It is Foraging Time Again! Day One: Dandelion

Well, now that warmer weather approaches, I am beginning to see some of my spring medicinal and salad stand-bys popping up. Now is the time to spring clean the body, to use tonic and purifying herbs to cleanse the blood after a winter of heavier foods and a more sedentary existence. 

Some medicinal herbs like Dandelion , Taraxacum officinale, will remain as a green herb in the grass all winter long, which makes dandelions greens a useful winter salad green. It is possible to see a stalwart Dandelion blooming in the grass on a sunny day even late winter in our area. Dandelions are known for their ability to cleanse the blood, and so are often used in a spring tonic. 

The plant is useful in all of its parts. The greens, when picked while young and tender, can be added to salads, they are slightly bitter, but in a salad of other greens are very palatable. When slightly older leaves are picked, it is a good idea to blanch them or stir fry them to reduce the bitterness that they take on. The greens are full of vitamins A, B, C, and D as well as, iron, potassium and zinc. The best time to pick Dandelion greens for salads is before they start to bloom, in late winter and early spring.

The flowers are used to make Dandelion wine, (*Dandelion pollen can cause a histamine response in people prone to ragweed pollen allergies, but the greens and roots would not be an allergen), the roots can be roasted and made into a coffee-like beverage, and are also used with other roots, in the making of old-timey root beer.

Dandelions have many medicinal uses. The leaves are used as a diuretic to increase urine output and cleanse kidneys. Dandelions may prove useful in treating high blood pressure, due to its diuretic capabilities, (*Due to its high potassium levels, dandelion can also increase the risk of hyperkalemia when taken with potassium-sparing diuretics.)  It is good for the liver and gallbladder and helps to increase bile production, Thus they also stimulate appetite and aid in digestion. The Dandelion flower is an antioxidant. The roots can be used as a gentle laxative. Dandelion may also help normalize blood sugar levels and lower total cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as raising HDL, "good" cholesterol.

Here a fun recipe to play with in your foraging efforts.

                                    Dandelion Pesto
Ingredients

Raw pumpkin seeds, 3/4-1 cup unsalted raw pumpkin seeds, (or if preferred, raw sunflower seeds)
Garlic cloves, 3 pressed in a garlic press
Onion, 1/4 of a white or yellow onion,(I use onion to reduce the amount of oil necessary in the recipe)
Nutritional Yeast, 1/4-1/3 cup
Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil, 1/4 cup or more as needed to get desired consistency
Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice, one lemon's juice or enough lemons to equal 1/4 cup juice
Salt, ample 1/2 tsp.
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Dandelion Greens, 1 cup tender new leaves
Cilantro, 1 cup leaves and stems

Instructions

In a blender place olive oil, lemon juice, onion, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

Blend until liquefied. Add pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds or a mixture of the two, dandelion greens and cilantro. blend until a thick paste. If the pesto seems dry, taste and see if there is enough lemon to suit, if it can take more then add lemon juice to make a more moist paste. If there is enough lemon for your taste add water instead of lemon, just a little at a time until desired consistency is achieved. 

Toss this with spiralized raw zucchini for a raw pesto "pasta" dish, or cook pasta al dente, cool slightly and toss with pesto. (cooling pasta a little allows you to maintain all the vitamins and enzymes in the raw pesto. Top with your choice of raw veggies, some suggestions would be cherry tomatoes halved, avocado chunks, black olives, capers, and diced cucumbers.

Provecho!


** This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended as suggested treatment for illness. Do your own research and make educated decisions about whether on not to use dandelion or any other herb as a medicine. As with any herb or medicine , be it pharma or herbal, there are possibilities of drug interactions. If you are on prescription diuretics, blood thinners or Lithium, consult you medical professional before using dandelion. Those who are allergic to ragweed pollen, chrysanthemums, marigold, chamomile, yarrow, daisies, or iodine, should avoid dandelion. **