Ode to the Dandelion

The dandelion is an extremely nutritious food.  You can eat the flowers with your salad.  You can serve them up cooked with some butter on top.  You can make it into a delicious tea.  Dandelion roots and leaves contain vitamins A, C, D and B complex as well as iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, manganese, copper, choline, calcium, boron and silicon.   The medicinal properties target one’s digestive and elimination systems, helping with diarrhea and constipation and strengthening liver, kidney and gallbladder function.  It also helps to cleanse and improve the skin.

As I sat looking out at our backyard, sudden inspiration hit.  So, today the boys and I made our first batch of dandelion tea.  Yum, yum, yum!  I could hardly believe how good it is!  And it’s so easy to make.

Anna’s Dandelion Tea

Clean approximately 1 handful of dandelions (*see below*) of any dirt or debris and then put them into a saucepan with 3 cups of fresh water.  Boil for 3 minutes and then strain through a fine filter (a coffee filter will work fine as well).  Add sugar, honey, agave or stevia to taste.  Sprinkle some cinnamon on top.  And enjoy!  This can also be made into an iced tea.

***  To avoid harmful pesticides that could be lurking on the dandelions, follow these guidelines:  After 1 year of no pesticide sprays, it is safe to eat the greens – stems and flowers.   3 years is considered transitional (the toxins will be less and less as the years go by).  After 7 years the ground will be fully organic and you can eat the roots of the dandelions, which is where the highest concentration of the vitamins and minerals are said to be located.