Dandelions have a love/hate relationship with many people. They add a burst of friendly color to yards in the spring, but they become an invasive weed as well. A weed or an herb? Have you ever thought about them being an herb? Read on to find out.
The thing about dandelions is that they are short lived. Before you know it, you can frolic through your yard blowing dandelion seeds to the wind and making wishes like it’s nobody’s business. Even if you aren’t a big fan of them, I challenge you to not use weed killer on them. Pull if you must, but the harsh chemicals aren’t doing any of us any favors.
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Breitenbach Dandelion Festival
A few weeks ago, I attended the annual Dandelion Festival at the Breitenbach Winery in Dover, Ohio. It is yet another great reason to travel to Ohio’s Amish Country. Breitenbach is one of the oldest wineries in the area and produces over 40 different varieties of wine. During the festival you can try their Dandelion wine and sangria.
With multiple food vendors available, there is something good to eat for everyone. If you want to keep with the dandelion theme, I recommend ordering a bowl of heaping mashed potatoes covered with the most unique gravy I have yet to come across. What makes it so different is that it is served with chopped dandelion leaves, bacon crumbles and sliced boiled eggs. It may sound a little off, but it is so delicious! I’d expect nothing less from the Amish.
Along with the food vendors, there are crafters selling their wares and live music. During certain times of the festival, you can attend the wine making tour. If you want to sample more than just a few wines, you’ll need to head to the main store which is just down the road from the festival.
How Dandelion Wine is Made
While talking to the employees at Breitenbach, I learned that there is an entire field that grows only dandelions for the wine. Each blossom is harvested and then put in a press. The same technique is used for dandelions as any of the various fruits used to make wine. The juice is then mixed with local honey to give it a sweet, flowery taste.
The employee joked that the wine is good for you because of the added honey. I had read before that dandelion tea is good for you, so I decided to do some research. Come to find out, dandelions are super foods. They are a highly beneficial herb in the medical world, not just a pesky weed that most people want out of their yards.
Benefits of Dandelions to Humans
I remember my Dad telling a story about dandelions. Every spring, his Mom would send him and his brothers out to the yard to pick dandelion leaves. She would wash them off and sauté them in bacon grease. He would lick his lips every time he told the story. It was one of his favorite memories of spring.
What my grandma probably didn’t know was that she was packing in the vitamins for her boys. (yes, I know, the bacon grease is a whole other story) Studies have shown dandelions to have vitamins A, B, C, E and K as well as folate, fiber, and potassium. We literally have multivitamins growing in our yards!
More Nutritional Benefits of Dandelions
The amazing news is that it doesn’t stop there. Antioxidants are a biggie, and this yellow beauty is full of them. Dandelions are showing positive results for lowering a person’s blood pressure, fighting inflammation, lowering cholesterol, and fighting off cancer. You can read up on specifics through this article and many others.
The entire dandelion can be eaten: blossom, leaves, and roots. Obviously, there are different ways of eating the various parts. Drinking dandelion tea is a common method as well as adding the leaves to salads and casseroles.
Ready to start improving your health?
(I am in no way a health professional. I am only referencing what I have read.)
Here are a few dandelion products to choose from:
- Dandelion Leaf & Root Herbal Teas
- Instant Herbal Beverage With Dandelion
- Dandelion Wine
- Digestive Aid Dandelion Root
- Dandelion Root Extract
The Benefits of Dandelions for Bees
Social media has been very influential in recent years to help us be more aware of honey bees and their delicate cycle. Bees, which are SO important to our food production, are taking the brunt of our overuse of lawn chemicals. Although not their favorite choice, dandelions do provide hungry bees an early spring option for pollen. We want healthy and hearty bees producing honey and pollinating our fruits, vegetables, flowers and nuts. This is hard for them to do when ingesting poisonous chemicals. 50% of beehives die off each winter due to various reasons. We don’t need to add to their struggle.
Save the Bees is an organization that has been established to bring about honey bee awareness. Their article on the bee and dandelion interaction can be read here.
Dandelions are Fun!
On a lighter note, dandelions touch a chord in many of us that signals happiness. It may be from childhood memories. Did you rub the blossoms on your skin to make yellow streaks? How about holding the blossom under your chin to see if you like butter? And then there’s the tried and true, ‘Make a Wish’ dandelion tradition. A summer just isn’t complete without blowing hundreds of spent seeds into the air.
As parents, a dandelion bouquet is often one of the first floral gifts children give us.
Here are several fun dandelion items that I thought you might enjoy.
- Women’s Dandelions T-Shirt
- Kids’ Dandelion Shirt
- Little Dandelion Seeds the World (children’s book)
- Real Dandelion Paper Weight
The next time you see a dandelion growing, take a minute to pause and smile. This determined plant has a lot to be said for itself.
Interested in other articles pertaining to the outdoors? I’ve got you covered.
