Dandelions for eating

[MyWifesBrassicas]

Does anyone here grow/cultivate dandelions "deliberately" to eat?

[bramble]

No, definitely not.
Thry grow easily enough without encouraging by cultivation.
If you really want to eat them, pick the leaves when they are young and tender.

[veggiechicken]

Nope but I think you can blanch them by putting a bucket over the leaves which makes them less bitter.

[MyWifesBrassicas]

I've spent all my time digging the blighters out, I've given little consideration to how edible they may be

[burnie]

Key thing is you have pick them where there are no animals passing(that's not a spelling mistake lol).

[rary]

As VC has said blanching takes some oof the bitterness out of them and as bramble said you are better eating young leaves, you can also wash and dry the roots and chop them up and make a "coffee" with them, you add a teaspoon full to a cup pour boiling water into the cup then microwave for 2 minutes strain out the root (which can be used a second time) and drink.

[MyWifesBrassicas]

how bitter are they in relation to other bitter salads?
if i make a mixed salad with sweeter options, the two combined should make a tasty meal.
Does anyone eat them on a regular basis?

[MyWifesBrassicas]

This looks and sounds quite nice

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/49...ndelion-salad/

[MyWifesBrassicas]

A certain seed company sells dandelion seeds

https://www.growitalian.com/dandelio...de-leone-50-1/

[veggiechicken]

Chiltern seeds do too https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item...on_thickleaved

[burnie]

Not too sure about this, you might be confusing what is edible with what you might actually want to eat, hoary bittercress and ground elder are edible, but you wouldn't want to eat them. Stinging nettles on the other hand are still eaten in certain dock puddings and makes a nice beer, they tell me they are nice eaten like spinach, but as I don't like spinach, I've never tried it.

[Scarlet]

Give them a miss! They are disgusting. I'm also being slowly enveloped in ground elder which is also supposed to be edible! Also disgusting!

[MyWifesBrassicas]

Not too sure about this, you might be confusing what is edible with what you might actually want to eat, hoary bittercress and ground elder are edible, but you wouldn't want to eat them. Stinging nettles on the other hand are still eaten in certain dock puddings and makes a nice beer, they tell me they are nice eaten like spinach, but as I don't like spinach, I've never tried it.

I totally agree, I'm confused by the idea that certain european diets who reputedly eat this stuff daily and the fact my allotment is full of them which forces me to make fertiliser out of them.
Are they simply just too disgusting to eat.
Web page after web page highlights them as "super foods on steroids", nutrient content to power house standards, very bold statements indeed.
But are they? Are we missing a secret trick?

[MyWifesBrassicas]

Give them a miss! They are disgusting. I'm also being slowly enveloped in ground elder which is also supposed to be edible! Also disgusting!

How disgusting are they?
On a scale of 1-10 (1 being ok and 10 being "down right filthy" vile)

[veggiechicken]

Try them, MWB, and make up your own mind. I don't pick dandelions as, with 3 dogs and a handful of chooks, I can't guarantee their taste wouldn't have been "tampered with".