Dandelion greens, like all greens, love fat. Their robust bitterness and peppery undertones are muted, to some degree, by the liquid smoothness of unrefined olive oil or – even better – the smokiness of a good quality bacon fat, free of added nitrates and nitrites and produced from hogs raised outdoors and under a vibrant sun. The strong flavor of the greens also pairs well with the sweet spice of toasted mustard seed.
Steve Vandever says
The park in my little town, actually part of the church grounds, is just covered in dandelions. I walked through there with my dogs giving them plenty of time to sniff while I grabbed the fluffy seed heads and did my best to stuff them into my shirt pocket so that any fluffies that flew were minus their seed payload. Then, unlike your advice to rid the area of dandelions, I scattered all those seeds over my garden beds hoping to get them firmly established.
I have 3 new dock plants growing there now. I got them by stopping at the roadside when I saw the tall, rusty spires of dock seedheads and brought home seeds to toss over the beds. I've also dug up lambsquarter from the local goat nursery and transplanted them in the garden. Yes, dandelions and other "weeds" are nutrient dense and actually much better for people than many of their descendant varieties that have been made through artificial selection and hybridization. Mallow, prickly lettuce, sow thistle and countless other weeds are actually good, free food if only people would pick and use them instead of spending lots of money to poison them... and their soil and the rest of the environment.
Maria says
Could anyone tell me where can I get some organic dandelion seeds so I can grow them? Thanks for any imput.
Sharon marambe Quye says
I believe I saw them in baker creek seed catalog, if not then seeds of change. I am currently growing french dandilion plants. Quite large. Leaves are about 18 inches long. Quite delicious. I eat the m in sandwiches instead of lettuce.
Lightfeather says
Dandelion is something I grew up eating and still do. We make it by sautéing garlic and oil olive. When the garlic is light brown we add rinsed dandelions cover and cook until texture is achieved.
david says
Been eating these for 30 years 1st recipe I've seen althow I haven't looked,I am looking at a lot of what you offer, I am doing water / milk kefir, kumbucha, an soon will take on kimchi do you have a recipe for it? March I'm going to buy your cook book, thanks for your great posts
MCJam says
Dandelion greens can be chopped, then soaked in almost hot water for about 10 minutes and tasted. If still too bitter, soak in fresh hot water again. The water should not be so hot that you can't put your hand in it , but almost. It takes the bitterness away, then they can be cooled in cold water, drained and eaten as a fresh salad. Store bought endive can be treated this way as well. A dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, minced onion and yogurt with a touch of sugar iis wonderful!
Karla says
Thanks for the recipe. I am going to try them this spring. Don:t forget, although we call them weeds, they are often the first food for honey bees and after this tough winter honey bees can use all the help they can get!!
Aimee & Clint says
This looks great! We grow dandelion in our organic container garden and would love to make this! Could you swap the red wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar?
Thanks 🙂
Courtney says
These were SOOO bitter I couldn't even eat them.
alessandra says
Great recipe Jenny - and a fantastic incentive to keep the dandelions down in my garden. Only question I have is why the light stir frying would mitigate the oxalate content? I thought oxalates are reduced slightly by boiling and discarding the water. I'd love to know if there's another way that is as effective as I have plenty of patients who are oxalate sensitive.
Jon says
Thanks! This is very helpful for an idea of mine for making a dandelion pizza (facebook.com/localkitchener). We'll see how it goes:)
Crystalline Ruby Muse says
The roots are high in inulin in the fall, high in taraxacin (a tonic bitter) in the spring.
Kara says
You can also batter and fry the flowers! http://www.new19thcenturykitchen.com/?s=weeds
cat @ neohomesteading.com says
Looks great! I've always complained that they are too bitter. I always eat them raw, someone suggested sauteeing them with bacon a while back. (She also said she always served them with smashed potatoes) I seem to be the last one onto this yummy secret.
Dawn @ cuter than gluten says
I always tried them raw and found them too bitter too. Never gave them a chance ... It sounds like it's time to try. I notice the acidic soil here in MA makes all greens bitter- which is why I don't grow lettuce at my house. Maybe dandelions in other parts of the country taste better.
Mom24boys says
In my experience, you need to use the vinegar (or lemon juice) on bitter greens. Something that it does brings out the other flavors and only leaves a small 'nip' of bitterness.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist says
I have a lot of wild dandelions growing in my yard. I haven't eaten them before as I didn't know how to prepare them. Now I do! Thanks Jenny for a fabulous recipe!
shuhan says
I love using weeds. They were the original medicine from the land, free from Mother Earth to heal us and bring us good health (: Plus they're delicious. You can also eat stinging nettles, they're so good for you yet people just think of them as pesky weeds! I made a stinging nettle saag (Indian pureed green curry usually done with spinach) with it, it was delish!
http://mummyicancook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/stinging-nettle-saag.html
Jessica B. says
Thanks for another great piece, NK! I was unaware that dandelions were not native to this continent. Where do they hail from?
Lisa G says
I was wondering the same thing, where do they come from originally? I go out everyday to gather a few dandelions for my salad. I will certainly try them this way. Thanks!
Jenny says
Thanks for the recipe! I've wanted to try dandelions for a long time. My grandmother used to gather and can them every year. I don't trust anything in the wild so I purchased some seeds and am wanting to try growing them myself this fall.
Ashley Portman says
It is so vital that when we forage edibles from the wild that we carefully assess the ecosystem, ensuring that the Earth is healthy, free from fertilizers and other noxious contaminants. Jenny, in response to your comment that you do not trust anything from the wild, I would like to share that we can, however, still eat food plucked directly from Mama Earth : in fact we should! Wild edibles are finest source of concentrated micronutrients. Humans cannot replicate the nutritional density of wild foods, even with the best organic, permaculture practices. Wild edibles offer something our agricultural system cannot: wild! These plants are on the front line of adaptation and evolution, they are constantly in a state of change due to their environment being constantly under stress and environmental pressure. Eating a plate of wild foods will provide you with substantial energy and nutrients for the entire day verse eating commercially grown crops. Much love 🙂