kebaldwin
Tue, Jul-10-07, 15:44
Just Dandy ; Hardy Dandelions Burst with Beauty And Nutrition. So These Are Weeds?
Portland Press Herald
07-10-07
Jackie Greenleaf likes to think of what the world would be like if everyone would just let their dandelions grow.
"They are a beauty to behold. If everyone let them grow, just think what a break the mowers of lawns would get. Then the kids would all have wonderful times blowing the seed flowers everywhere. Now that was great fun," said Greenleaf, who lives in Cape Elizabeth but grew up in the tiny town of Lowell, north of Bangor.
"If some brave souls would start digging them again, it would become a trendy thing. Everyone is so concerned with healthy, fresh foods. They would find it all in the trusty, humble dandelion."
Trusty, humble, pretty. Yes, the dandelion is all those things to some people. To others it is pesky, irksome and unsightly.
A weed.
The fact that the dandelion can be so beloved, and so despised, is testament to its unique place in our history and culture. Children grow up loving it, because it's pretty and it's everywhere. It's often the first "flower" a child picks for his or her mother. Fields full of dandelions are usually a welcome sign of spring.
But, because dandelions are so hardy and spread so easily, and grow anywhere, they are an unwelcome pest for people trying to achieve the ideal American lawn - nothing but green, well-trimmed grass.
"They (dandelions) can't tolerate shade, so they didn't grow near crops and farmers never had to worry about them," said Anita Sanchez, an environmental educator in Albany, N.Y., and author of the book "The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion (McDonald & Woodward, 2006).
"But they like open, sunny places. So it wasn't until lawns were popular that people started to beat them back," Sanchez said.
Dandelions are attacked by lawn lovers partly because they are so aggressive, and partly because they are so visible. When you've got dandelions in your lawn, you know it.
"It might be more of a psychological thing," said Joe Castanera, New England regional technical manager for TruGreen, a lawn maintenance company with offices in Maine. "You can have a lot of other weeds in your lawn, but you might not see them. But that little yellow flower in a sea of green is so noticeable, and people want to get rid of it."
The dandelion's long history in America began with the plant being very much wanted for its nutritional value.
In her book, Sanchez writes that Pilgrims brought dandelions to New England from Europe in the early 1600s and planted them for their health benefits. Though they didn't know exactly why dandelions were good for them, they did know they helped cure scurvy (a condition caused by a lack of vitamin C). We know today that dandelion greens help keep the liver working properly.
PRODUCTS INCLUDE DANDELIONS
Go online, to such sites as bodybuilding.com, and you'll find dozens of products that include dandelion roots, greens, stems and flowers.
"It's really one of the most nutritious plants in the garden," said Sanchez.
Dandelion teas and extracts from dandelions are found in health stores. Many pre-packaged salads in stores labeled "spring greens" include dandelion greens.
"Of course they don't list the dandelions because they think people wouldn't want them," said Sanchez. "But if you look, you'll find some."
For lots of Mainers, especially in rural areas, pulling and eating dandelion greens is a delicious rite of spring. Sort of like picking and eating fiddleheads.
David Storer of Portland grew up in Parsonsfield, near the New Hampshire border, and remembers picking dandelions out of local hay fields for the dinner table.
"We hayed a lot of fields, so in the spring we'd go cut dandelions in the fields we'd be haying," said Storer, 44. "You want to cut them before they flower, when the buds are tiny and sweet. If you go out this time of year they might be a little tart."
Storer said he likes dandelions more than spinach, but says he wouldn't eat any that grow wild around Portland, because he's just not sure what sort of chemicals they might have on them.
Sanchez said in her book that Americans spend $40 billion annually on lawn care, and probably a good portion of that is in an effort to kill dandelions. Sanchez said she was motivated to write her book because of the millions of birds that she says die each year because of pesticides and herbicides used for aesthetic purposes.
VALUED ELSEWHERE
In other countries, dandelions are more valued as an organic, nutrient-rich food, said Roger Doiron of Scarborough, founder of Kitchen Gardeners International, a group working to raise awareness about the benefits of growing one's own food.
But in America, even though people grow vegetables, there is not as much emphasis on eating what grows naturally.
Doiron's wife is from Belgium, and he says when he lived in Belgium and France people would go on dandelion hunts in spring, and dandelion green salads were an important part of home-cooked meals.
"It's definitely bitter, but they (people in Belgium and France) would put a slightly sweet salad dressing on it, a vinaigrette with an apple and pear jam in it," said Doiron. "(Dandelion greens) are considered good peasant food there."
