Dandelion and Basil

I grew some Basil in a pot this winter. Not alot but almost enough to make decent batches of pesto. I had the thought this morning that I just needed a bit more to stretch it so why not substitute in a bowl of dandelion greens? I made the decision last year that I would eat more wild greens like dandelion and violets since they are so numerous and high in vitamins. Kinda silly not to! Dandelions are an excellent source of Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Potassium and Manganese. Source.

Seeing the nutrition content listed on that page has me wondering why in the hell we have not all been eating dandelions on a regular basis? 112% of the daily recommended Vitamin A???? 32% of daily Vitamin C, 535% Vitamin K. What’s really great is that they come up so early in spring, long before most planted annuals. I’ll certainly be adding them in to all my salads, pesto, and any other meal that calls for greens.

Technorati Tags:
Dandelion, Food, Foraging, Gardening, Herbs, Homesteading, Living Simply, Plants