Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Family: Asteraceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Every part of this golden sunburst is an edible powerhouse: bitter spring greens, honey-scented flower petals, and roasted prebiotic root coffee.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Flowers, Roots/Tubers, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Fall, Winter, Year-round

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Young leaves are pleasantly bitter like chicory; petals are sweet and honey-like; roasted roots taste like dark chicory-coffee. — Spring leaves sautéed with bacon and garlic; Petals pulled from bitter green sepals to make golden dandelion wine and jelly; Roots scrubbed, chopped, roasted in an oven at 350°F, and brewed as caffeine-free coffee substitute; Buds pickled as wild capers

Habitat & North American Range

Lawns, meadows, pastures, disturbed meadows, roadsides, and alpine slopes. (Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10)