Herb of the Month - Dandelion

Dandelion Taraxacum officinale agg.

Growing in lawns and popping up all around the garden, they are usually seen as a ‘weed’ and most will do their best trying to eradicate them, possibly using lots of harmful chemicals in the process. However, a plant is only a ‘weed’ in the wrong place and dandelions are always welcome in our garden.

Dandelions have long been used for their medicinal properties and have many uses in the kitchen, with most of the plant being edible. They are also a great flower for wildlife, providing early nectar and pollen for insects and a burst of colour to the garden when little else may be in flower.

It wasn’t until last year that I really began to appreciate dandelions for their flavour. I had eaten the leaves before but, when I discovered how amazing the flowers tasted, I was addicted! Dandelions are a sweet-smelling flower with a honey-like taste that once you try, you’ll want more.

They are beautiful in appearance, taste and smell. I count down the months until I can harvest their beautiful flowers again. They are certainly not a weed to me, but little treasures that deserve to be appreciated.

This month I am happy as the dandelions have returned!

In the Kitchen

Most of the dandelion plant is edible – root, leaves and flowers but not the seeds, or the stalks which release a milky sap that can cause illness in some people.

The leaves are bitter but make a nice addition to a salad. It is best to collect the fresh, bright leaves, early in spring as the older, larger leaves are more bitter, though can be wilted and used like spinach.

Dandelion flowers add a burst of yellow to a salad and a slightly sweet, honeyed, pollen taste.

Dandelions can be used to make alcohol and were once a substitute for hops when the latter were in short supply. Their roots can be dried, cooked and ground to make a caffeine-free coffee substitute – though this is not something I have yet tried. The buds can also be pickled like nasturtium pod ‘capers.’

Dandelion flower heads added to a batter and cooked like a pancake. When cooked, drizzle with honey or syrup, and add a side of ice cream if you like. These pancakes make a light(ish) dessert that are far too easy to eat!

But a quick, easy and addictive way to enjoy them (my favourite) is to cover the flower heads lightly with flour, a grinding of salt and pepper, and gently cook in a pan with a little oil or butter for a couple of minutes. Add these to a salad or use to decorate and add a honeyed hit to any meal - they go particularly well with a curry. Although not many of mine make it as far as the plate! Good job our garden is full of them!

Dandelion Tea

To make dandelion tea add dandelion flower heads to a cup of boiled water and leave to brew for 5-10 minutes. Tea made with the plucked petals will make a more delicate and less bitter tea. Dandelion leaves can also be used to make tea in the same way.

Harvesting

Pick the leaves fresh, as you need them. It is best to collect the young leaves in early spring. Later in the season the leaves get more bitter, though can still be used, wilted, as with spinach.

I make sure to always leave some dandelions in flower for the insects and just harvest them fresh when I want them.

The traditional date to harvest the flowers is on 23rd April, St George’s Day but they can of course be eaten before or after that date.

The buds can also be harvested and pickled as a type of wild ‘caper’.

How to Grow

Dandelions grow in grasslands and can be found along roadside verges, and meadows, and as I am sure you are aware, also grow in gardens!

But really, dandelions will grow almost anywhere and are very effective little self-seeders! Once growing in the garden, they are difficult to get rid of as each seed head holds between 180- 400 seeds! Once they turn to seed, I try to remove as many seed heads as I can so we don’t end up with a garden comprising only of dandelions! Of course, it is not possible to do this to every single one in time before their little seeds fly elsewhere in the garden (their parachuting seeds can travel up to 60 miles!) so I know we will always have a constant supply!

Dandelions are perennials but growing them as annuals will prevent bitterness developing.

Most gardens will have dandelions growing somewhere, but if you feel the need to sow dandelions, or want to cultivate larger amounts for harvesting, such as in an allotment bed, sow seeds in spring. The seeds are best either sown direct or into pots or plug trays. As they have a long taproot you need to use deeper pots as if sown in seed trays they will be difficult to prick out. Cover with a thin layer of compost and plant out when they are large enough to handle.

Dandelion can also be grown from the root cuttings. Cut sections of the root and plant into pots or trays, planting out when large enough.

History / Background

The Arabs promoted the use of dandelion in the 11th century and by the 16th century it was recognised as an official drug.

The name dandelion comes from the Latin for ‘tooth of a lion’, referring to the plants jaggered leaves.

The French give it the nick name ‘piss-en-lit’. I think you can work out what this refers to! (For its diuretic qualities!)

Medicinal

Dandelions are very useful medicinal plants and underused. Most of the plant is safe to use and it is considered as one of the best herbs for kidney and liver problems.

Although it may not be true that dandelions will make you wet the bed, the leaves do possess diuretic properties and although rich in potassium, dandelion does not leach potassium from the body, like other diuretics. They are high in vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. The root contains inulin which lowers blood sugar levels in diabetics and is a mild laxative, good for treating constipation as well as being good for high blood pressure and heart problems.

The flowers can be steeped to make a tea to help cold symptoms.

Wildlife

Dandelions are great for wildlife. They are rich in both pollen and nectar and provide a food source to a range of pollinators including bumblebees, solitary bees, honey bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Birds such as goldfinches, blackbirds and house sparrows eat their seed and small mammals such as mice will eat the seeds and foliage. Harvest mice also love to eat dandelion seeds. When harvesting, always remember to leave enough flowers for the insects.