I love the saying, "the only difference between a weed and a flower is a designation."
I think we can all agree that those quiet nerds in school that were often overlooked likely became successful scientists, engineers, and physicians.
I guess if you have it you don't need to flaunt it and if you flaunt it you likely don't have it.
Dandelions are best utilized in a setting you can control. They have enormous benefits from petals to roots, but you don't want ones that were sprayed with weed killer or animals have been peeing on.
Give yourself a controlled area of the yard to grow organic seed dandelions, but beware. Those little propeller-like fluffy seeds float all over the yard, so soon you may have a dandelion farm.
I'm a naturalist, so not big on manicured lawns and such. I like to use regional wild grass and let it grow and sway and attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Among that wild grass, I enjoy dandelions.
YELLOW PETALS
The yellow petals of the flower can be sprinkled on salads and incorporated into cooking. These are amazing for the immune system with lots of antixoidants. They help to detox the liver and kidneys. You can utilize all of the plant to eat, but the most healthy property above the soil is the yellow flower. The roots we will talk about next.
You can take the flower petals too and use them to make dandelion honey. It is a tasty sweet concoction that also carries the properties of the flower that are antixoidant and immune boosting.
Recipe from The Spruce Eats (a great source!)
4 cups dandelion petals
4 cups water
3 lemon slices (1/4-inch)
1/2 vanilla bean, split in half
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Soak petals in cold water for 10 mins to clean and remove any tiny bugs. Drain. Place petals in a heavy saucepan with water, lemon slices, and vanilla bean. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 30 mins. Remove from heat and let steep 6 hours. Strain through a cheesecloth. Discard the solids. Place liquid into heavy saucepan and bring to a low boil. Gradually add sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Lower heat and simmer until desired syrup thickness, about one hour. It will thicken some more as it cools. Put the cooled honey into a jar or container in fridge. It is good for about 6 months. Can also freeze to use later.
ROOTS
Although some use the roasted roots for a coffee substitute, they have been associated strongly with cancer protection, cell protection, heartburn, liver health, and more.
The take-away from this post is that dandelions are powerhouses. Think in terms of resilience and proliferation - these "weeds" remind me of a phrase, "the difference between a weed and a flower is designation."
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