Friday Foraging #129 - 16th May 2025

Dandelions

One of my favourite plants, I know you think they are weeds and super invasive, but they are better for us than most of the foods we put on our dinner plate and they are abundant and easy to recognise too.

I’m not going to even discuss where to forage these plants from as we see them constantly every day, so it makes it quite obvious! Do steer clear of roadside plants and those close to paths were dogs may have cocked their leg, but otherwise, go for it. The best time to harvest dandelion greens and flowers is in the early to mid-spring and the roots are best harvested in the winter months. Bear in mind you cannot dig up a plant on public ground, so if you want the roots, you need to dig those up from your own gardens.

There are so familiar due to the spiky yellow flower head which looks like a sun and the spiky shaped long slim green leaves that are filled with nutrients. The leaves are basal, meaning they grow from the bottom of the plant and not coming off the stalk as it grows.

Pick the flower heads later in the morning once they are fully opened.

Although they do look like a few other plants, non of them are toxic, so even if you aren’t sure about dandelions, you are safe to go a head and pick. Hypochaeris radicata and Sonchus spp are the closest looking plants to the dandelion.