Dandelions are amazing wild flowers of which every part is edible. They generally have a bitter taste and the leaves are best eaten raw when the leaves are young, although cooking does generally remove that bitterness. You can eat the roots too. The roots are most commonly dried and ground, which make an excellent, convincing coffee substitute. Dandelions offer an abundance of nutrients, especially vitamins A, K, C, E and the minerals calcium, iron and manganese. Medicinally, dandelions are known to act as a diuretic, helping with liver, urinary and kidney disorders. It’s an excellent tonic and the dried leaves make an excellent all year round tea infusion. Compared to spinach, dandelion greens have 8 times more antioxidants, 2 times more calcium, 3 times more vitamin A, and 5 times more vitamin K and vitamin E making them an easily identifiable wild superfood.

Dandelion Leaves fried.

Ingredients:
0,5 kg (1,1 lb) dandelion leaves, finely chopped
0,5 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped parsley, Celery
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 onions, sliced into thin rings
lemon juice, coriander, salt to taste
a dash of bicarbonate of soda

Method:
1. Remove yellow leaves from dandelion. Wash well. Finely chop.
2. Bring water to a boil then add bicarbonate of soda and dandelion and cook over medium heat for 3 -4 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse in cold water, then squeeze until dry.
4. Fry onion until golden in oil. Fry chopped leaves in the same oil with onions for 15 minutes. Add garlic, coriander and salt and fry for 5 minutes. Place in a serving plate and garnish with greenery. Serve cold with some lemon juice.

ompared to spinach, dandelion greens have eight times more antioxidants, two times more calcium, three times more vitamin A, and five times more vitamin K and vitamin E making them an easily identifiable wild superfood!

Dandelion with tomatoes recipe.

Ingredients:
10 cherry tomatoes
30 young dandelion leaves (roughly chopped)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 tbsp rose syrup or another syrup
salt, ground chili and black pepper, spices, depending on personal taste.
Preparation:
Rub oil over the tomatoes, place whole on a baking tray and sprinkle with a little salt. Roast the cherry tomatoes at 180 degrees until the skins are just splitting. Allow to cool, then arrange them plate. Wash and roughly chop the dandelion greens, and put in a bowl, then add the garlic and the olive oil, lemon juice and rose syrup. Mix all together, then spoon over roasted tomatoes.