Just dandy...lowly, despised, unwanted, et cetera
Dandelions...
* Eat them. Certain varieties, usually the long-stemed ones, are used as salad greens, soups, wines, and teas. When cooking, blanch them or saute them to make them more tasty.
* The roasted root is used as a coffee substitute. It's caffeine-free.
* It's one of the ingredients of root beer.
* Provides nectar and pollen for bees and some butterflies.
* Adds nitrogen to the soil.
* Dandelion is an herb used for many conditions, such as loss of appetite, upset stomach, intestinal gas, gallstones, joint pain, muscle aches, eczema, and bruises, laxative, skintoner, blood tonic, and digestive tonic, virus, cancer.
* Dandelions contain latex so tire manufacturers are experimenting on using the latex from them in their tires (but that doesn't mean tires will be yellow).
Other facts:
* They evolved 30 million years ago in Eurasia, they have a long lineage, they may outlast Man.
* Don't try to escape them. They grow in most of the temperate climates in the world.
* The plant is also known as blowball, cankerwort, doon-head-clock, witch's gowan, milk witch, lion's-tooth, yellow-gowan, Irish daisy,monks-head, priest's-crown and puff-ball; other common names include faceclock, pee-a-bed, wet-a-bed, and wine's snout. (Enough said!)]
If you are now really excited about the dandelion, you can go to dandelion festivals in Dover, Ohio, and White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia...or you can go to my front yard, it's closer.
Bring a trowel.
Monty Siekerman
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, May 31, 2025
- Ada’s Jolliff advances to state track
- Bulldog softball edged in extra inning regional final
- Jeni S. Hall worked for Keybridge Medical Revenue Care
- Weekend Doctor: A day in the life of a primary care physician
- Ohio Sales Tax Holiday announced for August 1-14
- 142nd annual Ada High School Commencement mints 50 new alumni
- Six Lions scholarships awarded to Ada seniors
Friday, May 30, 2025
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
- Roy V. Rogers worked for Allen East Schools
- Pope and Wagner are Ada Rotary scholarship recipients for 2025
- Sondra A. Combs was a hairdresser and homemaker
- Upcoming APL events, May 26-31
- Stay tuned for AHS graduation and Memorial Day coverage
- Pope and Wagner are Ada Rotary scholarship recipients for 2025