Culinary uses:

* Flowers for pickling, and making dandelion wine or beer.
* Dried to be used in teas.
* Raw in salads (especially younger plants).
* Cooked in soups and omelettes. (Older plants can be boiled to reduce bitterness.)
* Roots, ground, as a coffee substitute.

Nutritional value in 100 grams (nearly half a cup):

* 3.1 mg iron.
* 397 mg potassium.
* 9.2 g carbohydrates.
* 2.7 g protein.
* 66 mg phosphorus.
* 187 mg calcium.
* 76 mg sodium.
* 36 mg magnesium.
* 14,000 IUs vitamin A.

How to pick dandelions:

* Choose young dandelions in a yard, field or wooded spot away from areas where they might be contaminated by vehicle emissions, herbicides, fungicides or insecticides.
* Pick them in the spring when they're young and at their least bitter and tough.
* With a knife, cut the entire plant from the ground up, leaving the root. Discard flowers except for the closed ones: the rest aren't edible.
* Pick enough to fill a large bag or basket, taking into consideration they will wilt considerably in the cooking process.
* Younger ones can be used it salads, while slightly older ones may be boiled to reduce bitterness.

How to cook them:

* First, double-wash the dandelions in a sink of cold water. (They tend to be sandy.)
* Cover them with water in a pot, and bring to a boil.
* Much like spinach, they are ready once wilted and the water turns colour.
* If using older plants, rinse and boil them again to take away excess bitterness.
* Drain cooked dandelions and transfer to a pan with one to two tablespoons of olive oil and a clove of chopped garlic.
* If desired, season with salt and red pepper flakes.
* Then, lightly sauté on low heat for about 15 minutes.

Recipe for pickled dandelion flower buds

Ingredients

* Young dandelion flower buds, tightly closed (not yet opened for the season)
* Garlic, chopped
* Onion, chopped
* Ginger, chopped
* 1 part tamari or soy sauce
* 3 parts apple cider vinegar

Directions

Fill a pickling jar for two to three centimetres with chopped garlic, onions and ginger.

Then add dandelion buds until about a third full.

Repeat process until jar is filled to top.

Cover with one part tamari (or soy sauce) to three parts apple cider vinegar. Seal with a plastic lid or if using metal, put waxed paper between the lid and dandelions so it doesn't rust shut.

Let sit for three weeks on counter. Then use as a condiment like any pickle. There's no need to refrigerate jars, even after opening.