We take a moment before each post to acknowledge that the land we learn from, responsibly take from, and generously give back to, is the traditional and contemporary homeland of the Anishinaabe peoples, specifically the Council of Three Fires (the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations), among others.
We pay respect to their ancient stewardship, ecological wisdom, and continued presence here in the Great Lakes region, committing ourselves to learning and practicing the ethics of stewardship and harvesting that they pioneered.
Land is not property, land is a relation.
—
I believe that foraging for dandelions is where you should start on your foraging journey.
I’m going to tell you the history of dandelions, what to be cautious of, how to forage for dandelions, how to use dandelions for food and medicine (I’m not a doctor).
Dandelion History
The dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) was known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and used in traditional Chinese medicine for over a thousand years.
It was brought to North America on the Mayflower for medicinal benefits and as a garden vegetable crop.
Being a plant that is non-native to America, the dandelion was not a traditional element of the pre-colonial diet, medicine, or ceremonies of native peoples, though they did begin to use the plant for food and medicine after it was brought over.
There are native species of Taraxacum like the tundra dandelion (T. ceratophorum) in North America, so it wasn’t this entirely foreign species when T. officinale came on the scene.
Are Dandelions Poisonous?
Allergies
While dandelions aren’t generally poisonous, there are instances where consumption or contact may lead to mild reactions for sensitive individuals.
Dandelions may cause mild allergic reactions for particularly sensitive people when consumed or when they come into contact with the plant.
Contact Dermatitis
Also of note, if you’ve ever broken the stem, you’ve seen a milky white sap come out.
That milky white sap is latex, which contains sesquiterpene lactones.
For people with lactone hypersensitivity, this may cause mild allergic contact dermatitis.
This white sap is found in the main root and the stems.
Pesticide Residue
While not specific to the plant itself, you have to consider where these dandelions are.
People will go absolutely bananas trying to kill dandelions, including using herbicides that could kill people.
Herbicides used on lawns are a serious risk to humans, causing physical harm on contact.
So if you’ve got a home with a yard and a landscaper that mows from time to time, make sure they’re not using any chemicals on the lawn before you forage (also consider getting rid of your lawn).
Animal Waste
If you have a pet that goes to the bathroom on the ground – and this could apply to any plant you’re thinking about foraging – make sure what you want to forage hasn’t come into contact with what comes out of them.
Where I forage my dandelions, it’s on a property that I know for a fact hasn’t been urinated or defecated on, or sprayed with chemicals for that matter.
It seems obvious, but it’s always worth mentioning because the lizard brain goes “me want thing now” and get’s tunnel vision.
You want clean, poop-free food, okay?
Any Dangerous Lookalikes?
The great thing about dandelions is everyone around here knows what they look like, so the issues come from the aforementioned dangers, not necessarily from misidentification.
There is one plant that can have a passing resemblance to the dandelion, and that’s hypochaeris radicata, or the false dandelion (also called “cat’s ear” or “flatweed” depending on the region).
False dandelion will probably do nothing to you because it’s not acutely toxic to humans, but if you have a horse, don’t let it eat these.
False dandelion can cause a disease called stringhalt in horses.
There are two main ways of telling them apart: the leaves and the stems.
False dandelion leaves are hairy and fuzzy, especially on the underside, whereas true dandelion leaves are smooth and hairless.
All of the leaves must grow directly from the base of the plant, lying in a circle (rosette) on the ground.
True dandelions have a single hollow stem with no branches.
Some other plants that may have a loose resemblance are anything in the thistle family, perhaps hawkweed, and maybe wild lettuce.
All three of those are edible too and in various stages, so there’s no danger if you accidentally eat part of one.
Foraging and Preparing Dandelions
As we’ve established, make sure to forage from areas free of chemicals and animal waste, especially for something low to the ground.
You’re going to want to harvest dandelions in early spring, but really, there’s always a use for dandelions in any season.
Yes, even when they’ve gone to seed as you can use the seeds’ pappus (the “parachute”) for food and as a stabilizer for natural flammable material like pitch from deciduous trees (nature is so metal).
Although if you have access to cattails that have gone to seed, you’ll need a lot fewer cattail “parachutes” than you would for dandelions if you’re using them as a stabilizer.
For spicy brained nerds like me: the pappus creates a specific type of vortex ring that allows the seeds to cover large distances when dispersed, potentially traveling up to 100 kilometers (62 miles), the FARTHEST KNOWN PASSIVE FLIGHT AMONG PLANTS.
This dispersal mechanism is so effective that it has inspired engineering studies for the development of passive flight technologies and floating wireless sensors. (brain explodes)
As far as food goes, (virtually) the entire dandelion plant and at all stages of life is edible (don’t eat the latex regardless of if you’re allergic to it or not).
