I was chopping dandelion greens this morning to add to birdie bread and was wondering which part is the most nutritious, the leaf or the stem. Does anyone know?

I don't know but when I was a kid, I remember my mom sending me outside to collect them for our salad for the evening meal. Dandelion greens are yummy.

Not sure I feed the whole leaf with stem, and it in birdie muffins the whole thing just goes in with everything else.

I've been doing some reading about dandelion greens that may be helpful;

Nutritional Highlights

Dandelion greens are a nutritional powerhouse.

One cup of cooked dandelion greens has more calcium than a cup of cottage cheese but only 34 calories. It provides 12% of the fiber, 19% of the iron and 28% of the Vitamin C that (averaging for adults and children) the USDA suggests that we get in our diets each day.

Dandelion provides more vitamin A than an equal amount of kale, collard greens or summer squash, giving you 85% of the daily recommended intake.

The one cup serving also contains 2.1 grams of protein, many minerals including potassium, magnesium and phosphorous as well as vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, B-6 and folate.

The Harvest

Dandelion greens have an incredibly short growing season. As soon as the weather begins to warm up the plant sends out leaves. These tender young leaves are delicious, as the season progresses, the leaves grow bigger and increasingly bitter, and once the plant flowers - they become quite bitter.

The dandelion leaves that you buy in the market are the same ones that you struggle to dig up from your yard because they ruin the appearance of your lawn.

You can harvest the greens that are growing around your house, but you must not eat them if your lawn is chemically treated (or if your neighbor's is). If you know that the area around your house is pesticide free - feel free to grab a paring knife and hunt for the greens. Look for smooth, small leaves 3-5 inches in length.

Unlike with mushrooms, you don't have to worry about harvesting them in the wild, there are many different varieties of dandelion greens but none of them are poisonous.

Purchasing and Storage

Just as there can be many varieties growing in your yard, there are many different types of dandelion greens that you can purchase. The leaves can be a bit rounded or quite pointed and the stems can be either red or white. But it is the size of the leaf that is most important to look for when buying dandelion, the larger leaves are more bitter.

When you get the greens home, don't wash them until you are ready to use them, washing them can bruise them and cause them to decay. Simply wrap them in a damp paper towel and put them in a plastic bag. (Leaves continue to take in CO2 and give off oxygen even after they are harvested. This process is called respiration and it ends up causing the plant to lose water. When they are wrapped in plastic bags, they don't have access to the air and therefore don't lose as much water.) The greens will hold in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Once you are ready to use them, they must be washed carefully because they can be quite sandy. To wash dandelion greens (or any other leafy green) fill a large pot or bowl with cold water and place the leaves into the bowl. Swish them around to loosen the sand. Since the sand is heavy, it will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the leaves will float on top. Place a strainer next to the bowl and pull the leaves out and place them in the strainer. Don't pour the leaves and dirty water into the strainer because you will just pour all of the sand back into the greens. Rinse the bowl, refill with water and repeat until they are clean.


Dandelions as a natural remedy for Bee Stings

1. Get the stinger out of your skin immediately to minimize the amount of venom that enters your skin. Fingernails are usually sufficient for the job, but you may need to use tweezers.

2. Clean the bee sting and the area around it. Bee stings break the skin, and, depending on how gently you remove the stinger, you may have an open cut. To prevent infection, clean the area.

3. Gather dandelions from a patch of grass. The stems and the leaves are the parts you need.

4. Grind up the dandelion stems and leaves into a poultice using a mortar and pestle.

5. Apply the poultice to the bee sting. This remedy helps reduce the inflammation and ease the discomfort of the sting.

Interesting stuff. Thanks Karen!

I contemplated buying some last night actually... but went for the mustard greens instead. See... my macs aren't big on leafy greens, they tend to shread and throw rather than eat them. I have no problem offering them again and again, but the dandelion greens were $4 for a tiny bunch!! I may as well give them 4 crisp brand new dollar bills to shread, they would have more fun ;-}

I think I'll try some when they go on sale!

Dana the only way they get consumed here is by me chopping them up very small and adding them to my birdie bread mix. I do add some to fresh veggies but I know Kady just picks around them.

Yes, it seems like all the healthy foods end up in my birdie bread but it is better than on the bottom of the cages. I can't find the Dandelion Greens out here this time of year.

I have a feeling they'll be scarce for a while. The last batch I bought were rather large and probably a bit on the bitter side. In a few months we'll fresh young ones to choose from again.

Actually the roots are the most potent, and when dandelions are young, before they have flowered, the roots are most delectable (they become bitter later). We used to dig them up for my mother to mix into salads, and I do the same here. For a few weeks in the Spring, it is a delicious treat. You know, Spring is right around the corner!

I have an abundant supply here in the summer.........LOL!

Thank you for the information.