Dandy Dandelions

Growing up in an Italian family, I always had fresh dandelion green salad on the table in the spring. Both of my grandfathers would go out into local fields and pick boxes of them. We'd eat them every day until they were gone for the season. I loved the tangy bitterness accented with just some olive oil and red wine vinegar. Nothing else was ever added to that salad.

Many people turn their noses up at eating "weeds" but that's because they don't know a secret.  Dandelions are one the healthiest greens out there!  Check out 10 Reasons To Eat Dandelions to see for your self!

Dandelions go waaaaaaaaaay back in history.  Much farther back than the weeds people see in their yards.  In fact, some experts think that they date back to the 17th century!  How Dandelions Came To North America

Looking for some other reasons to develop a fondness for this plant?   Check out Some Little Known Facts about this interesting plant.

Try digging some up for yourself and making a simple salad.  If you're not sure about that, throw a plant or 2 in a smoothie.  You won't taste it but you'll still get all the beautiful health benefits this great green has to offer!

GREEN MEENIE Fresh Juice

Talk about a burst of green goodness!  I should have named this GREEN GODDESS!  This juice packs one hell of a chlorophyll punch!  The apple, pear, and lemon combo helps cleanse as well as cut away the bitterness of the greens.  The addition of wild dandelion greens is a great treat or your body during those few weeks in the spring when they start appearing in your front yard.  I don't spray my yard so I know that mine are safe to consume.  Check your local public markets for them too.  Try to avoid the "tame" ones in the supermarkets.  They lose a lot of their natural flavor and nutrients when they are grown deliberately.

1 granny smith apple
1 green pear
1/2 of a lemon, including rind
1 whole unpeeled cucumber
3 stalks of celery
2 stalks of fennel
2 big handfuls of spinach
5 kale leaves
1 small handful of parsely
1 small handful of cilantro
5 green swiss chard leaves
5 romaine lettuce leaves
3-5 good sized fresh, wild dandelion plants, roots too (when in season)
2 frozen wheat grass cubes

Juice the leafy veg first and then everything else except the wheatgrass cubes.  This usually makes enought to fill up 2 pint-sized canning jars or 1 quart jar.  Put one wheatgrass cube in each pint jar or if you are using a quart jar, put them both in there.  Pour the juice over the ice cubes.  Drink immediately or save for later.  If you save it for later, make sure to cap the jar and refrigrate and don't wait too long to drink it!!