Grow Food Not Lawns. Unless of course you eat your lawn, in which case. Carry on.

It's been a dandy weekend, to say the least.

Yesterday, was my first official harvest day, of 2013. 

Try not to be jealous.  

Not everyone has a green thumb.

With both of my guys warned, I assembled the dandelion greens salad.

 

And I quote- "It's not bad!"

To be fair, dandelion greens CAN be bitter.  But really, what's NOT good with bacon?

Dandelion Salad Recipe

bacon dressing-

fry up a panful of bacon (approximately 7 strips)

remove bacon from pan, allow to cool and then crumble it up.

to the bacon oil (I prefer oil, over fat.  So we're calling it oil.) add a medium sized onion (chopped). I used sweet onions, because that's what I had on hand.  Red onions would be great too.

saute till tender.

mix in 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar & 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (or honey... maple syrup... etc...) and bacon.

Pour generously over dandelion greens (rinsed, dried and chopped into one inch pieces).  Side dress with a hard boiled egg and a pretty little dandelion flower.

Soooo simple!

Next up was a more adventurous undertaking.

Dandelion Fritters!  *Made with dandelion flowers!

Recipe found here.  I opted for coconut milk, to increase the sweetness.  And we dipped our fritts into Newkirk Honey (more on that, to come!), sprinkled with dandelion petals!

How were they?  

I'm so glad you asked!

Over all, they were quite good!

But evvvvery once in a while, I'd get one that had lots of green in it and think- broccoli???

So, next time I think I'll try a savory version and mix in a lil cheddar cheese!

*Side note, I gave my flowers a quick rinse before batter dipping, which decreased the size of the flowers/hence fritters.  I may brave a little dirt and try them fresh from the lawn, next time.

My final experiment was by far, the most beautiful!

 

Isn't she pretty?

Dandelion & Violet Lemonade

The recipe can be found here.

We made this one, today.

I had high hopes of drinking it, tomorrow.

Till I remembered that I had been working in the garden right before picking the flowers, and while I had washed my hands... I hadn't WASHED my hands and well... I had been playing in the dirt.

And methane-free cow manure. 

So, since I'm still not THAT crunchy, this jar will be for photo purposes only.  

Now, before you go away thinking- "That Kimmi has gone off the deep end!" here is the most important information... the REASON behind all of this "eating my lawn" stuff.

DANDELIONS ARE GOOD FOR YOU!!!!

Like REALLY good!

Click here for lots of details.

Too lazy?

OK!  

Here's the short version!

Dandelion greens are an excellent source of vitamins A, K and C, and a good source of fiber, calcium, manganese, iron (more than spinach!), and vitamins B1, B2 and B6!!

 More can be found here, as well.

And if you're still not convinced, just do a google search for dandelion health benefits... dandelion remedies... or dandelion nutrition.  

Then put on your reading glasses and be inspired to hop on the dandy-bandwagon!

**PS Please do not eat dandelions that are in lawns that have been chemically treated.  Even if you're not normally an "organic" eater.**

Next on my dandelion docket- dandelion root coffee!

“This post was shared with Wildcrafting Wednesday.”