Buying dandelion seeds

October 30, 5:12 PMPittsburgh Gardening Scene ExaminerRose Field

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They're everywhere, they're free and they're difficult to get rid of, so why do people want to buy dandelion seeds?

Despite being hated by lawn lovers, dandelions have a long history as a culinary and medicinal plant. With trendy cooking gurus leading us back to peasant-inspired foods, and economic reality fostering home gardening, many people are rediscovering the foods older generations accepted as staples. Dandelions were not regarded as pests a few generations ago.

Unlikely at it seems, some people may not have ready access to wild dandelions. Urban apartment dwellers who are reluctant to scrounge leaves from dirty curbside weeds in public places can now find dandelion greens sold in upscale groceries. Whole Foods usually carries them, and local farmers' markets may be a good source. Gardeners are seeking the seeds more often and want access to certified organic seeds as well as European heirloom types of dandelions.

Some differences exists between the common weed usually found all across America, Taraxacum officinale, and the type Europeans, especially Italians, traditionally love to use as culinary greens. Sometimes the dandelion greens you see in markets today are really chicories, possibly Chicorium intybus, which is botanically very different from dandelions. Chicory was once used as a coffee substitute or additive and does offer similar taste and properties as dandelions. Chicory also frequently grows as a roadside weed and produces blue flowers which are quite beautiful.

Rareseeds.com, the website of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, sells two Italian strains of dandelions, listed as Catalogna Puntarelle Dandelion and Italiko Rosso Dandelion. If you search the company products, look under radicchio and chicory; a search for dandelions didn't work.

Mailordergarden.com sells cultivated seeds of the common dandelion, along with Italian specialty seeds of other types. Again, you need to search under Italian specialty seeds

Cherrygal.com has what is described as “Denti de Leon” Italian heirloom dandelion seeds, and clearly states it is not chicory.

Heirloomseeds.com offers seeds for Chicorium intybus and taraxacum officinale under herbs.

Raw dandelion leaves make a nutritious and delicious addition to salads, especially in the spring. Later in the summer, they become quite bitter. Dandelion leaves can be sautéed in a bit of olive oil in the same way as beet greens and other nutrient-rich greens. The greens are super rich in beta carotene, potassium, and vitamins.

Medicinally, almost every part of the plant has some uses. Long regarded as a general spring tonic, dandelions supposedly cleanse the liver and relieve gallstones and arthritis. The National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine noted that there is “no compelling scientific evidence” for the medical effectiveness of dandelion, but it's regarded as harmless. According to Medicinenet.com, People with ulcers and pregnant women must not use dandelion preparations, however, and in rare cases, allergic reactions can occur. Confusingly, warnings also appear against using dandelion if you suffer from gallstones, which is one of the main complaints traditionally treated with dandelions. It seems wise to talk to your doctor before using dandelions for medicinal purposes.

A website by “Wildman” Steve Brill  is a good comprehensive source for information of collecting and using wild dandelions.

Several website discussions of dandelions alluded to the old common French nickname for the plant “pissenlit', translated to “wet the bed” which referred to the plant's diuretic properties in stimulating urine production. Hmmm, maybe it's better to get potassium from bananas and forget the dandelions.