Dandelion

The emergence of the magical yellow dandelion is a sure sign of spring. Before the invention of herbicide, dandelions were so popular that they were planted throughout yards and fields. Every part of the dandelion was used for food, medicine and magic. During the food shortages of World War II, dandelion root became a popular coffee substitute throughout America.

After the war, the economy improved, and commercial herbicides became easily accessible. To convince people to purchase and use their products, companies launched a huge advertising campaign that demonized the dandelion. With the populace convinced that a pristine, green lawn was a sign of affluence, the war against the dandelion began. Housewives across the continent demanded to have chemical treatments that would seep into the earth that surrounded their home.

Talk about a psy-op.

Many still suffer from lawn delusion, believing that the barren wasteland of green grass is preferable to the colorful pollinating flowers of spring. The eradication of the dandelion was always about profit. It has been detrimental to all life on the planet, including the life of the human beings who continue to practice this form of barbarism.

My spring medicine cabinet. Dandelion and violet for reducing inflammation and detoxifying the liver.

Every part of the dandelion is edible and medicinal. It can grow in most soil types and most climates. It is a self-seeding perennial. It comes back every year with no effort on the part of human. The dandelion is hearty and able to overcome the most challenging and rocky environments. For this reason, it was once considered to be a symbol of resilience, perseverance and the ability to thrive.

As a child, I believed that the dandelion had the power to make my wishes come true. I picked the puffy white seed balls, wished for love, and blew the little seeds out to where I believed that God would find them. This act was based on folklore that has been traced back to the ancient Celts.

Dandelions have been used for centuries as a source of food and medicine. Dandelion is rich in protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as minerals such as calcium and iron. When they first appear, the leaves are tender and mild. They make a lovely green salad. Young dandelion flowers add a bright pop of color, and a slightly bitter flavor. Dandelion greens and flowers become quite bitter and unpalatable after only a few weeks of growth. If you want to try dandelion salad, be sure to collect the plants at the first sign of spring.

Once salad season has ended, I start digging up the roots. I carry a little stool and a spade out to the yard, sit down in a patch of dandelion, and start digging. The root is long and straight. I simply loosen the soil near each plant, and then pull it straight out of the ground. I then separate the roots from the leaves, wash them, and roast them in my oven at 350 degrees for approximately thirty minutes. I know that they are done when they begin to brown on the inside and give off a nutty aroma. I grind the roots and mix them with my ground coffee beans to make a dandelion coffee mixture. Dandelion root detoxifies the liver, which improves overall health.

Perhaps the easiest way to consume dandelion is in a tea. After I separate the root, I fill a big jar with leaves and petals, pour in boiling water, and allow it to sit for several hours. I generally mix my dandelion with violet, creeping charlie, cat mint and purple dead nettle, all of which grow in my yard. The other plants offset the bitterness of the dandelion, and all of these spring treasures have anti-inflammatory properties. Persistent inflammation is a contributing factor in many serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Drinking this spring concoction has been shown to aid in the control of inflammation, and in the prevention of chronic disease.

There are entire books dedicated to dandelion recipes. One can make dandelion oil, dandelion jelly, dandelion honey or dandelion pesto. I like to make dandelion wine. To make it, I boil a large quantity of dandelion petals, along with lemons and oranges. I then ferment the strained liquid in bottles with sugar and wine yeast. It turns more like dandelion moonshine than any kind of wine. It is not only fun to drink, but it aids in digestion, supports kidney and liver health, and has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Dandelion Wine Recipe

Seeing a well-manicured, perfectly green lawn makes me sad. People are holding onto the illusion that keeping nature at bay creates an image of success and affluence, when what it truly displays is mankind’s disconnection from our ancestral understanding of the food and medicine that God bestowed upon us. The next time I see a beautiful dandelion seed ball, I will wish for the end of chemical herbicides and pesticides. I will pray that we once again celebrate the emergence of the bright yellow dandelion heads that announce the end of a harsh winter and the promise of life that is brought by spring.

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My Story:

Dear reader,

I do not believe that one can live to be my age without having had one’s heart broken. My heart has been shattered into a million tiny shards. Before the year 2022, I had not known that I was strong enough to withstand severe trauma and profound loss. While I Pam not the same person who I had been before that year, I did survive. I am still here, and I have a story to tell. To write it, I had to tear my heart out and throw it across the page, over and over again. My pain is a gift that I give to you.

I promise you that, if you have a heart, it will break. It will force you to feel the ache of the loss that we have all sustained. What the world needs right now is less comfort and more genuine, frank, heartfelt, unfiltered, uncomfortable emotion. As it turns out, ease is the most dangerous addiction of them all.

We were sent to this magnificent planet to spend our life preparing, spiritually, for our death. The earth is an exquisite, glorious paradise, but it seems that, sometimes, we must first see the ugly before we can truly appreciate the splendor. And there is a great deal of beauty to be found here. Pain and suffering exist, but joy and laughter exist, as well. There are so many reasons to keep fighting.

My book is about the American medical system and the ethical implications of its significant financial gain being dependent on the general ill health of the population. However, it is also about something far more important than that. It is a true story about pain, suffering, family, friendship, community, faith, love, transcendence, God and heaven.