Dandelion Leaves
The leaves are the most commonly consumed part of the dandelion and are highly valued for their nutritional content:
- Vitamins A, B9, C, and K
- Iron
- Calcium, Potassium, and Manganese
- Carotenoids
Dandelion greens contain more Vitamin C than tomatoes and more Vitamin A than spinach.
They can be eaten raw after you’ve given them a thorough rinse, just like you would any salad green.
Mixing them into a salad with sweeter greens will help to offset the bitterness, which happens as the leaves mature and the flowers bloom.
To reduce bitterness, rinse them well in water, possibly using several rinses and soakings, then boil them in up to three separate changes of water.
You can also sauté them and add them to soups.
For German, Amish, and Mennonite communities, dandelion greens are served warm with a sweet-sour dressing made with bacon grease, sometimes topped with chopped hard-cooked egg and crumbled bacon.
You may find Italians who dress them with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.
Here in the American south, they are traditionally served with a hot bacon dressing (similar to our aforementioned G.A.M. friends).
They are also part of traditional Lebanese, Spanish, Albanian, Slovenian, Jewish, Chinese, Greek, and Korean cuisines (and others).
Dandelion Flowers
Flowering heads can be dipped in batter and fried to make sweet or savory fritters.
Try adding them to pancake batter, broken up and stirred in (adding orange zest and orange juice can enhance the flavor if you do this).
You could also use the flowers in things like ice cream or quiche.
A more notable use for dandelion flower heads is dandelion wine.
Flowering dandelion heads are mixed with sugar and flavorings and allowed to ferment to produce a sweet, clear to yellow-ish alcoholic beverage.
When making wine, most people use just the yellow flowers and remove the bitter green parts from the base of the flowers.
Dandelion Roots and a Word of Caution
Roots are awesome, but require you to dig into the ground to harvest, which not all landowners will be excited about.
You also need to be sure you’re not going to damage anything buried that you weren’t aware of.
Your absolute best bet is to grow them in an area that you know you can dig in.
My advice (if you don’t own the land and aren’t able to cultivate the roots) is to get someone’s permission on private land or stick with the parts above ground.
What I’m not telling you to do is find an abandoned lot somewhere and discretely dig them up.
I’m also not telling you to research guerrilla gardening.
Dandelion taproots are used in beverage substitutes and tonics.
Think coffee substitution by rinsing, dicing, roasting, and brewing.
It’s a caffeine-free alternative to coffee or chicory (which is another powerhouse foragable plant).
Anita Sanchez wrote an interesting book on dandelions back in 2006 called “The Teeth of the Lion”:
“Dandelions are among the most expensive items in the grocery store. The roots are dried and sold as a no-caffeine coffee substitute – for $31.75 a pound. Dandelions out-price prime rib, swordfish and lobster. They appear in produce and other sections, and even at the liquor store.”
$31.75 in 2006 is $49.82 today.
I’m not sure where she was shopping, but I certainly can’t find any real-world examples of dandelion roots being this expensive.
I’m seeing organic, chopped, dried, and pre-roasted roots for $28 a pound at most, though if you’re willing to do some processing yourself, or even are willing to buy non-organic, that price will certainly drop.
Coffee aside, folks in the Ozarks used the roots as a “spring tonic,” roasting, grinding, and brewing it like coffee or preparing it like tea (sometimes mixed with sassafras or chicory).
Something I haven’t tried are dandelion roots sliced up and served on buttered white bread.
The roots are also a source of the sugar substitute inulin, which has potential benefits for individuals with diabetes, but I’m still not a doctor so make sure to speak to a real one about this.
Dandelion Stems and Dandelion Seeds
Although not as often used as their older siblings, the stems and the seeds are great too.
The stems can be boiled in water, strained, and seasoned with ingredients like olive oil, butter, garlic, and salt to create “dandelion noodles”.
The seeds can be collected and sprouted in a jar with a sprouting lid to grow microgreens, which go great in salads and sandwiches.
I have also heard about dandelion seeds being baked into muffins, added to granola, or made into milk (though I’d imagine you’d need quite a bit of the seeds for this).
Conclusion
The dandelion is an exceptionally nutritious plant.
And although it’s non-native, it’s been used for centuries as food, medicine, and even wildcrafting.
Identifying a true dandelion from a lookalike shouldn’t be too difficult, just look for the hollow stem and smooth leaves.
And even if you misidentify, it’s very unlikely that anything bad will happen.
Which is why I truly believe that the dandelion is the safest bet for a beginner forager who does not experience an allergic reaction to the plant.
Touch grass,
Trevor.
Leave a Reply