Dandelions? Just eat ‘em this summer!

From Zelpha A. Boyd
               I just finished lunch – dandelion salad – and it was pretty good. Right tasty, I’d say. I made it, wilted salad fashion with hot butter, diced hard boiled eggs, and seasoned with lemon pepper.
For most of us, the peskiest of all weeds is perhaps the Dandelion. Everywhere – garden, yard, back forty – we see these golden yellow blossoms. I say, don’t spray – eat ‘em! Or dig and add them to the compost. Get all the root, or they’ll grow back.
Dandelions do have their place in our environment. The blossoms are excellent bee food, providing nectar that is converted into honey. Bees, of course, are very good pollinators as well. The early blossoms provide food, keeping bees alive and healthy until garden flowers appear.
As people food, dandelion greens are said to be a spring tonic. They contain antioxidants, vitamins A and C as well as iron. They contain more calcium than spinach. In salad they add a zesty taste. The leaves may be cooked and eaten like spinach, sprinkled with salt and vinegar. Boiling tends to reduce the bitterness. The blossoms may be picked, dipped in butter and fried – tastes just like mushrooms!
Dandelions, native to Africa, Asia and Europe, were brought to the United States by the early settlers. They must have known the value, not realizing the potential of their spreading ability.
Weeds are simply plants out of place. Considering the Dandelion as a weed, we could be missing out on a good deal of delicious food and useful remedies. Some are even grown commercially and used as an herb for medicinal purposes. The milky liquid is said to remove warts. In Canada, the root is registered and sold as a diuretic. Dandelion roots can also be roasted, ground and used as a coffee substitute.
I seem to have an abundant supply of these colorful flowers. Trying as I do, to use what I have on hand, eating them is a good solution.