Dandelion comes from the french words – dents de lion – which means teeth of lion. It gets its name from the jagged edges of its leaves and the beautiful yellow flowers that some may say resemble a mane. They are a great wild edible because you can eat every part of the plant – from root to flower. The best part is that they are probably growing in your
backyard right now.
A great time to harvest these weeds are when they are in their flowering stage and growing rapidly. That is when you know the plant is fresh and ready to be harvested.
After you harvest the plant, you can throw the leaves and flowers into a salad. This will add a nice bit of bitter and color. The root of the plant can be eaten raw and is also delicious when roasted.
Roasted dandelion root tea is one of my favorite types of tea and is a great detoxifier. Check out this article about the potential benefits of dandelion root tea.
It is always a good idea to harvest where no pesticides have been sprayed. Wash your greens before eating them and most importantly, enjoy! Don’t be afraid to try something new because you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
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