Randi don't the roots give different nutrition than the leaves and stem? I seem to recall reading something about the roots and different way to harvest them for different purposes. When you dig up tender young spring roots do you feed them raw as you do the leaves and stems?

My birds love dandelions.I wish it was time for them to be in the yard, I don't think anyone loves what's in the yard now

Are you referring to snow!

Fresh dandelion leaves are wonderfully nutritive and mildly diuretic; a dandelion leaf tea is excellent to alleviate fluid retention: but generally speaking, it's the root that contains the plant's 'medicine chest' - it contains more than the leaves and stems. The main benefits of the plant are its effects on the liver, and its function as tonic, alterative, diuretic and more. The young, spring roots are delicious eaten fresh and raw in salad with endive and other lettuces, dressed with olive oil and vinegar...sort of like vegetable fried squid, all nice and curly and crunchy. After the plant flowers and goes to seed, the roots become bitter, and are no longer palatable eaten fresh and raw. To use them they should be dried for later use as teas and tinctures.

I purchased Dandelion herbal extract from our health food store to get us through the winter which I am adding to our birdie bread. It is the extract from the roots, leaf and flower. Don't know if this a good substitute for the real greens in the absence of them. What do you think?

Looks like we definitely want to use the leaves and the roots if we have access to them. It's the root that also acts as an appetite stimulant.

http://www.longwoodherbal.org/dandelion/dandelion.pdf

Dana, you are so funny! haha crisp dollar bills! hahahaha Be cheaper for sure than some of the toys Ruby shreds in an instant! Not a bad idea!

The capsules and/or herbal extract are great for their liver cleansing properties but they don't provide the phytonutrients the fresh plant does. I use both, the powdered form mixed in my gloop and the leaves as leafy greens. Only I don't offer the leaves that often in the winter because dandelions are 'tender' greens (typical of spring and summer) and I always try to reduce the intake of these during the cold months to help the birds differentiate between the seasons. In the spring and early summer, I just dig them up from my garden with roots and all. And flowers. Don't forget the flowers, they are edible, too. Canaries, cardinals and other small passerines love them.

Thanks for your input. I never would have throught about the seasons, but I am also concerned about my birds who will not even eat the fresh dandelion greens. Thought the extract would work in the absence of the real thing.

OK, it's time to start digging up those dandelion roots now. They will be deeelicious for the next month or 2. And yummy for you too - just wash them and add them to a salad..the crunch is sublime