Dandelion Lettuce Salad (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

We haven’t tilled our garden yet — and it is popping up with dandelions. These delicious, nutritious greens are ready to harvest now. While the roots and blossoms are also edible — traditionally, flowers have been made into wine or baked into fritters and roots ground into a coffee substitute — I find the leaves the easiest to harvest and prepare.

The deep-toothed leaves of Taraxacum officinalis get their name from the French “dent de lion,” or lion’s tooth. These “weeds” were brought to our continent by early European settlers as a food crop. In Europe, dandelions had been used in herbal medicine for millennia, to treat liver ailments, fever, diarrhea and boils. In traditional Chinese medicine, the plants are used as remedies for appendicitis, stomach ills and swollen breasts or lack of milk production in women.

Dandelions are a nutritional superfood, with lots of fiber and plenty of and vitamin C. They contain more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more beta-carotene than carrots, as much potassium as a banana. One cup (only 25 calories) has more than the daily RDA of vitamin A. They also contain the minerals magnesium, phosphorus and copper and vitamins E, B6, folate, thiamin and riboflavin.

In the American South, dandelion greens are still considered a staple and sold in produce aisles of supermarkets along with collards, chard, kale and spinach. But if you search your lawn or garden — or cracks in the sidewalk — they’re available for free.

The long, jagged, lance-shaped leaves are delicious when harvested early before the flowers bloom and they become tough and bitter. Add them to salads of other fresh greens; stir them into soups and stir-fries; cook them in quiche, frittata or casserole dishes; put them on top of pizza. They’re great in beans and greens. They pair well with salty ham, bacon, or sharp shredded cheese.

Don’t harvest dandelions near roads (where they are exposed to car exhaust) or in parks where they may have been sprayed with herbicides. To clean, place greens in a large bowl or bucket with cool water; add a little salt and stir to loosen sand. The sand will fall to the bottom and you can then scoop the greens from the top. You may want to repeat this procedure, then place greens in a colander and rinse under cool water.

They’re great in cooked dishes — but when fresh they really shine in salads. In spring, I stir them into green salads, grain salads and pasta salads.

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Dandelion Lettuce Salad

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Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 small clove garlic

1 teaspoon spicy prepared mustard, Dijon style

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salad:

2 cups shredded lettuce

2 cups dandelion greens

1 red onion

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1 cup garbanzo beans

1 cup finely chopped Prosciutto (Italian ham)

Directions:

Crush the garlic with salt to make a paste (I use a mortar and pestle for this). In the bottom of a salad bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, mustard, oil and lemon juice with a fork or wire whisk. Add lettuce and dandelion greens and toss into the dressing, mixing well. Slice the onion and peppers, and stir in along with the prosciutto and garbanzo beans.

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Dandelion Carrot and Apple Salad

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Ingredients:

1 or 2 carrots

2 cups dandelion greens

1 apple

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts (optional — and better if toasted but not necessary)

Directions:

Scrub carrots. Shred into the salad bowl. Wash dandelion greens well in several changes of water to remove sand and grit. Chop coarsely and add.

Combine dressing ingredients — yogurt, mustard, maple syrup and seasonings — in a small bowl. Stir with a fork to blend. Fold into carrot-dandelion mixture.

Wash, core and slice or chop the apple, and stir in.

Stir in sliced scallions, raisins and/or walnuts.

Option: For a main dish salad, add chopped diced ham.

Serves 2- 3.

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Dandelion Pasta and Beans

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Ingredients:

1/2 pound ziti

1 Tablespoon Canola oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

4 cups washed dandelion greens

1 15.5 oz. can butter beans

1 small can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 cup finely chopped ham (optional)

1 cup grated mild cheese

Directions:

Cook ziti according to package directions.

In large skillet, heat the oil. Add onions and cook a couple of minutes. Add garlic and dandelion greens and cook another three to four minutes, until greens are wilted. Drain and rinse the beans, and stir in along with the tomatoes, herbs, optional ham and cheese. Cook 5-10 minutes on high, to reduce the liquid. Serve hot over cooked ziti.

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Author of the award-winning cookbook “Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market,” Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: Writing and cooking. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at yvonawrite@yahoo.com or on X: @yvonawrites.