It is always amazing to read that there are places in the U.S. and other countries where people purposely plant them in their gardens.
Here they are considered to be a weed or at best an invasive wildflower.
Growing up my mom would often gather the leaves early in the spring before they bloomed.
She would wilt them in a skillet with bacon and serve them up for dinner as our veggie dish.
It was not a favorite of mine but there was no option. At that time one always had to eat what was served. (How things have changed!!)
Read somewhere that if one rolled the flowers in flour and fried them in butter they tasted a bit like morrels. I tried doing this once - probably won't do that again.
(Fried morrels are fabulous and there is no substitution for the real thing.)
Over all the plant is rich in vitamins and exceptionally nutritious...just doesn't suit my taste buds.
My father- in- law always loved to see a patch of them blooming. To him they were pretty and signaled that warm weather had arrived.
Guess it all comes down to perspective. Where one sees a weed another sees a lovely flower.
Perhaps it is a lot like life...circumstances may seem like weeds but in retrospect they may be growing us into a bunch of pretty flowers.
Upon that thought I will sign off hoping all of you are seeing flowers instead of weeds growing in your garden.
Hugs Debbie
"As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;" Psalm 103:15 (NIV)
Dandelions are considered a weed here as well. But you are right, they are really beautiful! I've never eaten the leaves or flowers though. Have a nice week!
ReplyDeleteI have plenty of these "wildflowers" in my garden. UGH... While I think they are pretty when in bloom and the birds love to eat the seeds they are a pest. If you allow it they will take up any empty space in the garden. I have seen a pretty wine made of the blooms but mercy you need a lot of those flowers to make it. I would hate to have a field full of dandelions that you would have to have to make such a wine.
ReplyDeleteMy mother made dandelion wine one year and it was a big hit to those who drink wine. I just like to see their bright, yellow heads in the yard, along with the violets, as a sign spring is here (or is trying). Lots of robins in the yard now, too :). Happy Spring!
ReplyDeleteWine, root tea, fritters - greens - an amazing plant ....! Hope you have a super week!
ReplyDeleteLovely painting, Debbie. I like dandelions in my yard.
ReplyDeleteDandelions are considered weeds in my neck of the woods, too, but they are certainly pretty in your pictures. Interesting to hear about the different ways you can eat them and how we each might view them differently.
ReplyDeleteLovely post
ReplyDeleteI remember on the back porch an old ice bin with water soaking the dandelions. I recently read of saw on TV, soaking dandelion greens takes out some of the bitterness. Good to know because they are on my menu this summer if I can find some at a garden center or farmer's market.
Thank u, Debbie for a lovely post! Autumn is coming, but seasons are not so as clear as USA. I'm working on the projects and will have a meeting today. I'll do my best. U, too, have a nice day. Best wishes, ((Hugs)), Sadami
ReplyDeleteI have never tried these flowers or leaves ....not sure why.... Maybe fear? Lol
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day!!!!!
I was raised with a drink called, Dandelion and Burdock. My aunt made it. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteMy first understanding of color bounce came from the child's game of putting a dandelion under a chin and seeing the yellow reflection ( if you liked butter!)
Love their color sparkling on lawns. Never wanted to eat them as I see too many animals fertilizing them!!
Hi Debbie, we love the dandelions. Grandson Jacob would often pick them for me when he was about 2 or 3 and present me with a lovely bouquet. He picked the black-eyed Susans one year also and gave me a bouquet full of ants. I convinced him to let me enjoy the flowers from my kitchen window and in his usual, easy-going style just said, "ok." I wish you a beautiful week.
ReplyDeleteI must admit I have never eaten any dandelions or dandelion greens. Someone in the family used to make dandelion wine. I had thought of them as weeds for such a long time until a friend started posting about the population of bees decreasing and his dandelions are so important to their survival. That took them up a notch for me. I am trying to keep up with blogging on my travels but using the iPad is much slower than typing on my laptop. Have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteDandelions have such a long root and are quite difficult to pull away , but I suppose that if you actually plant them together so they make a mass, it might even look pretty . Because it IS a pretty flower after ll. But to me it is weed. Love your pretty watercolor painting though :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the bright yellow color of the dandelion flower. I never thought that we can eat it. I knew only that it is a weed. Thank you for the beautiful post. God bless.
ReplyDeleteI love your illustrated dandelion story. I loved how they inspired you.
ReplyDeleteWe are only having daffodils here, so I was surprised to read about and see your dandelions. Don't you love the word itself? Spring joy to you, Rita
Yes, here considered a weed, though I'm sure some do eat them too.
Great post--so true that what we see depends often on our perspective. I think I've tried raw dandelion greens and found them bitter! No thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou brought up good memories once again! As a child my friends and I would sit on the grass and make dandelion chains and wear them as we played. Ah, good times!
ReplyDeleteI tend to like them, they are pretty and cheerful although they can also be a nuisance. Rabbits love to eat them.
ReplyDeleteBonjour chère amie,
ReplyDeleteIci dans la région Lyonnaise nous utilisons les pissenlits ou l'autre nom qu'on leur donne : barabans en salade.
Nous y ajoutons des oeufs mollets et au dernier moment des petits lardons chauds revenus à la poêle.
Ma grand-mère utilisait les fleurs pour faire de la gelée de pissenlit. C'est excellent.
Merci pour ce joli billet qui remémore de merveilleux souvenirs, ceux de mon enfance lorsque je vivais chez mes grands-parents.
Gros bisous
Debbie-
ReplyDeleteI remember my mom and dad pulling dandelions out of the grass. I think like you wrote, it's all in the perspective!
Glad to read about something that you remember from growing up. It's always fun to share those sorts of things. Thank you.
Hope all is well!
Libby
It's my four year olds daily chore now (one he takes very seriously ;o) ) to do a circuit around the garden picking the flowers before they set seed. I much prefer the ones in your beautiful painting to the ones in my garden. Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteDandelions make great tea!
ReplyDeleteBack in my native village i used to see these lovely bright flowers on the hills but here in small city we have to plant them when season comes (october)
ReplyDeletethere were many kind of green leaves of various designs which my mom and other women of village used to pick and cook as veggie dish and few of them my favorite
i agree it was time when only one dish was cooked and eat by whole family
very charming art by you
spring awakes our inner artist powerfully :)