Yes , dandelions are safe to eat — and they ’re full of flavor and nutrients , too .
Although many gardeners might consider of dandelion , first and foremost , aspesky weeds , the plant is a routine misunderstood . You may be surprised to teach that the reply to " Can you eat dandelion ? " is a definite yes . Dandelions are one of manyedible weedsthat are not only safe to eat but nourishing , too — they’re wedge - full of vitamin and minerals , including calcium , magnesium , iron , and Vitamins A , nose candy , and K. The leaves contain xanthophyl , a powerful antioxidant , and the root is rich in inulin , a prebiotic roughage . Dandelions grow twelvemonth - circular , and the ascendent , leaf , and efflorescence can be used in various sweet and mouth-watering recipe .
So , before you weed your yard of dandelions , follow our guide to making the most of this stiff industrial plant in the kitchen .
Credit:OlyaSolodenko / Getty Images
OlyaSolodenko / Getty Images
Can You Eat Dandelions?
Dandelions are completely safe to rust , and all piece of the plant , include the roots , leaves , and peak , are edible . The unripe dandelion leaves are the most - usedpart of the plant for eatingand have toothy , jagged border — the name dandelion is derived from the Gallic " dent de Panthera leo , " which translates to " dentition of the lion . " sweet dandelions can be found at farmers ' markets and some grocery stores . The ones you ’ll find in the shop typically have much larger leaves and stalk — sometimes up to 2 feet long — than what you ’d find foraging . If you project to pick wild dandelion , you must be mindful of your environs .
" If you are going to piece anything for medicinal or eatable purposes , you really demand to be 100 % certain what you ’re wipe out because there are lookalikes out there that are not dependable to eat , " say Dr. Lena Struwe , director of theChrysler Herbariumand prof at theSchool of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University . " If you forage for dandelions yourself , you should know something about how to identify plants and make certain you do it in a uninfected place . You need to be concerned about compound like heavy metals in the ground or thing that might have been stick on the leave from the air , which could be everything from pesticide to your pets that have gone outside and done their thing . "
How to Harvest Dandelions
Dandelions acquire year - circular , and Rachael West , possessor , lead teacher , and founder ofEating the Ozarks , says technically , you may eat up all part of the plant throughout the year . That said , harvest in the proper season is important for savour , as certain parts of the plant change state more bitter once the plant starts bloom . blowball roots are typicallyharvested in late dusk and winter , leaves in other spring , and flowers in summertime .
blowball can be very granulose or flaxen , so you should lave them carefully before using .
WMASTER890 / Getty Images
Credit:WMASTER890 / Getty Images
" If you see a blowball , that mean it ’s in season , but it just reckon because all parts are in different seasons , " West say . " If somebody went anddug up a dandelion rootin the middle of the summertime and wanted to roast the root and consume it , they would think that it was very woody and hard and bitter . That ’s because the plant has pass to flower — it ’s not in time of year , and it ’s not producing that inulin , which makes it unfermented . harvest home in the right seasonis important so that you ’re not waste your time or taste something that you do n’t want to . "
What Do Dandelions Taste Like?
blowball are part of thesunflower familyand are link up to lettuce , chicory , and endive . Like chicory root and Cichorium endivia , dandelion leaves are down-to-earth and bitter . Struwe says blowball ’ bitter flavor partly comes from their latex , a milky sap that help the plant defend itself against predator . Because younger leaves contain few bitter compound , they taste milder .
“ As with many unfounded plant , they have luck of compounds in them to defend themselves against being eaten by insect and other animals , ” Struwe says . flora are really chemical machines , chemical substance factories — they make so many chemicals for defence . Dandelions have this bitterness to them , just like arugulaand dinero . You have to be prepared for the fact that they ’re not high and sweet in the same way as very highly breed boodle leaves . ”
West impart that different parts of the dandelion have distinct flavor profile . While the folio ' taste is alike to bitter greens such as rocket salad or kale , the radical is reminiscent of an earthy carrot and take on a sweeter , caramel - like flavor when roasted . blowball flowers have a sweet , mellifluous tone — West says the safe way of life to smack them is to steep a handful in simmering water for 10 minutes to make a simpledandelion tea .
How to Cook with Dandelions
Dandelions are a democratic ingredient in Italian cooking , including insoupsand traditionaltortasstuffed with cheese and overbold greens . The leaves are the most usually employ part of the industrial plant andcan be used as you would other putting green , including tot up fresh to salad and ready down in spicy dishes . Try subbing them in for othercreamed greensor your favoritepesto recipe . Because they ’re sweeter , dandelion flowers are used to make dandelion wine , jams , and jellies and can also be batter - fry into fritters — West likes pickle them as well .
For the root , roasting low and boring is the Francis Scott Key to convey out their caramel savor , which can also be used to brew blowball tea .
“ The root can be eaten like a cut vegetable , such as a cultivated carrot , but I love to roast them , ” West says . “ When you make fun them in the oven , it snuff it from something that tastes like an down-to-earth beet or carrot to something that sample more like cacao or yellowish brown . The kids always take that I ’m bake brownies , so they ’ll come running on a lower floor and conceive that there’sbrownies arrive out of the oven , and I ’ll recount them it ’s dandelion . "
For a crunchy dish , you may sauté the blowball crowns , which are just above the top of the root , before the leave-taking become savourless . warmth butter , vegetable or olive crude oil , or bacon grime and raise until they just turn brownish . time of year with table salt and capsicum to savor .
