Front Lawn Foraging – Dandelion Salad

Let’s face it: dandelions have a bad rap. Many of us who live in the suburbs are faced each spring with the raggedy creep of what many, until recently, considered to be blight on our lawns: the dandelion carpet. 

To many modern minds, common dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are at best an annoyance that should be removed, in favor of a sea of perfect green grass. While for most of us it isn’t a stretch to think of saving bees by growing pollinator gardens or keeping a hive or two of bees. But when we’re asked to leave our dandelions on our lawns—well, that might be a bridge too far. So when you consider that most bees’ first spring meal is supping on a dandelion, you might just leave them on your lawn and stop poisoning them. That’s what we’ve done. 

Moving Ahead by Discovering Our Dandelion Past!

As far as human use goes, dandelions have long had applications as medicine, in food and in wine. Dandelions are packed with as many or more vitamins and minerals than spinach. They contain Vitamins A, C and K and trace amounts of Vitamin B and have minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Dandelions have been used down the centuries to cure scurvy with their Vitamin C, anemia, blood disorders and even depression. 

For more information on the history and health benefits of the dandelion in the United States, here is a link from Columbia University!

Now that we’ve made the case for leaving dandelions on our lawn for the bees, we need to move past our prohibition of eating them in a salad. Or maybe it was just my reluctance. I admit I had to challenge myself to pick, prepare and eat this Dandelion Salad with Bacon but once I did, I became a convert. It is simple to make and oh, so delicious!

For your salad, be sure to pick dandelions that are before or in bud, not the ones that have bloomed or are in fluffy seed-head retreat. Dandelions have a very mildly bitter tang, but just a suggestion of it, not the power à la arugula or a stronger, mustardy green would have. Picking the leaves before they are in bloom give you this more delicate dandelion flavor.

Front Lawn Foraging – Dandelion Salad

Serves 4; Preparation time: 15 minutes; Soaking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups dandelion greens (pick plants that haven’t bloomed yet; buds are ok)
• 2 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons onion, minced finely
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil or grapeseed oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Harvest dandelion plants from your lawn that haven’t bloomed yet. Plants with buds are okay to use. (Warning: Do not make this recipe if you have recently applied herbicide to your lawn. Make another kind of salad and wait until next year!)
2. Carefully remove the muddy roots and any damaged leaves and discard them. 
3. Cut the remaining good dandelion leaves into quarters and soak them for half an hour in cold water, stirring them briskly several times to get rid of any dirt. 
4. Have a small skillet ready with the cut up bacon in it. Ten minutes before the end of soaking time, cook the bacon until crispy brown. When finished, remove half the fat and leave the bacon and the rest of the fat in the pan to keep warm.
5. In a salad bowl, combine the well-drained greens and top with onion, vinegar, oil, and season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour hot bacon and remaining bacon drippings over the salad and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Here are more salad ideas and recipes from Food for the Ages!