I will no longer call these little bright yellow yard flowers “weeds”.
My yard is full of them. The neighbors yards are not. They keep weed killer on their lawns but little do they know, they are killing something that is beneficial to your health.
Did you know you can eat every part of a Dandelion? I always heard about the green leafy part being edible but I always thought the yellow flower was poison. As a kid, I can remember other weeds we put in our mouth. Most were by dare, but we did it and we lived.
We sucked the juice from Honeysuckle, chewed on sour grass, ate wild blackberries and attempted to smoke rabbit tobacco.
But Dandelions? Umm never.
After seeing several recipes online using dandelions, I did a little investigating (aka Googling). I found out that these little sunshine flowers were good for you and have lots of health benefits.
- Detoxifies the body
- Has fat metabolizing enzymes and natural diuretic to eliminate water weight- both aid in weight loss.
- Rich in Fiber and antioxidants.
- High in vitamin K, A, calcium, zinc, iron and magnesium.
- Cleanses the Liver
- Minimizes stress
- Boost immune system
- Balances blood sugars
- Reduces inflammation....
And the list goes on. I will have some links at the end of my page where you can read a little about them. It will surprise you.
I am from the South and we like our tea sweet and cold but I just had to try some Dandelion Tea.
So, out to the yard I went carrying a little bowl, hoping my neighbors were not watching, and began picking dandelions. I felt like I was six again. There were no threat of pesticides or weed killers ‘obvliously”. Ha.
The bees would beat me to a few so I made sure to leave them plenty to work with.
There are many recipes for Dandelion flowers, and I plan to make Dandelion bread soon, but for now here is how I made Dandelion tea.
Dandelion Tea:
(1 cup Dandelion petals for every 2 cups water.)
1. Wash and pat dry.
2. Pinch off the yellow petals removing the green best you can as the green can be bitter. (A little green wont hurt)
3. Place the petals in a pot of water and bring to a starting boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. It will begin to have a yellow tint.
5. Using cheese cloth, drain the petals from the tea.
6. Pour into your favorite mug , add a teaspoon of honey or other flavor of your choice and Enjoy.
The tea alone was rich in flavor. It had sort of a honey taste even before adding the extra honey. It was actually good. I would make this tea again before going out and buying some overpriced weak tea from the store.
"Well, it was all good until the next morning when I saw some cats messing around in the yard".
"Well, it was all good until the next morning when I saw some cats messing around in the yard".
Warning: Dandelions are closely related to other plants such as Daisies, Marigolds, Sunflowers, etc which some people are allergic to. If you have allergies to such flowers, do not attempt to eat Dandelion without consulting a doctor first.
Sources:
Recipes:
I’ve linked to these great parties
