The thought of eating dandelion for survival hardly crosses the mind of the ordinary prepper, and for a good reason. Dandelions are popularly considered weed. I can’t count how many people have asked me to remove the little yellow plants that flower across my lawn.
However, if you’ve taken a moment to think of “what exactly weed is,” you’d know it’s a plant growing WHERE it is unwanted. The examples of weed are wide & relative. A bean plant can be regarded as a weed if it’s growing in a maize farm & vice versa.
Roses, too, can be treated as weed if they are found growing in a yard where they are not wanted (although that’s hard to think of). As a result of this, I have come to assess plants based on what they could be used for instead of where they are growing. If you are okay with this view too, then you’d surely appreciate the nutritious dandelions.
Nutritional Profile of Dandelion
Dandelions are very rich in nutrition. Therefore, it is confusing that many spend a lot of time & resources in removing these little yellows from their land. Dandelions contain fiber, vitamins & minerals.
Dandelion also contains folate & vitamins A, B, C, E & K, and a sufficient amount of minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron & potassium. And we’ve not even considered the carbohydrates in their roots.
Dandelions also contain antioxidants, which are known to combat a host of chronic diseases, notably cancers. They also tackle inflammation & digestive issues and help to maintain blood sugar.
How to go About Dandelion Harvesting
Dandelion has tender leaves, which are eaten best in early spring when there’s a level of humidity in the cooler weather. The flowers are best collected during mid-spring while the roots are available throughout the year.
Safety Precautions
You have to take note of the immediate environment of a wild edible while harvesting it. Some contaminants like industrial runoffs, chemical sprays & other pollutants can make otherwise edibles unhealthy to eat. You need to be sure that the area of dandelion growth is safe & free of harmful contamination. This may include knowing the history of the land’s usage & whatever it’s been used for more recently.
Also, the importance of proper plant identification must be emphasized. There is often a close similarity between wild edibles & their poisonous counterparts. In this case, flatweed is what you need to be wary of as it looks a lot like dandelion.
Tools for Your Harvest
Having specific tools will make your harvesting much easier when it’s time to collect your precious dandelions. You should have:
- Cutting shears: these help to cut out several parts of dandelion that ordinary knives wouldn’t do;
- Trowel: this small digging tool will assist you to dig up the dandelion & expose its roots.
- Collection container: Except if you’re plucking a handful of dandelions, a collection container is necessary for transporting your plants home. A small basket, bucket, or bail will work well.
Preparation of Harvested Dandelions
The next step after collecting your dandelions is to wash them. You can do this the same way you clean ordinary vegetables obtained from the garden. All you need do is place the leaves in warm water or under a stream of one & scrub gently to get rid of dirt & other debris. You can consider using a mixture of water & vinegar for the washing to eliminate bacteria.
When done with your washing, pat the dandelions dry on a towel, after which you use your sheets to cut out the desired parts: flowers, leaves, stems, or roots.
Classify the different parts of the plant according to the intended purpose for each. Only the flowers are needed for the bread recipe we’ll look at below.
However, you’ve worked so hard to collect & clean your dandelions. You shouldn’t throw away the other parts. There are different uses for all parts of the dandelion.
Recipe for a Dandelion Bread
Requirements:
- A cup full of dandelion flowers;
- 2 tsp baking powder;
- 2 cups of flour;
- One egg;
- Some salt;
- One & a quarter cup of milk;
- 3 tbsp. oil of your choice;
- A quarter cup of sweeteners, be it sugar or honey.
- A bread pan that’s usable with parchment paper.
Steps:
- Start by preheating your oven to 400°.
- Cut away the yellow flowers from the stems & throw in the flowers with the flour & your salt. If you will, crumble the flowers, although they’ll do so themselves when you do the mixing.
- When you’ve properly mixed the above, put in your milk, oil, egg & sweetener and stir until the ingredients are well blended.
- Pour what you now have into your greased bread pan, or you can line it with cooking paper.
- Position the pan in the oven & leave for 15 minutes initially. After this, reduce the temp to 35° & continue baking for 25 more minutes.
- When you’re done, pull your pan out & let the bread cool — after which you slice & enjoy.
This loaf is best enjoyed if eaten as soon as possible. A topping of your favorite spread on warm homemade bread is a very nice meal to eat. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to finish the bread at once. Your dandelion loaf will last for days if wrapped up.
Other Methods of Eating Dandelion
There are other ways to eat dandelion, which is why I asked that you didn’t throw away the other parts after securing the flowers for your recipe. Dandelion leaves can be eaten raw after washing. They can also be included in a salad of very delicious greens, or you can use them as a garnish or eaten in sandwiches.
You can roast or boil the roots & eat them directly. You can also grind the roots into powder after roasting them & use it as an alternative to coffee.
Final Lines on Eating Dandelion for Survival (Plus a Recipe for Dandelion Bread)
Eating dandelion for survival is not a terrible idea, as you can see. The plant grows everywhere in the wild & would make a great meal source when we are out of foods in the great outdoors. Let’s hear from you: how did the recipe for dandelion bread go? Did you enjoy it?