A curiosity in an occasional series “The famous eat dandelions”: From the documentary Creedence at the Royal Albert Hall where they played in 1970, drummer Doug Clifford asks the cameraman if he’s eaten a dandelion and proceeds to eat a flower :)
Category Archives: Dandelions
Moss-leaved dandelion = Taraxacum tortilobum
I’ve been trying to find out what species the legendary moss-leaved dandelion (as featured in my book) and some other cultivated varieties actually are. I took the series of detailed pictures below of this plant last spring and posted them on the Dandelions of Britain and Ireland group (there are several experts of Taraxacum there including author of the Field Handbook to British and Irish Dandelions, John Richards)
Dutch expert Karst Meijer has ID’d the plant as Taraxacum tortilobum. We cannot be 100% sure that this is the original plant depicted in the Vegetable Garden (1920), but it makes sense that it was a wild plant that was domesticated as dandelion breeding is difficult as they are largely apomictic. T. tortilobum is found in the wild in northern France, which strengthens the theory that this is the plant. See https://www.gbif.org/species/5394131 where it is known as the twisted-lobed Dandelion.
The plant I grow which is the only line claiming to be the moss-leaved dandelion originated from IPK Gatersleben (German genebank) as Taraxacum sublacionosum “Delikatess” which it isn’t!
Start of the 2023 Dandelion season
The first wave of dandelions ready for 2023! We will use them with lunch every day for the rest of the winter!
Geeking out with Dandelions
Earlier this year I bought the Field Handbook to British and Irish Dandelions by A.J. Richard which contains descriptions, photos and keys for all 239 known UK and Irish species, a book written during Covid lockdown! I was curious to go deeper into the world of dandelions and to hopefully identify the various species I have in my garden and area around apart from the obvious moss-leaved dandelion (is this really Taraxacum sublaciniosum?), the pink flowered dandelion (Taraxacum pseudoroseum) and white-flowered species like Taraxacum albidum. And what about some of the historical cultivars such as the French cultivar “Pissenlit Coeur Plein Ameliore”. What species is this?
Inspired by the book, I set about taking detailed photographs of about 40 different dandelions at home and at the Væres Venner community garden with the thought to have a proper look and try to key them out during the winter months. I did try one species but it was daunting and they may not be species found in the UK. I have introduced quite a few cultivated and wild Taraxacum species in the garden over the years. I also joined a couple of specialist Taraxacum groups on FB. There I met Alex Prendergast in Norwich who kindly sent me seed of 25 mostly identified species! Having the answer for species that I could grow and have before me should hopefully help me keying out some of my species! I finally got round to sowing these dandelions today; see the album below. At the very bottom are detailed pictures for one species, the moss-leaved dandelion, which I’ve learned are necessary for dandelion identification.
Detailed photos of the moss-leaved dandelion, so far known as Taraxacum sublaciniosum
“Delikatess”:
Dissected dandelion bud
We’ve been eating dandelions for lunch every day now for almost 3 months from the roots dug in the autumn and there’s still loads (see my post in January and February here: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=27183 and https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=27343). We basically cut at the base with scissors and yesterday accidentally dissected a flower bud! The dandelions will respond with new leaf and flower shoots. 
Forcing pots of dandelions and other perennial vegetables in the living room; ease of access in what permaculturists call Zone 0
Dissected dandelion flower bud
Macrogreens and the first Dandelion Flowers
MACROGREENS
I harvested dandelion roots in November and stored them in the cellar until mid-January when we moved it into the living room and the first leaves were harvested just a few days later: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=27183
Since then, we’ve been eating a few leaves for lunch every day.
A few days ago, the first flowers appeared and I took my pet dande-lion for a walk in the garden.
In the cellar, even though it’s only +3C they’ve also been sprouting…
Dandelion shoots in the living room
This bucket was planted in the autumn and stored until now in the cellar. Within a few days of bringing it up into my living room there are usable shoots. Garlic bulbil shoots are seen behind.
Nowadays, I LOVE the taste of dandelion although in my youth I found it so bitter that I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to eat it. I think the reason is a combination of giving up eating sugar and getting accustomed to eating bitter plants. In addition, nobody ate a dandelion salad alone. The following box from my book describes various methods og de-bitterizing dandelions if you want to benefit from one of the most nutritious and valuable plants on the planet but find the taste too bitter:
Tubers and roots; December 2020
A gallery of pictures of tubers and roots which were harvested in December when I had a blog-free month!
Swirly Late Dandelion
“WHY IS IT SWIRLY WHEN IT’S LATE?” (MMA, 2020)
Probably the last dandelion to flower in the edible garden in 2020! The temperature didn’t drop below +12C last night, but there may be snow later in the week!
Probably the last dandelion to flower in the edible garden in 2020! The temperature didn’t drop below +12C last night, but there may be snow later in the week!
Fascinating fasciated dandelions
I was working at Væres Venner Community Garden yesterday and noticed a deformed (fasciated) dandelion flower. This can be caused by a range of factors including random genetic mutation, virus and bacterial infections. Damage to the plant’s growing tip and exposure to cold and frost can also cause fasciation and with the very cold weather after a mild start to spring is probably the cause in this case (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation).
Searching around I discovered two other fasciated dandelions! This phenomenon is rare, but I have seen it before a few times. However, I’ve never seen more than one plant affected within a small area before! I photographed each of the plants below and fantasising about making fascinating fasciated dandinoodles* or rather dandi-lasagne as the flower stems are flattened :)
Unfortunately, this mutation doesn’t seem to return in the following year in dandelions..
*Dandinoodles (løvenudler) are made from quickly boiling the flower stems perferably before the flowers open and just mixing with butter or olive oil:
Fasciated Plant #1 had twin or siamese flowers:
Fasciated Plant #2 had 6 flowers on the one stem and a twisted flower stem! Note that the fasciated stem is shorter than the normal flower stems:
Fasciated Plant #3 was different again, this time a single distorted flower (cresting):
