Everything, from the flower all the way down to the roots, is edible. And, dandelions also happen to be delicious. The taste of dandelion resembles a slightly bitter green like arugula. You can eat them fresh in salads, or cook them on the stove.
Sautéing and braising are simple and delicious ways to cook dandelion greens. A great compliment to a bitter green is sautéing with olive oil, and lots of garlic. Or, take it one step further by adding pancetta or bacon and braising in a little chicken stock. For a softer texture, braising would be the way to go.
Blanching the dandelion greens
One good trick to get rid of the bitterness of the dandelion leaves is to blanch them. Blanching involves cooking them in boiling salted water for a few minutes, may be from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Now drain the greens and transfer them to ice water.
Dandelions are some of the most nutritionally dense greens you can eat. ... Plus, you can eat the flower too. In fact, every part of this little cheerful plant is edible! There are so many other ways people have used these little plants.
Dandelion leaves to be eaten raw are best when they are fresh and young. As they age, the leaves get increasingly bitter. But they are still edible, particularly if you blanch them before using them in your recipe. ... Salad: choose leaves from plants that have yet to flower for the mildest greens.
Removing the dandelion's entire tap root is essential! If you remove just the dandelion flower and plant from the surface of the soil a new plant will grow. Even removing a couple inches of root won't kill it. Dandelions can easily reproduce from the remaining root.
Highly Nutritious
From root to flower, dandelion are highly nutritious plants, loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Dandelion greens can be eaten cooked or raw and serve as an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. They also contain vitamin E, folate and small amounts of other B vitamins (1).
Every part of the dandelion is edible – leaves, roots, stems, and flowers. And the plants are nutritional powerhouses. ... Their nutrition profile compares favorably to kale and spinach and trounces iceberg lettuce, the most widely eaten salad green in the United States.
The polysaccharides in dandelion are known to reduce stress on the liver and support its ability to produce bile. They also help your liver filter potentially harmful chemicals out of your food. Dandelion is also a good source of Vitamin C, one of the most helpful vitamins for the immune system.
Almost all parts of the dandelion are edible and nutritious. Avoid the flower stems, as they have a white, sticky 'latex' in them that has a bit of a laxative effect. :) Leaves can be eaten raw or as cooked greens.
Be sure to only harvest as many blossoms as you need at once—they must be cooked immediately and should not be stored in the fridge. If you're not 100% convinced that dandelion can be delicious, you should definitely know how to cook kale.
The leaves of the Red Dandelion greens are a deeper green than that of true Dandelion greens. They grow in larger more upright bunches and are less prone to bolting. They offer a bitter flavor with a robust peppery finish, very similar to other varieties of chicory.
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