All about beautiful beets

Freshly pulled beet from pot in early summer

Saturday, June 11, 2016

The beet ancestor is chard and is native to the Mediterranean region.  Chard itself has been around for thousands of years.  It is thought that a mutation of spinach resulted thick ribs which were cultivated into what became chard.  Then some chard  grew with thick roots.  These were cultivated to become the beet.  Beets are a biennial and sometimes a perennial.

The beet was grown mainly for its greens until French chefs made the root popular in the 1800's.  Beets came to America with the settlers of the colonies.  Thomas Jefferson even grew them in his garden.

Beets are a natural source of tryptophan, boron, folate, manganese and also contains betaines which may help reduce homocysteine.  Beet nutritional info  There has been research that shows beetroot juice can reduce blood pressure.  Beet juice reduces blood pressure  Beet juice is also used as a red food coloring and sweetener.  Be careful handling red beets as the juice can stain!

Beets can be sown from early spring when the daffodils bloom into June.  Then again in mid-July for a fall harvest.  The beet seed is actually a fruit containing a cluster of seeds.  When you plant, expect to have to thin to 2-4” apart.  You can use the beet thinning in salads or separate and replant elsewhere.  There are 'monogerm" seeds available that have only one seed in the pod.

I like growing beets in pots.  Potting soil is loose which beets really like.  If planting in the ground, loosen the soil prior to planting.  If you want a dedicated plot to beets and carrots, adding sand to the soil provides the perfect growing spot.  A soil rich in organic matter also provides a good growing medium.

I'll ring a potted pepper plant with beet seeds.  The beets will be ready to pull well before the pepper plant starts producing.  Sowing in pots, you can expect to get true leaves within two weeks.  

The secret to great beets is consistency in water and fertilizer.  If growing in a pot, apply a balanced fertilizer weekly.  Letting the soil get too dry will result in a woody beet.

The root and the leaves are both edible.  Beet thinnings and new leaves are tasty in salads.  You can take up to one third of the beet greens without harming the beet.  As the beet ages, the greens get stronger.  If too strong for taste raw, they can be steamed like spinach or chard.

Check the seed packet for days to harvest.  Beets are ready anywhere between 50-80 days depending on the type.  Beets should be pulled when they are 1.5” in diameter up to 3” in diameter.  Before storing, cut the greens from the root, leaving only an inch or two of stalk.  The leaves will wilt well before the beet shrivels.  Beets keep in the frig 2-3 weeks.  Beets can be roasted, grilled or steamed.  

I wasn't too sure if I liked beets or not until I grilled them.  Grilling concentrates the sugars and totally changes the taste.  They are fabulous grilled!  With all my grilled veggies, I just slice, coat with olive oil and grill at about 340 degrees F to stay below the smoke point of olive oil.  Sometimes I leave them plain, other times I add my season salt or dried herb mix.  Make your own "Herbes de Provence"  You can also roast in the oven and get a similar flavor.  

Variety of baby beets

There are different types and colors of beets.  There are round beets and beets that resemble carrots.  The oldest round variety that is a deep red will bleed on anything it is cooked with.  Then there are yellow beets, white beets, pink beets.  The round Chioggia beet is an Italian heirloom from Venice.  It is a striking  pink and red with intermittent rings of color and white.  They are quite cool looking when sliced and don't bleed.  The cylindrical beet like Cylindra gives about 4 times the harvest in a pot since it grows up.  The cylindrical types actually grow up out of the soil.  Making it easy to tell when they are ready to be pulled.

Try some this season!

Growing and using edible flowers

Edible daylilies in bloom edging the vegetable garden

Sunday, June 5, 2016

If you want to add a beautiful touch and taste to a salad, dinner plate or drink, add a flower!  Many common flowers are edible.

Herb flowers are edible-like basil, thyme, oregano, calendula/pot marigold, sage, lavender, nasturtium, chamomile, borage, bee balm, garden chives, garlic chives and rosemary.  They add great color and flavor to salads and dishes.  Their flavor is a lighter version of the herb.  Let's not forget saffron; a pricey spice from the stigmas of the saffron crocus.

Edible garlic chives in bloom

Vegetable flowers are edible-like broccoli, cabbage, kale, bean, pea, onion, chives, garlic, zucchini, chicory.    Fried squash blooms are delish!  

Some plants we consider weeds are edible-like chickweed and dandelions flowers as well as their greens and clover flowers.

Edible lavender flowers in bloom

Then there are the ornamentals that are edible like daylilies, orchids, violets, chrysanthemums, honeysuckle, lilac, roses, dianthus, passion flower, pansies, Johnny Jump Ups, daisies, scented geraniums, snapdragons, tulips and sunflowers.  Citrus blooms are, too.

Self sowing edible flowers:

Borage
Calendula

Chamomile

Marigolds

Nasturtiums

Sunflowers
Plant these, allow to go to seed, and they will continue to re-establish themselves year after year.  These are referred to as "volunteers" in the garden.  You can also save their seeds and sow in the spring where you want them to grow.  They do great in garden beds and containers.
Self sustaining gardening appealing? Try the self-seeders!

