Thursday, May 20, 2010

my favourite things: the comeback of the dandelion

fields + fields of dandelions, photo by me.
............................

now i know i'm gonna make some enemies with this one, but gosh, i love dandelions.

here in ontario this year there has been a rebirth of the poor, lowly dandelion flower.
last weekend as we drove across beautiful southern ontario back roads, we were amazed with the fields and fields and fields of beautiful sunshiney yellow dandelions! everywhere.

without scientific proof, i'm pretty sure the Ontario government's cosmetic pesticide ban, in effect since 2009's earth day, is the happy culprit behind this BIG change! so yay to that!

i LOVE it!

at least in my lifetime the dandelion has been seen as a pesky pesky weed. it's my bold hope that the next generation of ontarioans will grow up to love the dandelion as a springtime wildflower, (and yummy edible!) instead.

hoping for too much??!
:)

i've never been one for a perfectly manicured lawn (you should see ours! heavens!) and so i'm especially overjoyed with the comeback of the yellowy underdog!

how about you?
the dandelion: love it or hate it?
ever cook/create/use dandelions for medicinal reasons?
tell us!

............................

fields + fields of dandelions, photo by me.

Pin It

23 comments:

  1. I love it, but I don't like walking on it, so it's a bit of a battle!

    I do plan, next year, on having a little patch in the backyard where I can cultivate them just to eat! Can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ah yes - the dandelion *walk* is a tricky one!

    that's so fun about the patch of them to eat in your backyard!

    can't wait to see that!

    your gardens sound so amazing, rj!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love dandelions! I was admiring them yesterday, on PEI we have a lot of farm fields, and this time of year the green grass is full of the yellow flowers! I haven't been brave enought to try eating the leaves yet, but my mom has had them in salad before.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Apparently there is ample love for the dandelion in Halifax, Nova Scotia - so much so that there was a dandelion festival here earlier this month see http://dandelionfestival.org/ this year.

    The festival is hosted by the folks behind the Grainery Co-op, a great little place where we buy our grains and other local dry goods.

    We didn't make it to the festival this year but hope to next year. Our garden is in a very natural state so we have lots of dandelions as well as beautiful little sweet wild violets (which are also edible). We haven't been foraging too much on flowers as I haven't figured out how to explain to my toddler that some flowers are edible and some aren't - but all in due time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love them. I enjoy the young leaves in salads and I'm dying to try dandelion root coffee, but haven't gotten there yet. They're just kind of happy to look at, aren't they? (my husband, the lawn-tender, vehemently disagrees with me)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Uh oh!!!!

    I'm not exactly a Dandelion fan, mostly because they like to cover my little Japanese flower garden in the backyard.

    But I'll forgive you, RR! ;}

    They are delicious in salads. I'll agree with you on that!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. oo i can't WAIT to show this to my husband....we fight every single year about putting chemicals down...my neighborhood is very "suburban" but am seeing more and more people taking the dandelion plunge...i'm so glad i'm not the only one...

    ReplyDelete
  8. dandelions have a rough go of it! i think it would be great to have a potted plant of them in the windowsill!
    on a (friendly) side note, i have a really hard time reading your posts that are in really soft colors, such as the yellow you have above.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love dandelions too! My husband hates them. Every year, we fight the constant battle of chemicals in the yard. I don't think chemicals belong on yards period and he doesn't think weeds belong in yards. I have managed to enact a ban in any area that the kids play. I'm hoping one day I can convince my husband to embrace the dandelion too. Because, really, how can you resist chubby toddler hands handing you one they picked especially for you?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dandelions are the best!
    I'm the pesky kind of dandelion lover and blow the seeds everywhere when I see them. I just think that the world can not have enough dandelions! They make me jippety jappety happy! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. well yay to team dandelion lovers!

    the view must be lovely, luv2!

    and that's so fun, margo! i can just see your little sweetie in your beautiful garden playing! so lovely!

    lisa & jean & terri: we'll have to get your hubbies on board!

    and aren't you fun, artmind: blowing seeds in the wind! :)

    no hurt feelings, morgen! :) i bet your japanese garden is gorgeous!

    and thanks offthe, i changed it up! :) much appreciated

    ReplyDelete
  12. i think dandelions are pretty tooO!! i LOVE yellow these days so dandelions fit right into that category!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm a fan! I've always loved them. Our little ones gather them in the fields just like I remember doing as a child. So nostalgic!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like them just fine! My husband though gets SO mad when they pop up after he mows. But if there were as many here as there are there, I think they'd be pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yesterday evening I watched a Japanese movie called "Tampopo" - which means "Dandelion". Check it out, it's brilliant! Funny and tender. It's about enjoying food :-) and Dandelion is the name of a woman chef.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm learning to love them, my husband calls them 'lawn marigolds!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have so many fond memories of dandelions as a child. Still this little weed is so magical and offers hope that the warm weather is finally here. I remember picking as many as my hands could hold and giving them to my mom as a present.

    I have had dandelion salads before and surprisingly they are quite yummy. Please post a receipe. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I didn't know that they were edible. So cool! That's a great perspective - to look at them as wildflowers, instead of weeds. I do really love the bright yellow color...not so much in lawns, but in fields... :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. You can EAT THEM????

    Well! In that case, I have salad supply for a long long time. Watch it you pesty, resilient dandies. I'm coming for you MUH HA HA HA (imagine Vincent Price's laugh on Thriller video)
    8-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. mixed feelings!
    I've enjoyed eating them and had some dandelion wine last summer that was a nice special occasion drink.
    but they are a pain to pull up.. they can be quite invasive.
    but I think lawns are silly so who cares if they get in some grass.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love dandelions! I think they are pretty in our big green yard (sorry hubby!), I love to take photos of them (especially closeups), and I always enjoyed making a wish and blowing the puffs away when I was a young girl (& I still do that!). Thanks for the smiles today! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love dandelions! I think they are most beautiful when they go to seed and their heads are the white fluffy balls. When the wind picks up they scatter all directions. Beautiful nature!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love dandelions... I always envisioned by yard being full of them, but my husband has other plans. I guess he prefers to admire them from afar.

    My blog title is sowing dandelion seeds so you can tell how much I admire them! Thanks for posting these amazing pics!

    PS: I've only ever licked the bottom of a picked flower and encouraged others (including my own kids) to do the same. It has to be experienced!

    ReplyDelete

thanks so much for your comments, nicies!
it's a joy to read what everyone writes here.
thank you!