Dandelion Uses

Mark has a wild edibles hero named Mr. Green Deane.  I suppose he's my hero, too, because he introduced us to dandelion coffee, a caffeine-free coffee substitute (or Pero substitute, in my case) that is my favorite drink when the common cold sets in.  Actually, it's a yummy drink in general, but with the added bonus of steaming out your sinuses.  :)

At any rate, you can find a fantastic amount of recipes on Green Deane's website: Eat the Weeds.  We've used dandelions in three basic ways:

1. Greens: as we would any strong-tasting green (like arugula), on salads and sandwiches.
2. Roots: Roasted, ground, and boiled into dandelion coffee.
3. Flowers: we made fritters, kinda like these.

But seriously check out Eat the Weeds if you want a good time.  Cuz who doesn't want to try Dandilion Blossom Cake at least once in their life?

Read about other useful greens here.