Nourishments—

Spring Is A Good Time

For Going ‘Green’

By Nancy K. Crevier

As a child, I was not an adventurous eater. As a matter of fact, I was bribed to eat by the promise of a gold star for every day that I belonged to the “clean plate club.” It had nothing to do with the food that was available. All of the women in our family seemed blessed with a sense of good taste and the ability to make a delicious meal from simple ingredients. I just didn’t like to eat.

One of the many dishes that my grandmother stirred up, stirred up only disdain and disgust from the younger version of myself. It was called “Wilted Lettuce” and in the spring and summer, it also contained dandelion leaves that she gathered from the yard.

The thought that she was encouraging me to devour weeds did not sit well. And “wilted” only conjured up images of slime and imminent death. And so, while Grandma, Grampa, and my mother happily consumed this limp, green side dish, my sisters and I were content to patiently wait for someone to pass the mashed potatoes.

I regret now that I did not pay attention to the ingredients that Grandma used when making her wilted greens, because as an adult, the recollection of the aroma as this dish was prepared is actually quite mouthwatering. I do know that it involved bacon fried to a crisp and the addition of cider vinegar at some point before the hot dressing was poured over a waiting bowl of freshly washed lettuce and dandelion greens. If I could only savor those flavors now….

This is where the Internet comes to the rescue. Numerous recipes for dandelion greens can be found there, because apparently my grandmother was not the only one who realized the nutritional and flavor value of spring’s first greens. Like spinach, collards, swiss chard and other deep greens, dandelion greens are a wonderful source of iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium.

Bacon appears in many of these online recipes, as do onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper, three of my favorite ingredients. Were they part of Grandma’s special recipe? Who knows — but they do seem to do the trick.

Most recipes also recommend cooking the young greens (ideally picked before they go to flower) in boiling water for about 10 minutes before using them in a recipe. Dandelion greens can be on the bitter side, much as escarole or endive, and the pre-cooking reduces the astringency.

A big precaution before setting out on a Ewell Gibbons-like foraging trip is to make sure that the dandelions are not growing in an area treated with pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Find a big patch of dandelions, as it takes about ¼ pound of greens per person for a serving. Then, go wild — the greens are free and there for the taking.

This recipe comes from the April 2007 of Gourmet magazine. While it does not contain the ingredients my grandmother used, it is a more modern and healthier preparation. Don’t forget to add a dollop of love, because I am quite certain that Grandma added that secret ingredient to everything she made.

Dandelion Greens

with Hot Olive Oil Dressing

¼ C extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced lengthwise

1/3  C sliced almonds (1 ounce)

½ C golden raisins

2 Tbs Sherry vinegar

½ tsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 pound tender young dandelion greens, any tough stems discarded

Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and almonds, stirring frequently, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add raisins and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden and raisins are plumped, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, stirring until combined.

Pour hot dressing over dandelion greens in a bowl, tossing with tongs to coat.