Spring foraging season is right around the corner. As such we think it prudent to expose some of our favorite spring plants.
Today’s awaited delicacy is the common lawn weed Taraxacum officinale, otherwise known as the dandelion. This is truly an amazing plant that has been eaten for centuries. Every part of the plant is wonderful.
Flowers: Flowers can be eaten raw in salads, made into tea, used for jelly, or even used for making wine. Collect only healthy looking flowers from clean (non-sprayed) areas. Remove the stem and as much green as possible.
Roots: Roots can be used like a root vegetable or roasted and ground used as a coffee substitute. Roots can be used any time of year but are actually a bit better in the fall. Roots have diuretic properties and have also been reported to have a protective effect on the liver (hapatoprotective). Additionally dandelion roots contain high levels of inulin, which is reported to have significant pre-biotic benefit.
References:
There are literally hundreds of references concerning the benefits of dandelion included in our diets.
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