Dandelion Foraging Season

We are about a week or two into the Dandelion picking season. You can pick them all summer really but the earliest leaves are the least bitter. I added some to my supper salad tonight and enjoyed that.  The Pennsylvania Dutch were big, big fans of Dandelion salads. When I was much younger we used to forage across all the fields to pick garbage bags full of Dandelion leaves for the Church and Fire Company fund raising dinners. In this area, they make and use a Hot Bacon Dressing on their Dandelion salads. See a recipe for that below.

#1 – High in Calcium: Dandelion greens are loaded with calcium. Just one cup of chopped dandelion greens has 103 milligrams (10% of the recommended daily value) of calcium! That’s slightly more than kale! Add two to three cups of dandelion to a smoothie with calcium-rich fruits like orange, kiwi, fig or papaya and you’ll have a green smoothie that has more calcium than any dairy product!
#2 – Rich in Iron: Next to fresh parsley, dandelion greens have a high iron content. One cup contains 1.7 milligrams of iron.
#3 – Low Calories: Like all leafy greens, dandelions are low in calories. One cup of chopped dandelion greens has only 25 calories. While leafy greens are a low calorie food, I actually prefer to use dandelions because they have more calories than other greens. Since I try to get as many calories as I can into my morning smoothies, I add up to 4 cups of dandelion which adds 100 calories of nutrient-rich food!
#4 – Loaded With Antioxidants: Dandelion greens are high in vitamin A in the form of antioxidant carotenoid (beta-carotene) and vitamin C. Vitamin C also helps facilitate iron absorption.
#5 – The Ultimate Detox & Cleansing Green: If your goal is detoxification and cleansing, dandelion greens should be the ones you use in green smoothies! They are said to help cleanse the liver and many detox recipes call for them.
#6 – Lots Of Minerals: Dandelion greens are rich in minerals. Besides calcium and iron, they are a good source of copper (10% RDA), manganese (8% RDA), phosphorus (5% RDA), potassium (5% RDA) and magnesium (5% RDA).
#7 – 14% Protein: Dandelion greens have more protein per serving than spinach. The greens themselves are 14% protein and contain all essential amino acids so it’s a complete protein. One chopped cup contains 1.5 grams of protein.
#8 – Multivitamin Green: Besides vitamin A as beta-carotene (186% RDA) and vitamin C (21% RDA), each cup of chopped dandelion greens are also good sources of vitamins B1 (9% RDA), B2 (11% RDA) and B6 (11% RDA), vitamin E (13% RDA) and especially abundant in vitamin K (357% RDA).
#10 – Health Benefits of Dandelion Greens: The nutrients in dandelion greens may help reduce the risk of cancer, multiple sclerosis, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration and stroke. Dandelion contains anti-inflammatory properties which may provide benefit to those with asthma and other inflammatory diseases.

Hot Bacon Dressing for Salads

Makes about 1-1/2 cups
This Pennsylvania Dutch family recipe is a favorite sweet and sour dressing for green salads with dandelion, endive, or escarole. It works equally well with kale or romaine lettuce when the other greens are not available. It is also the dressing my family uses for our German potato salad recipe, which is in the similar and related recipes links.

(Pictured with Romaine Lettuce)

A salad with hot bacon dressing complements many meals, but we usually serve it with chicken pot pie, green beans and ham, baked ham or even with turkey for Thanksgiving. It makes a quick, easy and delicious side dish.

Ingredients

• 1 large egg, well beaten
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 strips bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Beat the sugar into the egg. Add the vinegar, water and salt; beat well. Meanwhile, brown the bacon in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour and stir until smooth.
Add the liquid to the bacon mixture and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour hot dressing over coarsely chopped greens and mix thoroughly until wilted. Serve immediately.
Notes: The dressing can be prepared ahead and reheated, stirring constantly to keep from sticking to saucepan. If it gets too thick, add a little water. Depending on how many greens you use, you might have leftover dressing. It can be refrigerated and reheated before pouring on fresh greens.