Eat Your Weeds!
You heard me correctly! That’s right! Eat your weeds they are good for you.
Hang on. STOP! I didn’t mean right this second… there are a few things you need to know first. Come on. Grab a steaming cup of your favorite Farmhouse Tea and let’s chat.
Weeds. mmmm. I do love them. Don’t you?
No?
Perhaps I can convince you to by then end of this blog?
Those tenacious, hardy and fast growing plants … you know the ones I’m talking about… should I say it? ….
DANDELION!!! (You shuddered like I said Mufasa didn’t you?)
Hang on a sec while I go dry their tears…. Okay I’m back.
I’ve made it my mission to teach as many people I know about weeds and their uses. This includes the most hated weed of all, dandelion. How could this possibly be my mission? Well let me first start by redefining the term “weed” for you…
A Weed:
Any plant growing where you don’t want it to grow.
So with this new definition in mind we will continue. Weeds in my garden now include raspberry bushes growing in my perennial flowers, iris that have multiplied and choked out the other beautiful flowers I’m trying to grow and hyssop that has spread itself far and wide in my vegetable patches. And as for the plants most people call weeds they’ve been renamed “herb”. This means there are pink dandelions that have been intentionally planted in my flower garden, chickweed that is nestled nicely between the raised beds and sticky cleavers that I have left out of the way in a corner somewhere. I love weeds. Why?
How on earth could I love weeds when so many people hate them? I mean who don’t you know that isn’t passionate about dandelions in one form or another? Children absolutely love them! They color their arms and legs yellow each spring with the bring sunshine colored pollen. They make the best hair pieces for little girls and of course once those luscious yellow blooms fade they are nearly impossible to resist. What child can walk by without plucking one and blowing its ballerina like seeds off dance merrily into the wind? Lawn keepers… now these people have even more passion for dandelions than any other person…. this is not the passion that children share but is much darker in nature….. this passion is probably a bit more like hate. They pull them. They pluck them. They dig them up. They spray them with weed killer and curse them…. yet those little dandelions still find a way into lawns everywhere. As for me? My passion lies somewhere in between.
I am a big fan of turning something that is a frustration into something better. While I don’t really agree with my things my father did, he got one thing right. And that was how he looked at dandelions. I distinctly remember him coming in from mowing the lawn one day with a big handful of dandelions…. “If I can’t beat them I’m just going to eat them!” He loudly proclaimed…. I mean this might be a problematic solution to apply to most things in life however as far as dandelions are concerned it works.
Dandelions are one of those troubles that can actually be turned into a delight with a minor shift in perspective. Instead of calling them weeds, let’s call them herbs from here on out. Before I really get you excited - let me share a few precautions with you.
If you pick a dandelion…
Be sure the lawn was not fertilized with chemical fertilizer
Do not pluck dandelions for food from a lawn sprayed with weed killer
Stay away from driveways and roadsides
Make sure you have identified this herb correctly
Although I’ve haven’t eaten a frittered dandelion bloom since I was a teenager (she shutters) I have found many ways to use dandelions and many reasons to love them. I live in a very cold climate. We look forward to the first blooms of spring more than you would ever know unless you lived somewhere like this. When those little yellow bursts of color pop out we know spring is officially on its way. The honeybees wake up right as the dandelions bloom and my soul gets excited knowing what food they have to offer for these little pollinators. We do not mow our lawn until the first flush of dandelion blooms is over. While we do not currently have honeybees on our own farm we do know several people in the area who do. These incredible creatures can travel up to 5 miles away in search of nectar and pollen. Our yard has become a safe haven for dandelions and bees alike. Please keep this in mind when you go to spray your lawn the next time… perhaps consider a more nature friendly method of keeping your lawn.
Dandelions have also become a spring staple food in our home. These little greens are some of the very first things to spring to life once the winter snows recede in the warm sunshine. Dandelion greens as well as stinging nettles (another hated weed) and asparagus are three of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet! These foods come up first in the spring so that you can rebuild your vitamins and mineral stores that were depleted in the winter months. We add the dandelion greens to each salad we make. We harvest extra to be dried and used in our super green powder which we add to soups and smoothies all year long. If you’ve ever dined with us in the spring chances are pretty high you were served a fresh salad with dandelion greens and violets sprinkled on top.
Dandelion flowers have found many ways into our home. We enjoy them by making dandelion and violet lemonade. This refreshing and healthy drink has become one of my kids’ all-time favorites. They often pick flowers and bring them to me asking for this delicious beverage. We make play dough (recipe found here), cookies and even wine from these sunny little blossoms. I didn’t have to convince my children this was a good idea I just harnessed their natural delight in these little herbs. If you’d like to make cookies like we do check out this video I made a couple years ago.
I invite you to sit among the dandelions and see how you feel after 5 minuets. Take in some deep breaths. Observe the insect activity and drink in the warmth these sunny little blooms bring to your soul. Then pluck up some of those lovely greens add tell your friends you eat your weeds.
Have I convinced you? Let me know how do you plan to use dandelions this spring?
Learn & Grow
Your Favorite Crazy Plant Lady
