DANDELION
Common Names: Dadelion, Priest's crown.
Scientific Name: Taraxacum officinale
When to Find: Spring, summer, fall.
Where to Find: Fields, meadows, lawns, and roadsides.
Parts Used: Roots, leaves, buds, and flowers.
Warning: False dandelion looks the same but leaves must be cooked to eat.
Preparation: Cook entire plant as a vegetable. Use green leaves in salad. Sun dry, roast, and grind roots to make a coffee. Drink this for a mild laxative. Wine can be made from flowers. Fry buds for fritters.
Storage: Bottle wine. Place dried root powder in airtight container.
Identification: Plant grows close to ground with a tosette of lobed and toothed leaves. Yellow flower grows on leafless hollow stem. Seed heads are puffy heads of down.
