A Wise Woman once told me that a messy kitchen is a well used kitchen. This dandelion pesto was well worth the mess it made of my kitchen. If possible try not to spill your olive oil—it's hard to wipe it off.
To many, dandelions, are a nuisance, but for others, they provide a great, free resource. A common target of Monsanto Co.’s Roundup pesticide the sunny flowers are actually useful in many ways. The hardy little plants grow pretty much everywhere— lawns, gardens, out of cracks of sidewalks and everywhere people don’t want them. But for some, dandelions are a treasure.
Dandelions are a good source of vitamins A, B, C and D as well as iron, potassium and calcium. All parts of the plant, roots, leaves, stems and flowers are edible, according to herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. The root can stimulate the production of bile which helps digestion and breaks down cholesterol and fats. It is also a good liver cleanser.
When dandelion leaves and stems are broken or cut they emit a white milky latex. This can be applied to warts and will help them heal, Gladstar said in her Beginner’s Guide. As with all foods though, dandelion should not be used if any sort of allergy starts to form.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to use dandelions:
A fresh dandelion under the lid makes a lovely surprise!
- I slightly modified this pesto recipe. I added about 3 more tablespoons of oil because my blender kept getting stuck, though I don’t think my mini Magic Bullet is exactly the right tool. I didn’t have lemon zest so I doubled the lemon juice and I added extra cheese and extra garlic simply because I couldn’t help myself. The final sauce was a wonderful bright green color that was slightly bitter but also refreshing and delicious. Personally, I really like this recipe because of the turmeric root powder, both for color and anti inflammatory properties.
- My second recipe was this dandelion jelly. I loved this recipe, but also at the same time hated it. I had never made any sort of jam or jelly before and had no idea what I was doing. I made the pectin from scratch and then made the jelly. The taste is amazing! It’s like honey but sweeter and can be eaten on just about anything! I struggled with the consistency though. Instead of dandelion jelly I had dandelion syrup for a few days before some of the liquid evaporated out of it. Next time I’ll try using less water when I make the pectin and heating the jelly for longer to lower the total water content. When I sealed my jars, I added a single dandelion flower to the top as a little surprise when it’s opened.
- Lastly, my favorite and easiest recipe is a simple dandelion greens salad. I just go into my backyard, which I know hasn’t been sprayed with Roundup, and snip some greens from the pants. I washed them with some store bought spinach and kale, added oil, balsamic, pine nuts, salt, pepper garlic powder and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. It’s super fast, easy and delicious! The salad is best in the early Spring as younger greens are fresher and less bitter, but I’ll eat the greens all season long.
It’s such a treat to make food from your own back yard and dandelions are so easy to find, there’s no reason not to use them. Unlike some other popular herbs, dandelions are in no danger of going extinct and sowing new seeds is easy and fun, but make sure you don’t take too many as bees and butterflies love them too. Please let me know what you think of these recipes and share any you might come up with on your own.
