The Health Benefits of Dandelions

[Cindy in PA]

Dandelions are delicious with bacon dressing!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Dandelions are delicious with bacon dressing!

Honestly, very little ISN'T.

We like wilted spinach, chard, or kale with bacon dressing, maybe some red onion sliced paper thin, a bit of feta cheese...

 

[Sally PB]

Keeping watch for the first dandelions I can find.... With a helper...

 

[gtaus]

But then found out that quite a few people ate them in various ways. Dandelion wine, jelly for toast, tea or boiled or just sautéed in a pan.

I'm going to look into that further. I love Kale, Swiss Chard and other greens I grow out in the garden. Might be fun to pull some dandelions this year and eat them like my garden greens. Probably good for us to eat more greens and less meat, anyway. Thanks for thread.

 

[MeeMawsChicks]

We have had 2 pretty bad storms here last week’s storms spawned 3 tornadoes with one hitting a couple miles from us that was last Wednesday and tomorrow it’s going to be bad again. I am ready for some quiet, bug free, storm free spring days. Our chickie babies are handling this March and April madness better than the humans are. We live in Vancleave MS, and we are more prepared for hurricanes than tornadoes. Told hubby if it snows we are moving to Belize I am not a snow person.

Oh wow! That’s a bucket full of crappy weather! I have found that our chickens do worse in the heat of summer than the freezing cold of winter. They are pretty hardy, except one of my White Crested Polish chickens had an attack of heat exhaustion last summer. I had to take her in the house and give her electrolyte water that I made. All the other chickens were just fine, even my other Polish chicken. The picture is of her last night after the rain! She’s actually very pretty when she hasn’t been mud running in the pen! We had to cut her some “bangs” when it got down to freezing weather because she dips her “hair” in the water and it ends up as ice dreadlocks hitting her eyes!

 

[MeeMawsChicks]

I'm going to look into that further. I love Kale, Swiss Chard and other greens I grow out in the garden. Might be fun to pull some dandelions this year and eat them like my garden greens. Probably good for us to eat more greens and less meat, anyway. Thanks for thread.

You’re welcome let me know what you think of the dandelions in your salad. Personally, I would have to drench them in Thousand Island dressing to eat them

 

[samanthaoverton]

T

I'm trying to figure out if I can eat the dandelions, either in salads or soups as a kale substitute. I'm taking some cooking classes (once a month) so maybe I'll remember to ask our teacher. Like you, my chickens love all the dandelions that I pull and throw into the chicken run.

I don't know about all the claims and benefits of dandelions, but I know that my chicken egg yolks are a darker orange when my chickens have access to fresh greens. I just try to offer the girls a variety of food, and not just commercial feed.

They are good for kidneys and the liver. They help the body secrete bile. Pick the young ones. If picking older, rinse, then blanch twice. Saute in onions, garlic and butter. I've done foraging before...gobs of books on it..broad and narrow leaf plantain are some good greens to..if done right.

 

[MeeMawsChicks]

We we’re just talking about This at dinner the other night.
Dandelions were brought over the Atlantic and planted on purpose because of their high medicinal value. Now we pull them and have the mindset it’s a nasty weed.

Ok to eat in salad, dry it, step in tea whatever.

We have gotten away from the basics here now in the West.

That’s really interesting. I saw that you can buy them on Amazon and I had to laugh! I guess people in the city have to buy them because they have no yard! I could sell some of ours if they want them, but my chickens would be furious with me!!

 

[MeeMawsChicks]

T

They are good for kidneys and the liver. They help the body secrete bile. Pick the young ones. If picking older, rinse, then blanch twice. Saute in onions, garlic and butter. I've done foraging before...gobs of books on it..broad and narrow leaf plantain are some good greens to..if done right.

Thanks for the information. I may give in and try them. I wonder if they’d be good with fried potatoes and onions.

 

[samanthaoverton]

Thanks for the information. I may give in and try them. I wonder if they’d be good with fried potatoes and onions.

I think so..the key is the blanch for bigger leaves. I actually would pick bigger leaves on plants...saves time. I was blanching them twice anyways.