Golden yellow flower heads sit just above a flat rosette of jagged leaves, barely 4 to 6 inches high. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) is the weed gardeners deliberately sow, since leaf, flower and root are all edible; blanch the plants under a cloche or a pile of straw and the bitterness fades.
| Name | Taraxacum officinalis |
|---|---|
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Type | perennial |
| Height | 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun, part sun |
| Soil | ordinary |
| Harvest | 10 to 12 months after sowing |
Even though it is considered a weed, it can actually be grown and eaten in salad, both leaf and flower.
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Dandelion can be sown right as spring starts, ideally after any risk of freezing has disappeared.
Dandelion can thus be sown from early spring to midsummer.
After sprouting:
Dandelion requires extremely little care, it is much more famous for its hardiness and vigor than it is for being weak and frail…
You can run the hoe along often to remove the true weeds that might alter the proper growth of your dandelions.
Blanching dandelion means covering the plants to cut them off from light for a while, to reduce the bitterness of their leaves.
It’s possible to blanch the dandelion by covering it with an opaque garden cloche, a wooden box, empty flower pot or an opaque sheet of plastic.
It you don’t have any of this, simply pile up some straw or dried leaves on the dandelion should be enough to blanch it.
It is recommended to cut all the dandelion leaves 1 inch (3 cm) from the crown and ridge each plant with a thick layer of soil, about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm).
For the dandelion, one can harvest leaves, flowers and even the root. Nothing in the dandelion goes to waste!
Dandelion leaves are most delicious in spring, while they are still young, for use raw or in mixed salads.
When cooking the leaves, you can harvest anytime during the year.
Harvest dandelion flowers in spring when the inflorescence is well formed.
Cut the capitulum, breaking off the small stem with a sharp pull.
You can used it to decorate both mixed salads and desserts, and cook it to make delicious dandelion jelly.
‘Amélioré à cœur plein’ is a dandelion cultivar selected for its dense, full heart, and gardeners traditionally blanch it by covering the plant to make the inner leaves less bitter.
Leaves, flower heads and roots are all worth taking from the same plant, but each has its own moment and its own use in the kitchen.
| Part | Best time to harvest | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Spring, while young, for raw use; any time of year if they are to be cooked | Raw or in mixed salads, soups and infusions |
| Flower heads | Spring, once the inflorescence is well formed | Decorating salads and desserts, and dandelion jelly |
| Roots | Lifted from established plants | Edible, like the leaves |
Cutting flowers as they appear also keeps new buds coming all season long.
With particularly high levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene, dandelion leaves are very interesting in salads, soups, and infusions.
The leaves and the roots of dandelion are both edible.
Flowers can bring a surprising decorative touch thanks to their golden yellow color, and they are simply delicious when added to jelly and jam.
