Eat Those Dandelions!

You may notice that the template for this Blog has dandelions. Dandelions are the bane of every gardener and many have seen me uprooting dandelions and planting grass or other seeds in the resultant holes. Dandelions are my enemy that I wish to destroy. In the Spring, my favorite way to kill dandelions IS TO EAT THEM!! You may not realize it but dandelions were imported from Europe by the early settlers on purpose! Dandelions were quite literally a life-saver in pioneer days containing the first Vitamin C after a long winter. Dandelions are one of the most nourishing foods. 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces)of dandelion greens contain 45 calories, they contain 4.5 grams of fiber (9% of your daily requirements), 7% of folate, 5% of niacin, 8% of calcium, 9% of magnesium, 15% of manganese, 19% of vitamin B-6,20% of Riboflavin, 23% of Vitamin E, 58% of your daily requirement of VITAMIN C, 338% of your VITAMIN A and a whopping 649% of your daily requirement of VITAMIN K!!! Dandelion greens are the richest plant source of Vitamin A and by far the richest source of Vitamin K! Dandelion greens are a rich source of carotene and lutein. And only 45 calories per 100 grams! In Summer dandelion greens are bitter and we have so much better tasting produce. In Spring dandelion greens are so sweet you can eat them raw in salads and sandwiches. They are delicious steamed or sautéed and served with a little olive oil or butter. Dandelion greens go well in soups, even now they add a taste and add nutrition to hearty minestrone or vegetable soups. (All cited nutrition information plus recipes can be found through Google.) Eat those dandelions!