How many hours have you spent ridding your lawn of dandelions?
Plucking them out by hand. Spraying them with weed killer. Cursing them for going to seed and blowing away in the wind before you could get to them.
Well. I recently learned the truth about dandelions.
They are Valuable, with a capital V!
They are completely edible, from the tops of their blooms to the bottom of their roots.
Years ago I'd heard that the leafs could be used in salads, but the thought of it disgusted me.
Turns out there's even more that I didn't know:
They are packed with Vitamins A, C, and K. More than is in spinach and tomatoes. They also have high levels of calcium, potassium and iron. You can sauté them like spinach too.
You can use the leaves to make a tea that acts as a diuretic.
The root can be dried, ground and roasted for a caffeine-free drink that supports liver function.
The roots can be eaten like any root vegetable is.
Dandelions have been used for food and medicinal purposes for thousands of years. A French book on flowers from the 1500's equated their beauty to that of a rose.
The taproot can grow up to 15 feet long. It pulls nutrients from the soil and fertilizes the plants growing around it.
So, who decided the dandelion was undesirable?
History claims that Dandelions were brought to North America by the Europeans ON PURPOSE in the 1600's as an edible and medicinal resource. Over time, the "lawn" became a symbol of wealth: the ability to have land that didn't produce a profitable or usable crop
Dandelions tainted that image...and perfectly manicured lawn.
Since this isn't a gardening blog, I'll get to the point:
It's fascinating to me that everything I believed about the "weed" I work to eradicate....is based on viewpoints made long ago and completely erases the plants value.
Well, its' value is still there, we just don't acknowledge it - whether it's because we don't believe it or aren't aware of it doesn't matter.
It's Value remains.
It is harmful when the opinions of some take hold and then spread as Truth, covering up the items' original value.
This is especially true about people. About you.
Your value is immeasurable and always has been. You are light, you are goodness, you are joy and love. You matter.
But somewhere, sometime, someone told you otherwise and you began to believe those opinions. Something happened that made you wonder if you were good enough. It's part of the human experience.
Those self-doubts and opinions of others have veiled your original value. But it is still there my friends. You add to this World. You contribute. You bring energy that others need.
You get to decide how you view dandelions. I might even try them in a salad and let you know how it goes.
You also get to decide the truth about you. Perfection isn't required before you can believe you're good enough. That Truth has already been established, but if you're really struggling to believe this, email us here to get started.
Xo,
Meredith
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