I have heard they are very healthy for people to eat in salads. Are
they OK to use as long as they have not gone to flower yet? My
Grandmother used to boil them and I did not like them that way,
sprinkled with vinegar. How do you harvest and prepare them? TIA

"pamjd" > wrote in message
...
>I have heard they are very healthy for people to eat in salads. Are
> they OK to use as long as they have not gone to flower yet? My
> Grandmother used to boil them and I did not like them that way,
> sprinkled with vinegar. How do you harvest and prepare them? TIA

Salads with dandelion greens are quite popular in some cultures. As Lynn
said, you want them very young and you must be positive they haven't been
sprayed with weedkiller or the like.

You eat only the leaves. Cleaning the mud off them can be tedius. Once
they are cleaned, chop coarsely and dress with olive salt, salt, pepper, and
vinegar.

Dandelion flowers can be used to make wine. Read Ray Bradbury's novel
Dandelion Wine to get an idea of why you might want to do that. ISTR in the
book he said that the wine was Summer, caught and stoppered.

My mom and aunt were both fond of eating dandelion greens. I think I posted
here once about a family outing to pick them. They like them cooked, and my
aunt cleaned them in her washing machine.

The same aunt made dandelion wine one year. I wasn't too impressed with it,
but I was a kid at the time. I do remember that it was quite sweet so I
probably wouldn't be too impressed with it now, either.

Anny