Dandelion Greens

Dandelion  (Taraxacum officinale)

If you are into foraging for backyard edibles, let me commend to you the lowly dandelion.  The English name, dandelion, comes from the French dent de lion , meaning "lion's tooth", referring to the coarsely toothed leaf margins. The plant is also known by dozens of other names such as blowball, milk witch, lion's-tooth, yellow-gowan, and Irish daisy. 

The English folk name “piss-a-bed”—like the French pissenlit—refers to the diuretic effect of the plant’s leaves. In New England, however, the name seems to have taken on a different meaning. As grade schoolers, we used the name “piss-a-beds” for the tiny, white, four-petaled flowers that grew in profusion at the edge of the woods. Our teacher, understandably, told us not to call them that but never offered us an alternative.

Dandelion leaves are highly nutritious and a good source of vitamins and iron. During the Second World War, the root was dried, roasted, and used as a substitute for coffee. That sounds like an old wives’ tale, but I was around in those days and recall reading instructions for making dandelion coffee in the Boston Globe.

Good quality dandelion greens are harvested from young plants when the first buds are forming. The very best are shade-grown, causing the leaves to spread out from the crown. The leaf shown here was grown under a Japanese maple in our front yard.

If you would rather not forage for dandelion greens, you may or may not find them in the produce section of your local grocery store, in which case you can take comfort in knowing that the USDA has developed grading standards for them.  It appears that only one grade is recognized: U.S. No. 1.

USDA Dandelion Greens Grading Standards

• Grade Definition — U.S. No. 1 dandelion greens must be fresh, fairly tender, and well trimmed.

• Quality Indicators — Greens should be free from decay, discoloration, and foreign material.

• Grading Applicability — Standards apply to either whole plants or cut leaves, not mixed containers.

• Regulatory Framework — These standards are developed under the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service.

• Bon Appétit