Dandelion Salad

By Josh Patterson

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Instead of killing dandelions with toxic herbicides, fight back by eating these pesky weeds. Why, you may ask, should you use dandelion leaves in salads? They’re free, they’re everywhere, and even the worst gardener can keep them alive.

The much-maligned dandelion is actually one of the most nutrient-rich herbs. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, dandelion leaves are higher in beta-carotene than carrots, and higher in iron and calcium than spinach.

Note: If you're going to collect dandelions for a salad, make sure you know the area that you are harvesting from. Make sure it hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides or fertilizers.

Dressing

1/4 cup olive or walnut oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

A pinch of sea salt

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and stir.

Dandelion Salad

3 cups spring greens

1 cup young dandelion leaves

tip: Use only young light colored leaves. As they grow and darken, they become bitter

1/2 cup grated carrots

2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds

Dandelion petals, as a garnish

Toss the spring greens and with dandelion leaves in a bowl, add the grated carrot and drizzle on dressing, toss the salad and sprinkle with dandelion petals.

There are many different ways you can keep yourself fed while ridding your lawn of dandelions. The whole plant is edible: The flowers can be used as a garnish or fermented to make wine, the leaves can be boiled like spinach or added to salads, and the roots can even be used as substitute to coffee.

 

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