Been doing more edible plant research and came upon Dandelions. Apparently lots of people eat them raw in salad or as cooked greens. So I bought some leaves at the local market, cooked 'em up and they're good. A little bitter like endives but some lemon juice and salt takes care of that. Pretty much the whole plant is edible (don't know about the stem) and the leaves are supposed to be very healthy. So now that I've been looking, Dandelions are everywhere! As long as they haven't been chemically treated like in a lawn, you can eat 'em. Of course Blast and others know this already but I can't believe I was overlooking a great edible plant all this time. Anybody else tried it?

Indeed. On the small farm I grew up on, we canned a dozen quart jars of dandelion greens every spring, taken from the lawn. Then ate them all winter. Very good eating.

The great thing is that nature grows them for you with no effort on your part - except the harvesting that is.

You have taken the first step, grasshopper.

-Blast

just don't plan on cultivating them. They are not a very productive crop. Like huckleberries, somethings are better off remaining wild.

This seems like a silly question but how do you harvest them and prepare them?
Blast - I'm checking out your site!

You pretty much just cut off the leaves, leaving the rest of the plant if you want to keep harvesting. The roots are also edible and they can be roasted and used as a kind of coffee substitute. And of course there's dandelion wine. Thats my next project....

They can be eaten raw in salad or you can steam/cook them just like you would endives or collard greens.

We used to have a joke about this.

There are only three ways to prepare a wild edible plant:

1. Pick the leaves and make salad
2. Roast the roots and grind into a "flour"
3. Steep any part of it to make tea

Thanks guys!!

So why am I digging them out of my lawn by the thousands? I'm going to stop, and if anyone asks, I'll just tell them my yard is now my garden!

You've discovered how the dandelion came to the new world. The first Europeans brought them with them from home to the new world for their gardens. With no natural enemies, they "went wild". Lots of people still eat them raw or cooked or made into teas or fermented drinks.
Enjoy your first step, grasshopper. May it lead to many more.