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FandomMenace t1_iurfx2a wrote

You can eat the entire plant. A lot of what we classify as weeds are in fact very nutritious plants. See also: purslane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum

Edit: if you ever want to know more about the plants around you, there's an app on android (possibly iphone) called PlantNet that identifies plants when you take pics of them and gives you info on them. Super cool and free.

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[deleted] t1_iurv2pc wrote

My grandmother use to grow them in window boxes for her kitchen.

  • Leaves and flowers for salads

  • flowers for deep frying (light batter)

  • flowers for wine

  • roots for tea (it's comparable to caramelized root veggies like carrots or squash)

  • Flowers for syrup

She always had bundles drying above the stove and radiators.

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yoortyyo t1_ius2z9g wrote

Deep tap roots aerate clays or other soils.

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Deracination t1_iuskhif wrote

While bringing up nutrients the clay filters out of water drainage.

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pseudocultist t1_iusjrs8 wrote

Oh how my great grandmother loved dandelion wine. Which her bougie kids thought was “trashy.” She passed before I was of drinking age so I never got to try it with her, and now I’m in recovery lol. Oh well.

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Some_Unusual_Name t1_iuu9usk wrote

See if you can find dandelion honey. Boil some dandelion flowers and sweeten it with the dandelion honey. Probably going to be the closest non-alcoholic facsimile.

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VagrantShadow t1_iuvd84a wrote

Same here, my grandmother loved Dandelion wine and always had some ready for when she wanted a drink.

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IrocDewclaw t1_iuscn47 wrote

You can make tea? We always made wine instead.

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[deleted] t1_iusd7wc wrote

The tea is essentially the same as the coffee product.

But I generally refer to it as a tea as opposed to coffee simply because it is much lighter than your average coffee and is similar in body and flavor to certain black tea blends like Irish breakfast.

You simply separate the roots from the plant, clean them thoroughly, allow them to dry for up to two to three weeks, then either roughly mince them or grind them like coffee beans and steep in boiling water for up to 10 minutes.

I like making large batches of it and preparing it inside a French press for convenience.

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User2716057 t1_iut40sf wrote

Wouldn't it be easier to chop them up before drying?

They grow all over the place, imma try that next year.

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December_Hemisphere t1_iut8uex wrote

If you want a more coffee-ish flavor instead of tea you want to roast the roots before grinding.

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severeOCDsuburbgirl t1_iusligs wrote

They make you piss fyi (they are literally called piss-in-bed in French for a reason)

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User2716057 t1_iut45ty wrote

Huh, so that's why they are called pissflowers in Dutch, I thought it just was because they're so yellow.

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Cornsilkhair t1_iv5w47d wrote

So, they have diuretic properties. Did/do people drink the tea occasionally as a medicine?

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DarkestDusk t1_ius7hse wrote

It's amazing how much wealth of knowledge has been lost because people just buy their old favorites instead of finding new ways to use what they already have! :)

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[deleted] t1_ius8fuu wrote

I still have my grandmother's "cook" book-- it's more of a grimoire by today's standards though.

Plenty of recipes, but also info on plants, animals, and fungi as well as first aid, childcare, housekeeping, and "problem solving".

Hand bound with a hodgepodge of paper types/sizes, different inks, and different handwriting (not sure who else contributed beyond my grandmother).

This type of knowledge gets lost year by year in families in communities because nobody takes on the task of passing on or preserving information.

If it's not somebody's responsibility then it is nobody's responsibility.

Herb lore has really suffered from this form of cultural atrophy.

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Nebulaires t1_iusecln wrote

Oh my God what a treasure trove. Is there any way to pass some information along?

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morphoyle t1_iuro8pj wrote

A weed is just a plant growing where you don't want it to grow.

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Lepidopterex t1_iuspx5i wrote

Yes!!! I teach kids and I tell them this all the time. They all know dandelions are invasive so I like to ask " Why do you think folks brought it over I the first place?" It's so fun to watch them problem solve and guess and then have their minds blown that it could be a free staple leafy green for everyone if we just shifted our mindset.

Can you imagine if spinach or broccoli was just growing all over city parks? There's no way I'd let them use pesticides on them! But dandelions? We've all been taught to hate them, and that's just systemic prejudice.

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Yomamma1337 t1_iuu790c wrote

I mean, dandelions are classified as weeds because they grow too much, damage other plants, and generally don't look aesthetically pleasing for most people.

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[deleted] t1_iushwro wrote

My elementary school teacher used to make us pancakes with this flower in Korea. I hope she’s doing well

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FandomMenace t1_iutyr4j wrote

We owe our teachers so much.

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[deleted] t1_iuu0zmq wrote

Can’t agree more. I haven’t been able to visit her since her retirement because I moved out of the country, I am definitely doing that when I do next year.

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OSCgal t1_iuso343 wrote

Purslane is tasty! That was a shock to learn, after decades of pulling it out of gardens. It's like crunchy spinach.

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AkaAkazukin t1_iutf7f2 wrote

Plus, weeds are good "soil indicators"- the abudance of given types means the soil might have high quantities of nutrients! For purslane (P. oleracea), it's potassium.

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FandomMenace t1_iuty4j0 wrote

For purslane I was blown away that this weed that grew in the cracks of my driveway was seen as an important food/plant all the way back to prehistoric times. It's good to know a few things you can eat in case there's a zombie apocalypse or something.

Here's a link for others to follow along: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea

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Sultynuttz t1_ius7641 wrote

You can eat just about any plant as long as it's not poisonous

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Minnewildsota t1_iut2icj wrote

You can even eat it if it is poisonous!

Though I wouldn’t recommend.

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Sufficient-Aspect77 t1_iusu884 wrote

I had no idea how interesting Dandelions could be. Awesome can't wait to share this info with my nephew next time we see one.

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FandomMenace t1_iutynui wrote

If you ever want to know more about the plants around you, there's an app on android (possibly iphone) called PlantNet that identifies plants when you take pics of them and gives you info on them. Super cool and free.

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Sufficient-Aspect77 t1_iuvzg8i wrote

That's really cool. I only know of INature app. But that other app sound awesome. Thanks.

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egtbex t1_iut1osj wrote

Dandelion. Must be the last one this season!

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expatato t1_iut895q wrote

You can build doors and staircases out of it too. Of course you also need some clover or grass for the panelling.

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ginsunuva t1_iusp9hp wrote

Weed is considered a weed cause in some countries like India it keeps growing prolifically everywhere.

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nildeea t1_iuv59w7 wrote

Also picture this and also now Google photos does this.

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