Lion's Teeth

Dandelion
     noun
well-known plant of the daisy family found in Europe, Asia, and North America, with a tapering, milky root, producing one large, yellow flower, late 14c., a contraction of dent-de-lioun, from Old French dent de lion, literally "lion's tooth" (from its toothed leaves), a translation of Medieval Latin dens leonis. From Latin dens (genitive dentis) "tooth," from PIE root *dent- "tooth" + leonis, genitive of leo "lion"
I love it when dandelions grow through cracks in sidewalks. It’s heroic. They give me hope. If a wee flowering herb can triumph over cruel, soulless concrete, surely we can triumph over the burnt sienna Bozo’s ruthless and devious Fascist Party.

You probably know this already but, every part of the dandelion—flower, root and stems—is edible.

You can make tea from the leaves AND the roots. It contains vitamins A, C, and K, folate, calcium and potassium. It’s also a fine diuretic. So, they’re good for our kidneys.Tea made from the roots has a detoxifying action on the liver. Really! It’s also good at clearing up acne.

The much maligned dandelion has antioxidant properties too. Yes, they can help to prevent or delay some types of cell damage. Dandelions can assist in managing blood pressure and blood sugar AND lower cholesterol. They can reduce inflammation too.

Wine can be made from dandelion flowers.

Wine made from dandelion blossoms has an ancient legacy in Europe as a low-cost substitute. Dandelions flourish even in dry, sparse conditions. Therefore, the custom was carried on by settlers in the Plains States of North America.
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Dandelion wine is essentially more alcohol than wine because it is warm and rich, comparable to a fine bourbon. You can prepare a drink that’s very sugary by using only the yellow sepals, or you can use the entire bloom to give it a little extra zing. There are many different techniques to produce dandelion wine, but as a general principle, you should acquire one liter of wildflowers for every liter of wine you intend to brew. (source)

You can find an ingredient list and recipe here.

Dandelion roos can be cooked and consumed like carrots. They’re actually more nutritious than spinach and broccoli. Wowie kazowie, eh?

A lovely veggie dish to try is dandelion greens with double garlic. Ya know, anything with “double garlic” is gonna be stupendous.

How about a wild spring green pizza?

Try a dandelion pumpkin seed pesto. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM, pesto!

Dandelion flower cookies? YES!

More here.

Never EVER cook and eat dandelions that have been treated with chemicals! I’m talkin’ weed killer here. I know, I know DUH but I gotta say it.

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson