Originally Posted on December 17, 2013

How to Cook Dandelion Greens & Recipes
By Virginia Wright

Recipe: How to Cook Dandelion Greens

Summary: There are various ways to cook dandelion greens, an edible weed. This post includes two options: plain with butter or olive oil, and tossed with bacon. When I make these recipes, I use dandelions from my yard that have not been treated with any chemicals. Additionally, I use organic butter, organic extra-virgin olive oil, organic hot red pepper flakes, and uncured, nitrite- and nitrate-free bacon with no artificial preservatives.

Ingredients

• Dandelion Greens
• Bacon
• Hot Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Butter
• Olive oil

Instructions 

1. Gather, wash, and cook greens.
2. Drain cooked dandelion greens well.
3. Serve with butter or a drizzle of olive oil.
4. Dash of salt and pepper, to taste.
5. For serving dandelion greens with bacon and hot red pepper flakes, follow the directions for cooking dandelion greens.
6. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and cook until well done.
7. Add drained dandelion greens to the bacon, and toss.
8. Add a sprinkle of hot red pepper flakes.
9. Dash of salt and pepper, to taste.

Preparation time: 30 minutes 

The number of servings (yield): This depends on the quantity of greens you gather.

Dandelion Greens – Wrap your hand around the dandelion greens and make your cut at the base of the plant.

About Dandelion Greens – Pick a Bag Full. In the spring of the year, dandelion greens are found everywhere you look. It’s one of the first edible weeds that you can eat from the blossom (head) to the root.  It’s a simple, wild green that's easy to prepare and can be used in many ways. Everything from tea to sautéing the roots. To get started, go find your dandelion patch. First, wrap your hand around the dandelion greens and make your first cut at the base of the plant. I use sharp kitchen scissors and cut the leaves enough to fill a plastic shopping bag.

Every spring, we harvest this “free” delectable wild green when there isn’t anything else growing. Once I get our bag of greens, I clean one side of the kitchen sink, then fill it with cold water. The leaves are placed in the water and cleaned by gently swishing them. I use a very large kettle with a lid to put greens in. You can just taste the healthiness in these wild greens, and is a great edible weed that you can forage for in early spring!

Dandelion Greens w/ Bacon & Hot Red Pepper Flakes 

Follow all the same directions for cutting, cleaning, and cooking your greens. Drain. You should have about 4 cups of greens once boiled down.

 

Cut up bacon into small 1-inch square pieces, fry until done. Take your 4 cups of well-drained dandelion greens and place them in the frypan with cooked bacon and grease; toss.

Serving Suggestion: Serve dandelion greens hot, with a sprinkle of hot red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt and pepper.

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