Dandy Lions, Tigers and Bears...oh my!

OK, there aren't any tigers and bears in my garden, but there will always be dandelions nearby. Just as one man's trash is another man's treasure, so is it true that one woman's "terror of the lawn" is another woman's valued herb.

Not only do I love the bright cheery faces on a dandelion, but I have always been mesmerized by their seed globes. I once labeled one of Peter's photographs of a dandelion seed head "Wishes Waiting to Happen" and that is what I think each time I see those gray balls of fluff. While some gardeners will tackle you if you pluck one and pucker up to blow, I will likely try to beat you to it. I don't care how much they selfseed, I will cherish each and every plant. One of the great joys of being in my garden is taking time to puff on a dandelion head and make a wish. Then watch as the seeds drift across the garden buffeted by the breeze, taking my wish along with them until they get settled and can go to work making it come true.

Why grow dandelions on purpose? Why not! What other plant can do as much as the dandelion and look so darned cute and perky while it's doing it?

First off, the dandelion is not only edible (meaning it won't hurt you to eat it) but it is very tasty. You can toss the young tender leaves into a salad (either with other greens or by itself) Chock full of vitamins, a cup of dandelion greens will give you half again more Vitamin A than the daily requirement...more Vitamin A than a carrot! Actually, they're higher in beta-carotene than carrots too. The iron and calcium content in dandelion is phenomenal, greater even than spinach. (Wonder how much press Popeye would have gotten if he'd been gnawing on dandelions instead of popping open cans of spinach?) You also get vitamins B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, B-12, C, E, P, and D, biotin, inositol, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc...prepackaged by Mother Nature with a delightful green and yellow label.

Making soup or stew? Toss in a few leaves. They add a zesty flavor and are always a welcome addition. Eating them has an added benefit as well...weight loss. Animals in a case study lost 30% of their body weight when fed dandelion leaves. They are high in fiber and of course, low in fat, making them a perfect diet food for weight loss and for treating high blood pressure as well because of its dieuretic qualities. You can pick dandelion safely, as there are no dangerous "lookalike" plants out there. Just be sure that you pick plants that have not been sprayed by chemicals (or the neighbor's cat!)

Not only are dandelion leaves tasty and good for your daily vitamin requirement, but because of their antioxidant qualities, they are considered a good deterrent against cancer cells, and are suggested as an addition to a cancer patients diet as a treatment. The leaves aren't the only useful part either, the roots can be dried and used as a coffee substitute. Actually, if you prefer tea, you can steep all the parts of the dandelion (flowers, leaves and roots) for a tasty way to warm up this winter. Any flowers that are left over you can float in your bathwater for not only the smile it will bring to your face, but for the softening agents that will be released into the hot water. Since dandelion is an anti-inflammatory, your long hot bath will likely make your aching joints feel much better than soaking in plain water.

You can eat the flowers in a salad (what a lovely colorful addition) or get creative with them and try your hand at winemaking. Who wouldn't want a chilly glass of Dandelion Wine? If you're not into the alcohol route, they make delicious pickles. You can saute them, batter and fry them, or steam them with other vegetables in stir fry.

In addition to adding yogurt to your diet if you are suffering from a yeast infection, try adding some dandelion leaves to your diet. With their antifungal agent working with the yogurt, you should be quickly back to normal. If you got that infection from taking antibiotics for a urinary tract infection, next time just go straight for the dandelion and you'll avoid a lot of trouble.

If you are a diabetic you may be interested in some late studies that are proving that dandelion can be beneficial for controlling sugars in our body. Most herbalists will tell you limit your intake to 3-4 cups of tea a day, but so far I have found nothing that gives any reason for limiting the fresh leaves (just be sure to eat them while they are young, they can be very bitter as they get older).

Today's recipe comes from a fabulous book by Steve Brill. Since dandelion sometimes tastes a bit bitter to those not used to truly natural foods, he suggests this as a great way to learn to appreciate the taste of dandelions.

Dandelion Saute

4 cups chopped dandelion leaves

3 cups chopped onions

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups grated wild or commercial carrots

1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon of wine.

A few cloves of minced garlic

Optional: Black pepper to taste
1. Sauté the onions in the olive oil.
2. When soft, add the carrots, dandelions, garlic, wine and soy sauce.
3. Cook for 10-20 minutes until all the flavors meld.

Goldenrod: Enemy or Friend

How many times have you heard someone sneeze or cough and with eyes watering complain "Damn goldenrods. I can always tell when they're blooming, even if I can't see them."

