in a yard full of weeds, the idea of a “Dandelion Salad” didn’t sound all that appetizing, but I decided to try it.
Last week, my husband picked several Dandelions at a near-by farm and was eager to use the leaves for a salad. He googled for a Dandelion Salad recipe he liked and then added Roasted Pine Nuts, Red Onion, and Red Cabbage to the young Dandelion leaves and then made a quick Olive Oil-based dressing.
Once I got over the fact that I was eating weeds, I liked the salad. The leaves were slightly bitter, but tasted great in the salad.
After dinner, he was also excited to show me the extensive health benefits of Dandelions. Amazingly enough, Dandelions are known as the fourth most nutritious vegetable. Both the Dandelion roots and the leaves contain A, C, D, and B-Complex Vitamins. Dandelions also are rich in minerals and have magnesium, zinc potassium, manganese, copper, choline, calcium, boron, and silicon.
Because of the Vitamins and Minerals in the Dandelion, they are reported to have numerous health benefits, which include:
- Bloodstream Cleansing
- Diuretic Uses
- Prevention of some kinds of Cancer of Age Spots
I am not certain if the Dandelion is all that it is purported to be or if it really is only a noxious weed. Regardless of the health benefits of the Dandelion, the leaves are not a bad alternative to other greens when spruced up with whatever other salad fixings you happen to have in your fridge. Not only can they be found everywhere for free, with the right dressing, they make for a nice salad.
To make Dandelion Root Tea, you need to “harvest” and then wash the roots and chop them into small pieces. Next, you roast the roots on a Cookie Sheet at 350 degrees for two hours. To store the “Tea” or “Dandelion Coffee” as some people like to call it, you can put the roasted roots into a glass jar.
For more information on making Dandelion Tea, read this article or this article.
Dandelion Pic: