Dandelion Greens & Apple Drink

I love this time of year when the dandelions are in full bloom. Those ubiquitous yellow flowers are like little bright spots of sunnyness shining their light and love everywhere. But even before the flowers appear, the green leaves can be found hiding amongst the grass. If you are lucky, like me, to have a dandelion graced lawn (rather than an uptight manicured lawn) then you have an endless supply of dandelion greens to put in your smoothie, salad, pesto, saag, stew, soup, wrap, sandwich and any other dish that requires greens.

Dandelion Greens are one of the best sources of beta-carotene and they supply high amounts of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and fibre, as well as many other trace minerals and nutrients.

In addition to their richness of nutrients, Dandelion Greens have both a tonic and cleansing action in the body, especially focusing their healing energy on the kidney and liver.

A food that is both tonic and cleansing might seem like a contradiction. To understand the tonic/cleansing concept better, think about what exercise does for your body. For example, when you exercise you sweat … which is cleansing … AND you build-up muscle tissue … which is toning. Dandelion, and other greens work in a similar fashion, they tone up the liver and kidney tissues while gently cleansing ... without the sweat of a workout.

Just a handful of dandelion greens each day will provide you with amazing nutrients. If you want more of a cleansing detox action, slowly build up to taking 2 or 3 handfuls each day.

Lots of books will tell you that greens should be harvested early in the morning after the dew has dried. This is great advice, especially if you want to harvest a large amount of dandelion leaves at a time and store them in the fridge.

But don’t let that ‘rule’ get in the way of using the greens daily. With such an abundance in my yard I tend to use the “hey I should add some dandelion greens to this dish” harvesting method, and pick my greens as needed … regardless of the time of day.

If you use chemicals on your lawn … stop! Stop using chemicals so you can safely consume the dandelions.

Here’s a simple blender recipe to introduce you to Dandelion Greens as a food.

Dandelion Greens & Apple Drink

Dandelion Apple Drink is: - vegan - dairy free - gluten free

Ingredients ½ apple 15-20 Dandelion leaves 2 cups water

Directions 1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. 2. Serve over ice.