Dandilions are one of the first flowers of spring, and though they are considered by many to be bothersome weeds, I invite you to take a moment to consider how important they are to our brother and sister animal critters of the woods.
Imagine you are a cottontail rabbit. You have spent all winter in a state of quiteness; because you do not hibernate, it is important that you conserve your energy. You spend the daylight hours hunkered down under shrubs, trees, rocks, or if you're lucky, in an underground burrow.
You've just spent four to six months feeding on twigs, bark, and dormant tree and flower buds. At times, your furry little paws have dug through the snow, silently at night time, in search of something to eat. During snowstorms you lay low, keeping warm, and sometimes not eating for more than a day. The world around you is white and brown and grey.
Picture now, the white snow beginning to melt, revealing the tired beige and brown, faded ground, revealing last fall's distorted tracks and weighed-down, expired herbaceous plants and grasses. Your ears perk up to the warm spring breeze that rustles your dull fur. You, who have spent the winter feeding on pithy, starchy sustenance, suddenly spot the most beautiful thing in the world-- greenness. Poking out from between washed out dead foliage grows a tiny set of smooth, light-green, spatulate cotyledons. you hop over and quickly nibble up the tender leaves. Spring is here.
Not only is the bitter taste delicious in your mouth, the dandelion is beneficial to your insides in many ways. After a winter of deprivation, the dandelion begins to strengthen the entire body, especially the liver and gallbladder because it promotes the flow of bile. This little plant contains more beta carotene than carrots, and more iron and calcium than spinach. Dandelion leaves are also full of vitamins and minerals. What a great way to cleanse your body and prepare for a new season of growth-- not to mention provide you with the energy to raise those 4-5 litters of 4-5 kits EACH you will be having during the spring and summer season. Up to twenty-five young-- you'd better get busy nourrishing yourself.
You can eat every part of the dandilion, except perhaps the stem, and there are some pretty amazing recipes out there. Why not try:
- dandelion tea/infusion
- dandilion flower cookies
- steamed dandelion heads
- dandelion wine
- dandelion greens in salads or on sandwiches
- roasted dandelion root coffee substitute
