I did it! I went into my yard early in the morning and harvested the leaves from a dandelion. I brought them in the house, washed them thoroughly and added them to my green smoothie. I lived to tell about it!
My Aunt Hazel used to always smack her lips when she saw a nice big juicy dandelion plant. I never saw her eat them, but she told me back on the farm in South Dakota they did. I secretly think she also harvested them at her house in Washington State and tossed them into salad or soup or steamed them along with beet greens.
So when I started researching healthy foods for beautiful skin, dandelions popped up everywhere as a nutritional reservoir of goodness. I even saw them at the Snohomish County Food Co-op all washed up and proudly displayed next to the kale and the collards.
The more I read on nutrition, and bitter greens and dandelions in particular, the more I wondered if dandelion salads were the secret to my aunt’s keeping her beautiful raven black hair into her nineties. One day, I called my cousin and asked if her grandmother’s hair ever turned gray. She said, “no.”
So the invitation is out to support your flourishing health. Start by being courageous–inviting a dandelion or a bit of endive or arugula to grace your plate–or disappear into your smoothie.
We as Americans may just have eliminated the most valuable nutrients from our diets that are right under our noses when we became financially able to purchase what comes in a box or can.
Be sure your dandelion comes from a part of the yard where the dogs don’t roam, the slug bait isn’t sprinkled, and the weed killer is banned. Safeguard your precious dandelions like you would your home-grown lettuce and radishes. Then harvest and enjoy!
Now go raise a glass of dandelion greens to your flourishing health!
Marlee Huber ~ Advocating for Your Flourishing Life!