Why are dandelions hated so much?
It is actually quite pretty, with its merry yellow flowers, except that gardeners really don't like it.
But the dandeloion is a fighter. The sooner you deal with dandelions the less likely they are to spread, but this is when they are at their most delicious.
Dandelions become bitter as they age, so they need to be harvested early. Rinse the leaves and add them to your salad and they and they add a wonderful slightly bitter taste. You can add them to all kinds of other foods as well.
Pick some of the bright yellow flowers and sprinkle the petals on your salad as a decoration.

Don't frown when you first see the dandelions in your garden, just pick the leaves while they are young and add them to your salad. Then dig out the roots carefully so they don't spread.

Image and some information from Nuvo magazine

Thank you for the information. I have seen dandelion leaves in the grocery store, but I never tried them. I did not really know about them I will try some in my salad. It looks good on the picture.

Love,
Vicky

Dandelion leaves are very popular in France.
We use them in salads, in pates etc.
We can have them here in grocery stores.

Sincerely,
Gisele

I sure don't like dandelions in my garden, but I will try them in salads. As Vicky said, the picture looks good, and I have seen them in the supermarket but never tried the dandelion leaves.
The flower looks decorative as well.

Love,
Sue

Thank you for your replies.

There is more information at this website:

http://landscaping.about.com/o...ill_dandelions_2.htm


Dandelion greens are high in vitamins A and C, and iron. Why pay extra at the store to purchase foods with similar (or, often, inferior) nutritional value, when you have a free source in your yard? Just avoid harvesting near roads, since road salt and/or toxins may be present. Likewise, you obviously shouldn't harvest from a lawn where herbicides have been used.

But what about the taste, you ask? Dandelion greens taste like other salad greens with a "bite," such as chicory and escarole. And how you go about harvesting and cooking them also plays a role in the taste. You should harvest dandelion greens in early spring, before the flowers appear. That's when they're the tenderest and least bitter. After the first frost in fall is another time when dandelion greens aren't so bitter. Boiling them will further reduce their bitterness.
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Here is someone who enjoys skipping through the dandelions

Thank you for this post Inda.

I like a lot of salads and I have used dandelion leaves in my salad.They come tied up in little bundles at the grocery store.
They add a nice, slightly bitter taste that is actually very pleasant.

Love,
yoko