Dandelion: Suburban Lawn Enemy #1 OR Superfood for the Masses?

No, I don't really want the world to end but is it wrong that I was hoping for a little more shake rattle and roll on December 21, 2012?  Perhaps a few days of darkness, maybe the grid going down for a week or so...anything to wake people up!  Instead we awoke to things appearing normal.  Things ARE shaking behind the scenes unaware to those who are too busy watching Survivor than to actually know how to survive but to the untrained eye things seem status quo.  Many are still in the dark about Obama signing the "Monsanto can do Whatever they Flippin Please Act" recently.  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Is anyone awake?

Spring has finally landed in Montana and more people are spending time in their yards and gardens.  I look in my yard and get excited at seeing those zig zaggedy leaves and know that wild food is on its way to me.  A gift from the universe.  I am one of  THOSE neighbors.  You know, the one without the perfectly manicured lawn. The kind that displays little tiny flags with bragging rights saying, "Look at how pretty I am. Don't let your dogs walk on me. I am toxic, but aren't I so pretty??"  Nope, I am the one with copious dandelions. 

I have a wish for my manicured community.  My dandelion wish for people is that they would wake up and see the nutrition, get in their yard with their kids, pick them, make wine and salads from them, see them for the bright bold yellow flower that they are and the whimsical seed pod that they become.

The word dandelion comes from the French word, dents de lion, meaning the teeth of the lion.  This most likely refers to the jagged leaves.  A lesser known French name for dendelion is pis-en-lit, meaning wet the bed.  Dandelion is a duiretic, not meant as a bed time snack. 

Dandelion leaves and roots are super nutritious and even the yellow flowers are edible. Historically the roots and leaves were used for digestive issues, breast health, fever, skin diseases, liver support and joint pain.  I was surprised to open up today's paper to find dandelion featured in the weekly food section.   I have long made fritters out of the flowers and use the leaves for salads but have never made dandelion leaf pesto.  I love recipes, but when it comes to pesto I never measure.  Here are the amounts according to The Missoulian.

1-2 cloves of garlic (or more!)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 TBS pine nuts

1/2 bunch (12 ounces) dandelion greens trimmed and chopped

2 TBS finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

2 TBS finely grated pecorino Romano cheese

2-4 TBS fruity olive oil

Lemon juice if desired to taste

Blend or food process.  Add ingredients as needed to taste.

Old habits die hard.  I understand.  Before you call the weed man or god forbid get out your Monsanto Round Up, shake thing up.  Pick a few leaves, dig up some root, throw some flowers in a salad and try dandelion for yourself. 

Garlic...Enough Said

I dated a wonderful young man in college.  I lived in an apartment while (for the first couple of years) he still lived at home.  In hindsight I can see why his mother wasn't fond of me, being the potential woman to take him away...and oh I did Carol, all the way to Montana from Ohio.  When our 6 year relationship ended, she got him back.  She wasn't outwardly mean yet she would often get her jabs in.  "Ever since you started dating Andrea, you reek of garlic." she said one day loud enough for me to hear.  A smile came over me.  To this day that is one of the greatest compliments I have ever received.

Growing up in a home that hardly contained real live vegetables, garlic as a kid always came in the form of garlic powder. This was normally added to jarred spaghetti sauce or to a big glutteny loaf of white bread.  Fast forward to college years where I often cooked instead of studying.  If it cast a spell on me in powdered form you can imagine what it was like when I got my hands on my very first bulb.  Now I grow it, store it, and eat it almost every day.  Last year I grew 62 bulbs, this year I hope to harvest 100.  I am quite generous sharing my garden bounty but even my own boyfriend got a mere 4 or 5 bulbs.

I feel like Miss America.

Home grown garlic is more potent than store bought and tastes divine.  You can plant it in the spring or fall.  I prefer spring as I can harvest it mid summer and then plant some greens in its place.  There are two kinds of garlic, hard neck and soft neck.  Soft neck stores longer but hard neck, my preference, produces garlic scapes.  Those swirly tips make some crazy strong pesto.  This is not for the faint hearted.  This is one of my most favorite summer treats and if willpower prevails I freeze some for the winter.  For year long access I store it in my basement closet which is dark and chilly but I also pickle it.

Garlic rocks medicinally.  Entire volumes could be written on the medicinal properties of garlic. Here are my two favorite tried and true recipes: garlic ear oil and garlic honey.

For both you mince tons of garlic or several cloves, depending on how much you want.  Then you put the garlic in a jar, cover it entirely with raw honey or extra virgin olive oil, cover the jar with a paper towel or cheese cloth so moisture can escape (you don't want the garlic to mold) and then you patiently wait for 4-6 weeks while it is doing its thing in a cool dark storage spot.  Then you strain

into a smaller jar or bottle.  I like the tiny blue glass bottles with a dropper for my ear oil.  And voila! 

You have just made some powerful medicine.

6 weeks is a long time.  Plan ahead.

Normally I make less garlic ear oil as it lasts a long time and you only need a little.  Garlic honey, on the other hand, I make in vats to last me through the winter.  Both work wonders for the immune system and keep you healthy during cold and flu season.  Take garlic honey as needed for colds, coughs, sore throats, and as a preventative.  Garlic ear oil needs to be warmed (submerging in a bowl of warm water does the trick) and a couple drops applied in the ear at bedtime keeps your immune system in tip top shape.  I put three drops in one ear while lying down, wait for 5 minutes, wipe out the excess with a paper towel, turn over on a wash cloth to keep my sheets from getting oily, and then repeat with the other side.  Be forewarned, if you sleep with your dog you may wake to him licking your ear which of course is hilarious AND disgusting.