Ela Henry (public domain)- Pharmacists in 19th-century England made tea from roasted dandelion roots. The drink is still trendy today, thanks to a coffeelike taste and color without caffeine.
- A cup of chopped raw dandelion greens provides 112 percent of the daily requirement for vitamin A (at only 25 calories).
- From blossom to root, 100 percent of this weed, which is also an herb, is edible for most people.
- Dandelion flowers reach heights of 6 to 24 inches, and roots go as deep as 10 to 15 feet.
- Dandelions are part of the daisy family, one of the biggest in botany with more than 1,620 genera of plant types.
- A single dandelion head consists of up to 300 ray flowers that look like tiny petals at first glance.
- Ray Bradbury’s 1957 novel Dandelion Wine gets its title from the wine the characters make and drink in summer.
Judy says
Do you eat the flower ?
Do you soak it in water to make sure there aren’t any bugs aka ants
Laurel Yost says
I have always loved dandelions. Not only are they beautiful, but are very nutritious. When I was a little girl, I picked many dandelion bouquets for my mom.
don says
Dandelion n Burdock ………. the drink of my childhood
Deb says
A beneficial fact about dandelions is that they are one of the first foods for the bees. No bees = no food!
Pat Nielsen says
Sicilians eat the leaves of the dandelions before the flower part comes. Grandma and mother would cook them and the name they use for them is Chicodia – not sure of this spelling. I wouldn’t eat greens as a child!
My back is killing me just thinking of all bending to pick them!
Steve Ciccarella says
Chicoria, Italian for chicory is readily available in most supermarkets. It looks and tastes very similar to. dandelion leaves, maybe not as bitter. The old ItaLian women were fanatical about picking these leaves. Can also be eaten cold, tossed in with other salad greens.
Dave says
I father in-law talked of eating them all the time growing up in dark canyon.
Peter says
I remember the Italian P.O.W’s in WW2 used to put them in their sandwiches at lunch time. Many of them worked in the greenhouses during that period. Many of them returned to England on a permanent basis a few months after the war.
Pat Nielsen says
Sicilians eat the leaves of the dandelions. Mother and Grandma would pick them only before they bloomed otherwise they would be no good! It was eaten cooked with olive oil etc. As a child, I wouldn’t eat greens. My back aches just thinking of them bending over to pick them!
Delta says
And they’re also a pain you-know-where. I uproot them from my yards and then my “neighbor” lets his stay, only cutting them back with his lawn mower, so I get more from him. What I need is a better neighbor.
Bob says
I agree, hate dandelions. Mess up my lawn!!!
Faye says
I hate them too but I decided it’s more important that the bees have this precious source of food. I have the most bee-u-tiful yellow lawn on the block some years! Lol
Lynn says
Dandelion yards are beautiful and beneficial. My neighbors hate me and I just smile. Cranky people are very amusing. I think I will let my whole yard become a dandelion farm! LOL
Pam says
My father was from northern Italy. Pordenone.
Early in the springtime, He picked young dandelion leaves before the flowers grew and we ate them in a salad.
We lived in Troy, MI. Now you can buy them at
Specialty Food Stores.
nancy says
I had to pick the dandelions
and my parents made the wine
Papa says
On the down side, if you get the stem sap on your hands it’s really hard to remove!
Sylvia says
I have heard and wrongly so I guess; Dandelions are poison to eat.? Where oh where did I possibly hear that.
Sylvia says
My husband made bee houses for the mason bees. Wait til I tell him he can skip mowing at least part of the lawn.
Brenna Jacobs says
“The official flower of the military child is the dandelion. Why? The plant puts down roots almost anywhere, and it’s almost impossible to destroy. It’s an unpretentious plant, yet good looking. It’s a survivor in a broad range of climates. Military children bloom everywhere the winds carry them. They are hardy and upright. Their roots are strong, cultivated deeply in the culture of the military, planted swiftly and surely. They’re ready to fly in the breezes that take them to new adventures, new lands, and new friends.
Julie Fukuda says
If you pull up a dandelion, and the root breaks off, a new plant will come up from the remaining root. Sometimes, there will be a cluster of plants from that root. What I would like to know is, how much of the root left in the ground is needed to create a new plant?
Barbara says
any little piece whatsoever!