Dandelions?

[Setter]

Has anyone out there ever tried the leaves off of dandelions? I heard they can be good on salads? Also does anyone have any good ideas on how to get them out of yard? I've been cutting mine out below the surface but was told that only encourages them to grow? I've put Scotts dandelion killer on before and it does a good job but they always come back the next year. Thanks for any help.

[trailerman]

The leaves can be used like leaf letuce in the early spring, before they get tuff. My gramma ate them every spring, I beleive they were introduced from europe by the settlers. Cutting the top of doesn't hurt them much, they come back from the root. Each one spreads a billion seeds so they always come back, I wouldn't eat the ones you spray obviously.

[TONY ON ICE]

SETTER
Fresh Dndelion salad is as good as it gets, espeially if you use a good grade of olive oil and Balsamic or wine vinegar. Just make sure you pick only the young plants that are just beginning to open and wash them thoroughly before eating them.
It's not only the green leaves that are tasty but farther down the leaf to the whiteish root where it meets the ground is also tasty.
If you like hard boiled eggs, crumble up a few after they've cooled down and mix them right in with the danelion, olive oil and vinegar.
If you like, you can heat this mixture up little in a fry pan but I like them at room temperature and the juice in the bottom of the bowl sure makes for some tasty Italian bread dunking !
Fresh fries Walleye fillets and dandelion salad with eggs is one of my favorites !
Take it from a Sicilian....this is good stuff !!

[RickK]

They are great to eat! Follow Tony he Silian's advice. I got a great book THE WILD GOURMET by Anne Gardon. I think it would make a great gift. The pictures alone will make your mouth water!! My Sweetie has cooked up several of the recomendations and they were absolutely wonderful. One is the SPRING SALAD contains dandelion leaves, violet leaves and flowers, sheep sorrel, and oxeye daisy springs,..it is great w/the right dressing
BTW Dandelion leaves contain a chemical similar to Silimarin, found in some snake bit kits and used by many that have chronic liver disease. Pioneers used dandelion leaves for "liver problems"
I personally wouldn't use any that have had 2.4 D or other hebricides or any other lawn chems for a number of years,..

[Smartypants]

I uhh...I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time with this topic. I'm just gonna keep moving. LOL

[Arkie eye jerker]

I had never heard of eating dandelions until I was in the army stationed in Athens, Greece for a couple of years. The Greeks would be out in force when the danedelions came up in the spring. It was their favorite salad. They called it "Horta". I tried it and found it to be good with a mixture of olive oil and vinager put on it. Its almost as good as our Arkansas Polk Salad.

Arkie

[lobo1]

I have heard that they make good salads and have even seen them in the stores.
BUT TO KILL THEM you cant beat spot spraying with Roundup - mixed double strength..........now if you are talking cattails a 4x mix is the preferred method.
Just need to rememember that anything green touched by Roundup will be dead -- also it takes several days but it kills the root and all.

lobo

[GregM]

The best time of year to kill DAndelions is in the FALL, past mid October. This is when they germinate and are the most susceptible, softer sensitive tissue. As stated above, the best to use is 2,4-D in the liquid form, gets the best coverage, vs. granules. I see many people trying to kill them in the spring with little success, they are quite "hardy" by this time and are much harder to kill. Be careful not to spray 2,4-D on your lawn when it is hot out, i.e. never in the summer. Even though it is a broadleaf killer, it will burn grasses under high temps.

as far as eating them, have at it. My job description doesn't allow me to eat weeds. :)


"I fish cuz the voices in my head tell me to"

[joe]

Tryn the young ones fried with a little garlic and olive oil. If you have in, cut up some pepperoni in it. You will make more, believe me....

[Chad]

What ever you do get them before they go to seed and you can slowly get rid of them forever.

A pre emegrant barrier could have been put on about a month ago, before the weed seeds begin to germinate. It prevents most from popping up.

If your yard is covered with them spray it with weed b gone. A 2nd application in a week is sometimes needed.

If just one here and one there bring a bottle of round up with you when you mow and put a squirt right in the middle of the week. It will kill everything in that spot so be carefull. Once the week dies the grass will more in. Also, leave you grass a little longer. this will cause the roots to go deeper and stronger squeezing out the weeds.

Remember what ever you put on your yard usually ends up in our lakes and rivers from run off. Be carefull to keep it all off the sidewalks and other hard surfaces. I prefer to spot treat to avoid using lots of chemicals.

[Chris]

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder,...If dandelions were rare they would be consider a beautiful flower ( and they are in parts of the world they are rare.) BTW you can by dandelion seeds in a number of big seed catalogs for those areas that they are not common as a "pretty annual"
As for me,..a few years ago I vowed to stop using chemicals on my lawn,..what grows grows,....no more perfect lawn! "I'm" a lot happier if no one else!!!!
Also as previously stated,..dandelions are great eating if you prep them correctly,...(how many of you have eaten fiddleheads?).....another great eating green if you cook them right and use the right stuff on em!

[guest]

http://1stholistic.com/Recipes/recipe_salad-horta-greece.htm

[AquaMan]

Salt them after a rain and you will kill them. Put a small teaspoon of salt right in the center of the plant and you rid the lawn. Cheap way to get rid of them.

As a boyscout, we had to do the survival thing with dandelions and they sucked...period! I don't care how you prepare them, boiled, fresh, dressings, etc. they taste like they look.


AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just add water

[Weed killer]

To kill them try "Trimec" or "Triplet" from either a farm co-op or TSC store. These work better than straight 2-4-D and they are quite a bit cheaper than Ortho Weed-B-Gone. A gallon is usually about $20-$30 but it will cover an acre or two of lawn, depending on the weeds. Mix according to directions in a 2-3 gallon pump sprayer or hose end sprayer. Stronger mix won't make much difference. Both kill all broadleaf weeds but not grass.

[BD]

Family or Fish Camp size omelet;
Use a 12" cast iron fry pan. Saute half a pan full of fresh mushrooms, two minced cloves of garlic, and some green onions in olive oil and butter. The mushrooms will soak up some of the oil and butter so add a little more butter when you add the dandelion greens. Leave it on the heat only until the dandelion greens start to wilt. Beat a dozen eggs and pour them over the mushroom/dandelion mixture. Add a little shreaded cheddar cheese on top and place into a 350 degree oven for 20 mins. No oven handy? Use a Dutch oven, cover it, and use coals from the fire to finish cooking the break-feast.

[BD]

OOPS! Forgot a couple things! You can add tumeric to the mushrooms/garlic/onion mix at the begining of the recipe. When it's done try adding a little Parmesian cheese and parsley flakes to the top. I think that's all.