Sadly, goldenrods take a lot of heat from allergy sufferers, but in fact is their less showy neighbor, ragweed, that is the culprit. Because goldenrod is such a beautiful standout gold color, the eye is drawn to them, ignoring that innocent looking but very nasty little green and brown plant growing alongside it, and thus, the goldenrod gets all the blame. In fact, Goldenrod has been the primary ingredient in lifesaving cures around the world since herbalists first began keeping records. There are more than 130 species of goldenrod, including of course the one that lights our American roadsides with brilliant golden flares in the autumn. No matter from which side of the "pond" you hail, your ancestors likely treated disease and illness with tinctures and teas made of goldenrod. There is written proof that both the Chinese and the American Indian kept goldenrod as a staple in their stores of medicine, and it appears in British folklore as a healing herb for both the body and the pocketbook. The spike of the golden plants supposedly pointed towards hidden riches. Or hidden springs, depending upon which journal you read.

Sweet goldenrod was used as a coating on pills to make disgusting flavors go down easier. This was of course before Mary Poppins informed us all that it took a spoonful of sugar to do the same thing. There was a huge push in 1948 to farm sweet goldenrod on a large scale to process as an alternative to sugar. This notion never took, but it is still grown in herb gardens today for its sweet aniselike taste and beautiful golden fall flowers.

Goldenrod had one unusual use that is not largely reported although an article entitled "Goldenrod Rubber' can be seen in archived copies of the December 16, 1929 issue of Time Magaine. Thomas Edison created a fertilization and cultivation process to maximize the rubber content of goldenrod. His experiments produced a 12 foot tall plant that yielded as much as 12% rubber. He created a rubber from that goldenrod that he formed into tires for a Model-A given to him by his friend Henry Ford. It is believed that Harvey Firestone collaborated with Edison on the project during World War 2 as a replacement to domestic rubber, and they turned over their findings to the government a year before Edison's death. Although samples of this rubber remain in Edison's laboratory today, 50 years after his death, still viable and strong with no trace of rot or ruin, there seems to be no interest in producing rubber from goldenrod today. One would imagine that possibly the long arm of the petroleum giants reached even into Edison's laboratory?

You can usually spot poor soil by the profuse goldenrod. It seems to literally thrive in places where little else will grow. In rich soil, they grow so quickly that they fall over long before their golden rods can reach their full potential.

As a medicinal plant, it is grown for its use as a laxative or to stop vomiting or flatulence. It is also indicated in the use of urinary obstructions and infections. European goldenrod, the first cousin our American goldenrod has a longer list of uses, ranging from headaches, flu, sore throat, malaria and measles to treating peridontal disease, arthritis, and chronic eczema. Modern science refutes the claim that goldenrod has any medicinal qualities at all, however neither is there any indication that ingesting it can cause any adverse side effects.

Most people grow goldenrod today as an ornamental plant. The flowers dry to a nice golden color which makes them a great addition to craft projects. It has long been used as a dye plant, although the color may be a little brassy for some tastes. If so, try adding onion skins and sage to the dye pot to tone down the color a tad.

The goldenrod is the state flower of Kentucky, Nebraska and South Carolina. It was the state flower of Alabama until it was replaced by the camellia. Sweet goldenrod is the state flower of Delaware.

It's October 2nd here in Alabama as I write and goldenrod species are blooming all around. Our pasture is a brilliant gold and roadsides are literally awash with the color, which inspired this posting. I got very excited a few years ago when a friend who ran a bed and breakfast told me they'd made "Eggs Goldenrod" for breakfast for guests. I had never heard of a culinary use for goldenrod and I was very intrigued. I was a little disappointed when she shared her recipe, but it's worth sharing yet again, even though there is NO goldenrod involved. Perhaps a disclaimer? "No goldenrod was damaged during the cooking of this dish. Void where prohibited."

Eggs Goldenrod a la Jane

• 6 hard cooked eggs, halve, then separate and crumble the yolk and chop the whites


• 2 tsbp. butter


• 2 tbsp. flour


• 1 cup milk


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 6 slices of bread
  
  Cut the edges off the bread, butter both side and place in muffin pan, pressing down in the center to form ‘cups’. Toast in the oven until golden brown. While the bread is toasting, melt butter in small saucepan over low heat adding the flour slowly and blending well. When it is blended, add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Add salt and cook until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Add the chopped egg whites to the mixture and stir well. Pour equal amounts of white sauce into each toast cup and top with the crumbled egg yolks. Garnish with parlsey or chives. A dash of soy sauce can be added to the white sauce for a very different flavor.