I’ve got a lovely
bunch of dandelions
Having been
mocked for my support of the apostrophe and membership of the Apostrophe Protection
Society (http://www.apostrophe.org.uk/), I have decided to turn my
attention to the dandelion. The first question is, who first settled on what is
a flower and what is a weed? According to Wikipedia, “A
weed is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a
nuisance.” I have decided to embrace the dandelion. This is
not, of course, because we have so many growing on the lawn from Spring onwards
that I had to do something drastic. Everyone loves buttercups, primroses and
daffodils, so what’s not to love about the dandelion? They are yellow too.
Search for “dandelion”
on the Internet and the first hits will tell you how to kill and get rid of
them. However, The University of Maryland Medical Centre’s site maintains: “While many people think of the dandelion (Taraxacum
officinale) as a pesky weed, herbalists
consider it a valuable herb that can be used as a food and medicine. Dandelion
is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such
as iron, potassium, and zinc. Dandelion leaves are used to add flavour to
salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots are used in some coffee substitutes,
and the flowers are used to make wines.”
I have a recipe for some very tasty dandelion jam. We give it
to unsuspecting guests who eat it with enthusiasm — even after we tell them
what it is.
The dandelion has a bad press here in France too, although
dandelion salad is more widely available and you can actually buy dandelions in
some markets. The French for dandelion is “pisenlit”, literally wet the bed.
This is probably because the plants are a gentle diuretic — the leaves and
roots stimulate the kidneys to cleanse the blood and recycle nutrients. Country
folk reportedly enjoy dandelions as a spring tonic because they help clear the
skin after winter and improve general health. Only the other day I saw a French lady gathering up a bunch of dandelions along the road. I wish I'd had the courage to ask her what she was going to do with them.
I have decided to join The Dandelion Appreciation Society,
whose website insists that its members love dandelions and that the plant has
“somehow become the quintessential scapegoat for all that is considered to be a
‘weed’ in the world of the sterile toxic green lawn.” It adds: “ We are here to
help educate to the contrary. Dandelions are one of the most beautiful and
useful plants on the planet.” That’s music to my ears! (http://www.thedandelionappreciationsociety.org/)
The website includes recipes — I can’t wait to try the
dandelion flower fritters.
There are also poems and a plethora of
dandelion trivia. It will cost me $12 to join.
Incidentally, here’s a tip when it comes to real weeds. If a
French person points to something in our garden and tells us it’s a weed, we
inform them that it’s a prized bloom in English gardens. And if an English
visitor indicates a weed, we say it’s a plant that’s found in all the best
French flowerbeds. (English visitors, however, tend to act somewhat
unilaterally and will pull it up anyway.)
As my friend Chris from Spain pointed out, “The
dandelion has its medicinal properties but it is also such fun when you are
young — I spent many an hour puffing the seeds and telling the time from the
puffs!” And according to Angela, who lives in Holland, “Dandelions are called
horse flowers here, no idea why because as far as I remember, horses aren’t
particularly keen on dandelions.”
Now it has been revealed that dandelions can
help save our bees. They are, apparently, the bees’ most important spring
flower, along with hazelnut catkins so don’t kill those dandelions on your lawn. Let them flower a while before you pick them to make jam or a salad. For bees, dandelion
pollen is moderately nutritious and the nectar is abundant. It doesn’t normally
produce a “surplus”, i.e. enough nectar to produce honey above and beyond what
the bees will use for themselves, so you won’t generally see dandelion honey
for sale, but it gives the bees a huge boost and adds to the health and
wellbeing of the hive.
So, admit it, dandelions are actually quite pretty, aren’t
they…?
Dandelion flower jam
Ingredients:
250 g dandelion flowers
1 1/2 litres
water
750 g sugar for each 1 litre juice
1 lemon juice
2 oranges
Method:
Wash the oranges and cut into pieces without peeling them. Wash
the dandelion flowers and dry them in a soft cloth. Cook them in
the water with the oranges for an hour then strain. Measure the
juice, and then add the lemon juice and the appropriate weight
of
sugar. Cook a further hour. Cool before putting into jars. It
should set OK,
but if it still looks runny at the end of the cooking time, add
some vegetarian gelatin.
·
The dandelion is the
only flower that represents the three celestial bodies of the sun, moon and
stars. The yellow flower resembles the sun, the puff ball resembles the moon
and the dispersing seeds resemble the stars.
·
The dandelion flower
opens to greet the morning and closes in the evening to go to sleep.
·
Dandelions have one of
the longest flowering seasons of any plant.
·
Seeds are often carried
as many as five miles from their origin!
·
The
name dandelion comes from the French “dent de lion” — lion’s tooth, which
refers to its serrated leaves.
