Dandy....What?

I am officially over this terrible weather.  Since Sunday, we have had nothing but gross, fog and rain and it is not suppose to stop until next Sunday afternoon.  I even had to put on my heat the other night which is absolutely absurd.  The biggest concern my mother has right now is the length of the grass on my lawn.  It has not been mowed in over a week.  My lawn is starting to resemble a jungle and dandelions are starting to take over my back yard.  Even though they are seen as a weed and a nuisance, they do have some great qualities to them.

When I was younger, my dad always took me out to the fields to pick dandelions.  When I say pick dandelions, I mean the greens NOT the flowers.  You typically dig up the greens before the flower blooms.  Where I live, this is usually in late April.  You pull these out with a special garden weeder.  However, you can also use a knife.

Hand-sized weeder you can get at any lawncare store

 It may seem weird to eat weeds but dandelion are very nutritious.  They contain more vit A, vit K, calcium and iron than broccoli.  They are bitter and only get more bitter as the flower starts to grow.  You can eat them raw in a salad or stir fry it with some other veggies.  You can even make acne medicine out of the oil.


Here is a receipe to try:

Dandelion Salad with Warm Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 large bunches dandelion greens (about 2 pounds)

1/4 cup hazelnuts

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar



Prep

Discard tough stems from greens. Cut top 5 inches from greens and reserve. Cut remaining greens into 3/4-inch slices. Transfer all greens to a large serving bowl. Coarsely chop nuts and finely chop garlic. In a small heavy skillet cook garlic and nuts in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour hot vinaigrette over greens and toss to combine.



(Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Dandelion-Salad-with-Warm-Hazelnut-Vinaigrette-101520?k=1&rcp=1#ixzz1MosyVBt5)