THE PERFECT YARD
Doiron said the idea behind suburbia, at its core, was for people to have some of the simple pleasures of country living, while having ease of access to the city. So he can't understand why people in suburbia today can't embrace the simple pleasure of watching pretty dandelions, clover and other wild plants growing in their yards.
"I can't get my head around it, the idea of achieving this perfection with one's yard," said Doiron.
And if you're looking for perfection, in terms of the natural environment, the dandelion may fit the bill.
It grows almost anywhere, is very hardy, is beautiful, and because of all the pollen it produces, it helps attract pretty butterflies. All this is according to Lois Berg Stack, a specialist in ornamental horticulture with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
So why are they called a weed, and why do people kill them?
"A weed is a plant in a place where it is not wanted," said Stack. "That probably speaks for itself."
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:
rrouthier~pressherald.com
[Sidebar]
A PRIME ON EATING, PULLING AND PLAYING WITH DANDELIONS
NAME: The name dandelion comes from the French phrase "dent-de- lion" which means "teeth of the lion" and refers to the jagged leaves of the plant.
ORIGIN: Brought to North America from Europe by settlers who arrived in New England in the early 1600s. The plant was brought because of its health benefits, including its use as a remedy for scurvy because of its vitamin content.
AGE: Individual dandelion plants can live for several years. They have long taproots that sink deeper each year. Any piece of the taproot left in the soil can regenerate a new plant.
HOW THEY SPREAD: After blooming, the yellow flower heads turn to a white puff-ball of seeds. The seeds are spread by the wind.
DOWNFALL: The dandelion wasn't really thought of as unwanted until weedless lawns became the goal of middle-class homeowners, sometime around the beginning of the 20th century.
REMOVAL: The safest, most effective way to get rid of dandelions is to hand-pull them and make sure you remove the entire taproot. The best time to pull them is in the spring, when the ground is wet, and the roots will pop out more easily.
USES: Dandelion greens are eaten raw in salads or cooked with other foods. You can find dandelion greens in many pre-packaged salad bags labeled "spring greens." Wine can be made from dandelions. As a health supplement, dandelion tea and essence of dandelion greens are said to improve liver health, among other things.
LORE: One old dandelion tradition involves blowing the seed heads, and then counting the number of seeds left after you blow. That's how many children you'll have, supposedly.
Sources: "The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion" by Anita Sanchez (pictured above); and Dr. Lois Berg Stack, Extension Specialist, Ornamental Horticulture, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=5580&Section=NUTRITION
Portland Press Herald
07-10-07
Jackie Greenleaf likes to think of what the world would be like if everyone would just let their dandelions grow.
"They are a beauty to behold. If everyone let them grow, just think what a break the mowers of lawns would get. Then the kids would all have wonderful times blowing the seed flowers everywhere. Now that was great fun," said Greenleaf, who lives in Cape Elizabeth but grew up in the tiny town of Lowell, north of Bangor.
"If some brave souls would start digging them again, it would become a trendy thing. Everyone is so concerned with healthy, fresh foods. They would find it all in the trusty, humble dandelion."
Trusty, humble, pretty. Yes, the dandelion is all those things to some people. To others it is pesky, irksome and unsightly.
A weed.
The fact that the dandelion can be so beloved, and so despised, is testament to its unique place in our history and culture. Children grow up loving it, because it's pretty and it's everywhere. It's often the first "flower" a child picks for his or her mother. Fields full of dandelions are usually a welcome sign of spring.
But, because dandelions are so hardy and spread so easily, and grow anywhere, they are an unwelcome pest for people trying to achieve the ideal American lawn - nothing but green, well-trimmed grass.
"They (dandelions) can't tolerate shade, so they didn't grow near crops and farmers never had to worry about them," said Anita Sanchez, an environmental educator in Albany, N.Y., and author of the book "The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion (McDonald & Woodward, 2006).
"But they like open, sunny places. So it wasn't until lawns were popular that people started to beat them back," Sanchez said.
Dandelions are attacked by lawn lovers partly because they are so aggressive, and partly because they are so visible. When you've got dandelions in your lawn, you know it.
"It might be more of a psychological thing," said Joe Castanera, New England regional technical manager for TruGreen, a lawn maintenance company with offices in Maine. "You can have a lot of other weeds in your lawn, but you might not see them. But that little yellow flower in a sea of green is so noticeable, and people want to get rid of it."
The dandelion's long history in America began with the plant being very much wanted for its nutritional value.
In her book, Sanchez writes that Pilgrims brought dandelions to New England from Europe in the early 1600s and planted them for their health benefits. Though they didn't know exactly why dandelions were good for them, they did know they helped cure scurvy (a condition caused by a lack of vitamin C). We know today that dandelion greens help keep the liver working properly.
