Say Goodbye to These - Summer is Nearly Over 
Weeds are the bane of many a gardener - in fact, I have a lawn that is host to more varieties of weeds than blades of grass with the dandelion being the queen of them all. Shunning chemicals, I dutifully crawl around with my weeder and dig them out, one by one. But they have long twisted taproots and are difficult to remove completely - if just a portion remains behind, the dandelion will quickly grow back. An old joke says
A dandelion asked, "What's a dandelion digger for?"
"It's a human invention to help us reproduce," replied another dandelion.
The dandelion is a perennial plant that grows all over the world and has a good foothold here in Winnetka. It has sharply toothed leaves, hence the name "dent-de-lion" or lion's tooth in Old French. It is made up of several parts: the yellow flower, the leaf, the taproot, and the seed head. That puffy white ball that kids make wishes on is the seed head - each individual seed has a parachute type structure that enables it to fly far and wide in the wind. They can also form overnight.
Dandelion leaves are edible and are best collected in early spring before the flowers bloom. They have a very bitter flavor, somewhat akin to chicory or endive and can be eaten raw in salads, steamed or sauteed. Apparently, the flowers and taproot are edible as well, just not something that Americans are accustomed to - and the taproot is known to be a herbal remedy for certain liver and gallbladder problems.
And you thought it was just a nasty weed.
I'll miss the puffy seed heads as they begin to disappear with the advent of cooler weather. But if you look closely, they'll still be there, well into the frost and they'll be the first ones to sprout in the spring.
And you thought it was just a nasty weed.
I'll miss the puffy seed heads as they begin to disappear with the advent of cooler weather. But if you look closely, they'll still be there, well into the frost and they'll be the first ones to sprout in the spring.
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