Dandelion: The Useful Weed

Janet M. Bryan

Most people spend their spring pulling this plant out by the root, never realizing what they are throwing away. This is the case for looking twice: how the young leaves work into a bitter, liver-friendly salad, what the root becomes when roasted and ground, how the flower turns into syrup or fritters, and why timing your harvest matters more than where you find it. Practical, unhurried, and a little bit delighted with a plant everyone overlooks.