Harvested March 13, 2010

It's been a long snowy winter, and I have been looking forward to the first spring greens.  I usually don't think about dandelions until they bloom, and that's too late for roots and greens - the roots are sending their energy to the bloom, and the leaves have gotten too bitter.  This year, though, there was so much time for reflection and rest due to the several snows, that I got caught up on some inside projects and actually had time to daydream about the change of seasons.  When the first little rosettes peeped up, I was ready.  Luckily, the spring thaw and the week of rain made it so easy to get these roots out of the ground.

I only harvested in my garden beds, because I know that soil is soft to a depth of about a foot.  For the past few years I have been allowing the dandelions and other "weeds" (sorrels, clovers, lamb's quarter) to share space with my flowers and herbs and vegetables. I've assisted them in spreading seed, too.  They know how to grow without any intervention, and they have edible and medicinal uses, so they are not weeds to me.  They are part of my intentional harvest and like a "freebie" in the garden.

The wild onion or wild garlic grows in the lawn, and after a while they get tough, though they can still be used to flavor soups and stews.

So the size of this harvest is 2 cups dandelion greens, 1/8 cup dried/roasted/ground roots, and about 1/2 cup spring onion greens. This amount of dandelion root is enough for about 4 cups of "coffee". I've been using the onions just like chives or any other green onion.  For comparison sake, the combined size of my harvest area is about 32 sq ft. and the time it took to dig the roots was only about 20 minutes (cleaning them took longer).

Here's a link for making your own:

http://www.prodigalgardens.info/dandelion%20coffee.htm

and one about the health benefits of dandelion:

http://www.leaflady.org/health_benefits_of_dandelions.htm

More links on dandelions in Violet Blossom and Dandelion Blossom Syrups

If there are any dandelions left, I'll be making dandelion bloom fritters this summer.  I'm not sure I have a big enough yard for enough blooms to make wine...but I'll try!

March 20 - I used one cup of greens last week in a stir fry. Bitter!  This week I barely boiled the greens and poured off the water.  After that they were much better.  I used them in an omelet.  I've since read to wait until fall to harvest the greens and roots - so, I'll try that later and see how it compares.

April - look at the monster wild onions we found on Onion Patch Road!  Tender and tasty.  Gathered enough for three households and left plenty to grow.