PRODUCTS INCLUDE DANDELIONS
Go online, to such sites as bodybuilding.com, and you'll find dozens of products that include dandelion roots, greens, stems and flowers.
"It's really one of the most nutritious plants in the garden," said Sanchez.
Dandelion teas and extracts from dandelions are found in health stores. Many pre-packaged salads in stores labeled "spring greens" include dandelion greens.
"Of course they don't list the dandelions because they think people wouldn't want them," said Sanchez. "But if you look, you'll find some."
For lots of Mainers, especially in rural areas, pulling and eating dandelion greens is a delicious rite of spring. Sort of like picking and eating fiddleheads.
David Storer of Portland grew up in Parsonsfield, near the New Hampshire border, and remembers picking dandelions out of local hay fields for the dinner table.
"We hayed a lot of fields, so in the spring we'd go cut dandelions in the fields we'd be haying," said Storer, 44. "You want to cut them before they flower, when the buds are tiny and sweet. If you go out this time of year they might be a little tart."
Storer said he likes dandelions more than spinach, but says he wouldn't eat any that grow wild around Portland, because he's just not sure what sort of chemicals they might have on them.
Sanchez said in her book that Americans spend $40 billion annually on lawn care, and probably a good portion of that is in an effort to kill dandelions. Sanchez said she was motivated to write her book because of the millions of birds that she says die each year because of pesticides and herbicides used for aesthetic purposes.
VALUED ELSEWHERE
In other countries, dandelions are more valued as an organic, nutrient-rich food, said Roger Doiron of Scarborough, founder of Kitchen Gardeners International, a group working to raise awareness about the benefits of growing one's own food.
But in America, even though people grow vegetables, there is not as much emphasis on eating what grows naturally.
Doiron's wife is from Belgium, and he says when he lived in Belgium and France people would go on dandelion hunts in spring, and dandelion green salads were an important part of home-cooked meals.
"It's definitely bitter, but they (people in Belgium and France) would put a slightly sweet salad dressing on it, a vinaigrette with an apple and pear jam in it," said Doiron. "(Dandelion greens) are considered good peasant food there."
THE PERFECT YARD
Doiron said the idea behind suburbia, at its core, was for people to have some of the simple pleasures of country living, while having ease of access to the city. So he can't understand why people in suburbia today can't embrace the simple pleasure of watching pretty dandelions, clover and other wild plants growing in their yards.
"I can't get my head around it, the idea of achieving this perfection with one's yard," said Doiron.
And if you're looking for perfection, in terms of the natural environment, the dandelion may fit the bill.
It grows almost anywhere, is very hardy, is beautiful, and because of all the pollen it produces, it helps attract pretty butterflies. All this is according to Lois Berg Stack, a specialist in ornamental horticulture with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
So why are they called a weed, and why do people kill them?
"A weed is a plant in a place where it is not wanted," said Stack. "That probably speaks for itself."
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:
rrouthier~pressherald.com
[Sidebar]
A PRIME ON EATING, PULLING AND PLAYING WITH DANDELIONS
NAME: The name dandelion comes from the French phrase "dent-de- lion" which means "teeth of the lion" and refers to the jagged leaves of the plant.
ORIGIN: Brought to North America from Europe by settlers who arrived in New England in the early 1600s. The plant was brought because of its health benefits, including its use as a remedy for scurvy because of its vitamin content.
AGE: Individual dandelion plants can live for several years. They have long taproots that sink deeper each year. Any piece of the taproot left in the soil can regenerate a new plant.
HOW THEY SPREAD: After blooming, the yellow flower heads turn to a white puff-ball of seeds. The seeds are spread by the wind.
DOWNFALL: The dandelion wasn't really thought of as unwanted until weedless lawns became the goal of middle-class homeowners, sometime around the beginning of the 20th century.
REMOVAL: The safest, most effective way to get rid of dandelions is to hand-pull them and make sure you remove the entire taproot. The best time to pull them is in the spring, when the ground is wet, and the roots will pop out more easily.
USES: Dandelion greens are eaten raw in salads or cooked with other foods. You can find dandelion greens in many pre-packaged salad bags labeled "spring greens." Wine can be made from dandelions. As a health supplement, dandelion tea and essence of dandelion greens are said to improve liver health, among other things.
LORE: One old dandelion tradition involves blowing the seed heads, and then counting the number of seeds left after you blow. That's how many children you'll have, supposedly.
Sources: "The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion" by Anita Sanchez (pictured above); and Dr. Lois Berg Stack, Extension Specialist, Ornamental Horticulture, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=5580&Section=NUTRITION