Curse or Blessing?

Perspective is everything

As a young girl, I learned to mark the beginning of spring by the arrival of little yellow dots blanketing lawns, road-sides, and fields everywhere. For better or worse, dandelions faithfully return year after year. I viewed their appearance as a cheerful harbinger of warmer days soon to arrive, but to my mother’s eye, they were considered an ugly, invasive weed that marred an otherwise perfectly good lawn.

Hence the otherwise happy little flowers had one big drawback for us kids who were tasked with the chore of digging them up and hastily discarding them in the garbage bin before they could spread their "evil little seeds.” I figured Mom knew best, so I carried on with her discrimination well into adulthood. Until this day it remains popular opinion that dandelions are unwanted and loathsome invaders deserving only one thing: annihilation.

It wasn’t until much later that I discovered that those “pesky weeds” were actually worthy of an honored place on my shelf instead of a one-way trip to the garbage bin.

I don’t remember exactly who enlightened me on the great health benefits of dandelions, but I do remember my initial disbelief and surprise. After doing some research, I experimented with supplements that contained dandelion root, and sipping store-bought dandelion tea, but the practice of actually foraging and preparing dandelions myself was WAY outside my comfort zone.

The vast knowledge and experience of foragers and homeopathic gurus like Barbara O’Neill was intimidating and overwhelming. It seemed like there was so much to know. And back then, I suffered with a very all-or-nothing attitude; I wanted to know everything before I tried anything. It took a little while to see what was wrong with that thinking, but eventually I faced the unavoidable truth — learning takes time. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

So, the first thing I needed to learn was to ditch that all-or-nothing attitude by lowering the pressure and increasing the grace.

The sustainable lifestyle isn’t a quick race to the finish line. We're learning to do things differently than we've ever done before, so we're aiming for the slow and steady progress. We aren’t homesteading like we’re cooking instant grits, we’re homesteaderly— simmering gently on the back burner and waiting patiently for the very best. Understanding the difference and being okay with it is key to our peace and contentment when progress is slow and the pay off comes much later.

The revelation that finally put everything into the proper perspective was that even the smallest drops of water collecting in a bucket will eventually fill to overflowing. So, my first venture into plant foraging began with the dandelion… and just like that, another drop filled my bucket.

If you haven't yet discovered the wealth of health benefits of this highly undervalued and terribly misunderstood "weed," then allow me to pass on what I’ve learned.

Raw or cooked, all parts of the dandelion are edible. Dandelion is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K and contains vitamin E, folate, and small amounts of other B vitamins. The greens also provide several minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium, and the roots are rich in the carbohydrate inulin, a type of soluble fiber found in plants that support the growth and maintenance of healthy gut bacteria in your digestive tract.

Dandelions also contain high levels of the antioxidants beta-carotene and polyphenols, which can protect against cell damage and oxidative stress. As if that wasn't impressive enough, research shows the following consistent findings in animal studies:

• helps to fight inflammation

• aids in blood sugar management

• reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels

• lowers blood pressure

• promotes liver health

• aids in weight loss

• potential anticancer effects

• supports healthy digestion and treats constipation

• boosts immune health

• aids in preventing and even reversing skin cell damage

• supports healthy bones

Now, before you go hastily snacking on a handful of dandelion greens pulled from your yard, you may want to slow your roll. Dandelion is bitter, like eye-watering, gag-reflexing, hand-me-a-quart-of-milk-asap bitter! Ask me how I know.

But fear not; you can still enjoy the benefits without torturing yourself. There are plenty of yummy ways to prepare dandelions that make it more palatable and a quick internet search will give you an endless supply of videos, blogs, and recipes with detailed instructions on how to prepare anything from tinctures and teas to salves and salads.

My most recent dandi-haul was used to make a tincture (see pic below) and a salve which is only slightly more complicated, but both were still super easy to prepare. I also harvested enough to throw some into the dehydrator for a longer shelf life and future use.¹

Spring is also a great time to make dandelion cordial because you can take advantage of all the other edible flowers blooming at this time, and combine all your cordial-making into a single morning or afternoon. Elderflower, rose, lilac, mint and violets all make for delicious, health-boosting cordials. They will keep in the fridge for about a week or you can add a little bit of vodka for a longer shelf life.²

For anyone interested in giving cordials a try, here’s the recipe.

Dandelion Cordial

• 40-50 dandelion heads (sepals removed)

• 1 lemon (zest and juice)

• 1 cup of raw honey (or sugar)

• 4 1/2 cups of water

While waiting for the water to boil, remove the sepals from your flowers and place in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, juice and honey. Carefully pour the boiling water over the entire mixture, stirring well until honey or sugar has completely dissolved. Cover bowl with a clean towel and leave on the kitchen counter overnight to infuse and ferment. The next day, strain out the flowers and pour into bottles or canning jars.

That’s it. See? Easy peasy. Enjoy!

*So here’s where I add one of those annoying but necessary little disclaimers: I am not a doctor or healthcare practitioner, and differing physiology and medical conditions are always cause for careful consideration when introducing anything medicinal into your diet or health care regimen. Please do your own research and if you have any concerns about adding dandelions to your diet, please consult a certified homeopath, naturopath, or trustworthy doctor before consuming.

1. I highly recommend purchasing a dehydrator if you don’t already have one. I put it off for years assuming they were too expensive for our limited budget, but not so! The less fancy-schmancy ones do the job just fine. Dehydrators create so many more possibilities as far as use and storage. Many dehydrated plants can be ground into a powder and even used as fertilizers. A subject worthy of a whole other post!

2. I haven’t researched or tried it yet, but I imagine you could use the same canning methods as you would for fruits and veggies or put some in the freezer as well. If anyone has tried using these methods with cordials, please share your experience in the comments.