The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a good article about dandelions by Gretchen McKay in the food section today . It seems that while they were once a popular food in the good old days, Americans began to shun them as poor people’s food several decades ago.

As the perfect lawn became a suburban Holy Grail, dandelions became the enemy and we forgot how very nutritious and tasty they can be, used in salads, sautéed or made into wine.

Ms McKay points out, “Not only are its leaves an excellent source of vitamins A, C and E, but the plant also contains more beta carotene than carrots and more potassium than bananas. Full of trace minerals (more accessible when the leaves are cooked), dandelion is also rich in calcium, iron and lecithin and loaded with magnesium.”

This is all great information and I’m eager to try the dandelion recipes in the article, but the amazing part came at the end. It seems we have not only lost sight of the value of these ubiquitous weeds, but we can no longer figure out where to find them. Ms McKay listed several local sources for purchasing dandelions, at up to $3.99 a bunch at Whole Foods, and even sources for seeds. She related that one seed company had already sold 5 million seeds this year.

Being generous with my judgments, I will admit that if you live in a city high rise apartment, you might need to purchase your dandelions. Maybe. But aren’t dandelions growing in every tiny plot of dirt everywhere you look? So you don’t want to pick them by the roadside, covered with filth and pollution, but what about parks and friend’s lawns? Would the folks at church or the office complex or anywhere that sports a patch of lawn object if you picked their dandelions?

Yes, weeds growing in all those places may perchance have been anointed by a passing dog, but even the most pristine organic garden has squirrels, mice, cats, etc. ambling through looking for a rest room. That’s why we need to wash produce.  

Buying dandelion seeds just boggles my mind. If you have space to grow dandelions intentionally don’t you automatically already have accidental dandelions?

I think this leads me to conclude that my fortune is out there, ripe for the picking so to speak. It’s time to put up a sign in front of my house: “Pick Your Own Dandelions – Farm Open for Business.

Here’s the Post Gazette article.