Dandelions

Don’t spray that! It’s Medicine!  Dandelions  Each spring, I witness the pesticide trucks arriving to spray down perfectly manicured lawns to rid them of the well-known ‘weed’, the Dandelion. Taraxacum officinale is a common meadow herb of the Asteraceae or sunflower family. There are about 100 species of dandelion, and all are beneficial. It is a native of Greece, but grows in temperate regions throughout the world.  The perennial dandelion grows freely wherever it can find a bit of earth and a place in the sun. Dandelion’s nutritive and medicinal qualities have been known for centuries. On a sunny, spring day, I find joy in locating a lovely patch of organic land and slowly gathering the bright, yellow beauties (with their leaves and roots) for my basket. Da...