dandelion leaves with bud

It’s dandelion season!

Now is the perfect time to harvest the leaves and roots of dandelions. The leaves will be delicious: not yet bitter, which they become when the flowers are out.

If you look carefully right in the center of the dandelion leaves above, you will see a tiny flower bud waiting to emerge. In another day or two it will be even bigger, but still not on its stalk. These buds are a delicacy you can never find in stores! You must harvest these on your own, then add them to salads or stir fries for a treat.

Now is also a good time to harvest the roots. You can dry the roots for tea, roast them for a rich coffee substitute, or chop the fresh root and leaves and put them in a jar, then fill the jar again with 80 or 100 proof vodka to make a tincture. Just let the plants steep in the alcohol for 6 weeks, drain and save the alcohol (this is your tincture), and compost the plant. Dandelion tincture is often taken to cleanse the liver; 10-30 drops a day is a typical dose.

dried dandelion roots (I chopped them into small pieces before I dried them)

If dandelions are in full bloom where you live, you still have a chance to harvest roots in the fall, after the flowers are gone. But now you can rejoice in the beautiful yellow glow of dandelions! You can use the blossoms for dandelion wine, dandelion fritters, or steep in apple cider vinegar for a fresh tasting seasoning.

dandelion flowers

Jason made a great dish from dandelion greens last night…his post will soon follow. And we’ll have many more dandelion posts, illustrating many of the ways to use them that I mentioned above, so please come back soon.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the fresh spring weather and golden dandelions!

~ Melissa

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