Dandelions For Dinner

Wild plants and edible weeds l ike dandelions deliver big on well-being

- Denise Cullen

There is a certain shock value associated with serving weeds to Sunday lunch guests. But the nutritional benefits of dandelion, a key ingredient in the primo risotto I prepared, are compelling.

Multiple sources cite Taraxacum officinale, as dandelion is formally known, as an excellent source of vitamins. It has a long history of medicinal use for problems of the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts. Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side, writes that wild dandelion greens far surpass store-bought spinach in terms of their nutritional benefits: “(They) have eight times more antioxidants, two times more calcium, three times more vitamin A, and five times more vitamin K and vitamin E.”

That I topped the dandelion dish with wild foraged flowers, including yellow dandelion petals, Australian native violets and nasturtiums, also raised my guests’ eyebrows. Yet they relented when I pointed out that they were eating not just safely and sustainably, but were, with every mouthful, eating their way to better health.

WILD NOURISHMENT

It is common knowledge that diets containing a wide range of plant-based foods are associated with lower rates of chronic illness, including heart disease. Less well understood is that supermarket fruit and vegetables like sweet corn, bananas and carrots have been selectively bred for their sweetness, small size (or absence) of seeds, easy-peel skins, long shelf life and visual appeal, says Robinson.

Ironically, what we’ve gained in taste and good looks, we’ve lost in phytonutrients known to be essential for optimum health. Phytonutrients are chemical compounds such as resveratrol, carotenoids and lycopene, which help protect plants from insects, disease, fungi and other threats. When we consume these plants, they confer some of their benefits onto us.