This is the original article as I wrote it for the News & Views, a local community magazine. The article was unfortunately changed a lot by the editor. I was barely able to recognize it when I read the print edition.
Fresh salad from your own garden will not be ready for harvest before June/July. There is, however one "salad" that most of us grow in the garden already, but we don't recognize it as a salad: The common dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale).
With an industry that wishes to sell products to remove these springtime flowers from your gardens, the dandelion is wrongly considered a useless plant. It's only when you read and learn about the common dandelion that you will suddenly realize that you have been influenced by advertisements and how much you have failed to understand the bigger picture.
Sami Fruits and other specialized fruit and vegetable markets sell dandelion leaves in their salad aisle. So some people know something!
The dandelion is actually an edible medicinal plant and has long been known as a potential cure for some liver problems, help with joint problems, arthritis, and diabetes. What caught my attention recently is a study showing that the dandelion can inhibit the toxicity of the Covid-19 Spike Protein.
The Physiological Effects of Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) in Type 2 Diabetes:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28012278/
In Vitro Effect of Taraxacum officinale Leaf Aqueous Extract on the Interaction between ACE2 Cell Surface Receptor and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein D614 and Four Mutants (2021):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34681279/
I recommend harvesting dandelion leaves in a location of your garden where people don't walk over them. Don't harvest in areas where lawn fertilizer or other chemicals might have been applied. Take only clean leaves and wash them thoroughly. The dandelion leaf has a very strong taste, somewhat similar to arugula salad but stronger and more bitter. If you are used to more mild salads then you might not like it. A yoghurt and cream dressing with some feta cheese and vinegar goes well with the strong taste of the dandelion.
Fresh dandelion salad with feta cheese
Chop the dandelion leaves into small pieces, add the dressing and a tomato, and enjoy!
If you want to explore other common medicinal plants, then look out for Self-heal, also known as Prunella Vulgaris or Heal-all. The name of this plant says it already. It appears later in the season and it's a blue flower.
