Dandelion

I’m just so impressed by the humble dandelion, really, really impressed.  I never knew until today, that there is one species of dandelion that produced high quality rubber!  I mean wow!  This plant grows in Russia and it’s species name is Taraxacum kok-saghyz.  So who’d a thunk it?  I’ve known the healthy benefits from the plant, but nothing about the rubber thing.  I wonder if it is better for the skin when made into gloves, for I can only do the blue ones, the usual rubber ones make my hands itch after a while and I hate using plastic so much.  Anyways, if you didn’t know already: The more UK native Dandelion Taraxacum officinale has three times the vitamin C of lettuce, four times the protein…  oh and five times the phosphorus (to keep bones strong, helps remove waste and repair damaged tissues), not to mention among other things, twelve times the vitamin A.  Pretty impressive and pretty in looks, so why do humans spray the dandelion all the blinkin’ time? {{sigh}}  At this point in making this blog I wanted to find a song about the plant and found this: Dandelion.  The song reminded me of my first school, where some of the other kids called me “Cauliflower”.  Moving swiftly on, I say grow a good patch of the lovelies wherever they seem to thrive, to enjoy their cheerful flowers, to eat their leaves for your health…  Check out how many dandelion recipes there are out there, including the one where I use the flowers (see the blue link above) to make something similar to honey.  Right, thing I’ve just heard a really handy tip:  Covering the plant for a few days to block out the light (as you do with rhubarb), makes the leaves much less bitter when you go to pick them. 

Dandy Lion