Dandelion Salad this Spring

Photo: Peter Hugur

While scheduling lawn aeration this spring, I started thinking about the occasional lawn weeds we get. Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are our most frequent visitors and I usually just dig them out. But this year I’m going to try them in a salad. Not only are they edible but they are nutritious. Raw dandelion greens contain high amounts of vitamins A, C, and K, and are moderate sources of calcium, potassium, iron, and manganese. The common name dandelion is French, dent-de-lion, meaning 'lion's tooth' referring to the coarsely toothed leaves.