You can also make beautiful flower sugars to spoon into teas, over berries and desserts.  Or add herbal flowers to sea salt for seasoning dishes.  Using herbs, flowers and fruit for flavored sugars and salts  You can  make flavored vinegars  Make your own flavored vinegars  The flower color will tint the vinegar as well as flavor it.  After straining, add a whole flower for its beauty. You can even make candied flowers!  Or add them to homemade drinks as a garnish  Use herbs for signature desserts and grown up beverages   or main ingredient Homegrown flavored waters and sodas

Homemade herbal sugars and salts

You can quickly look on line to verify that your ornamental is indeed edible which is recommended just to be on the safe side.

June Edible Garden Planner 2016

Lettuce in foreground, herbs in background

Saturday, June 4, 2016

June is a productive time in the garden.  Cool season crops are peaking while summer crops are just starting to produce with herbs in full swing.  Everything is a lush green at the beginning of the month.  As June gets in full swing, it will be time to begin regular watering.  As your fruit producing veggies flower, they will need a boost of fertilizer.  As the rain slows down, consistent ground moisture is key.

What’s growing in the garden right now

Most of the lettuce I planted in March is starting to bolt.  The seeds started in April are ready to transplant and.  Kale is of a good size.  The resown lettuce from 3 weeks ago are about 3" tall.  I am replanting these into larger pots and into the garden bed.  Overwintered sprouting broccoli has their small florets for use in salads.  Don’t worry about insect damage to the leaves on cabbage and broccoli as long as the heads are forming nicely.  A little insect damage will not affect the quality of the head produced.

When I get an infestation of caterpillars, I like to use diatomaceous earth (de).  It is made of tiny aquatic fossils from fresh water.  Their hard edges cause scratches on caterpillars and insects resulting in dehydration.  So no chemicals involved.  I use them only on plants that don't flower as de will kill pollinators, too.

Arugula, sorrels, chard and cultivated dandelions are all harvestable and flowering.  As it gets hotter, these greens become stronger.  Since they are perennials, they are the first up in the spring for fresh salads.  Harvest the new leaves in summer for the mildest taste.  You can cut them back, too, to get fresh new leaves.  It doesn't hurt them at all.  

The cilantro, rosemary, sage, chives, savory, oregano, basil, lavender, dill, tarragon, parsley and thyme are filling out nicely and flowering. The chives have already bloomed with their beautiful lavender flowers.  The flowers are edible, too.  They are fun to use in salads or as a substitute for onions in cooking.  Very pretty to add in baked potatoes and grill.  We slice our potatoes, add some diced onion or chive flowers, butter, seasoning, wrap in foil and throw on the grill.  Yum.

Flowering chives

Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, and squash are all flowering.  Keep an eye out for cucumber beetles and caterpillars.  Just pluck them off and throw into a can of soapy water.  

How to control bugs naturally, organically

Overwintered carrots and beets, onions, garlic, and leeks are all flowering, including the Egyptian walking onion.  I am harvesting the walking onion any time I need onions for cooking.  The green stalk is great as a fresh chive, too, for salads or potatoes.

Strawberries are ripe for the picking.

Ripe Alpine strawberries

Now is the time to provide shade for your lettuce and sow bolt resistant varieties like Summer Crisp Magenta, Green Towers and Jericho Romaine, Simpson Elite leaf.  The Grand Rapids is doing quite well in the heat.  You can move your lettuces if in pots to a shadier part of your patio or porch.  Shade cloths can be used for those in the garden.  You can also plant taller veggies on the south and west side of your lettuces so as they grow, they provide shade to the lettuces.  I move most of my greens around to the northeast, shady side of the house this time of the year to keep them sweet as long as possible.  

Bolt-free, sweet summer lettuces

For a spinach substitute, you can grow New Zealand spinach.  It has spinach taste and loves the heat.
Growing summer salads

Best time to harvest

The best time to harvest almost any vegetable is mornings or right after a rain; this is when they are the crunchiest, fullest and sweetest.  Harvest greens in the morning before you go to work and store in the frig for the day.  Just don’t store tomatoes in the frig; this ruins the flavor.

The best time to harvest aromatic herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano is in the afternoon when the oils are most concentrated.  Harvest herbs like parsley, cilantro and dill in the cooler part of the day.

Watering & fertilizing tips

With the heat coming, it is time to start watering.  Keep consistent moisture to your lettuces to keep taste sweet and your lettuce from bolting as long as possible.  When your lettuce does bolt, let it go to flower and seed.  The bees and beneficial insects enjoy the flowers and the seeds can easily be saved for fall and next spring planting.  

Seed saving-fun, easy and a cost saver

Fertilize all your fruit bearing veggies when the first flowers appear (right now we have flowers on our cucumber, zucchini, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes).  Provide only compost tea or kelp the rest of the season.  Too much nitrogen will cause your plants to grow lush foliage with no fruits.  Nitrogen stimulates green growth.

Can I still plant a garden in June-Yes!

There are many vegetables and herbs that you can still plant right now.   Any of the summer vegetables love these temperatures and sun.  As a matter of fact, this is the best time to plant cucumbers and zucchini to avoid the vine borer.  Even if you have planted zucchini and tomatoes already, late June is a good time to plant a second crop.  The cucumber seeds I planted a couple of weeks ago rotted so I am re-planting.  Many gardeners have had this happen to them with all the rain we are getting this spring.  

It is not too late to start a garden in June!

A complete list of all veggies that can be planted in June:

Arugula

Bush beans

Beets

Broccoli

Broccoli raab

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Chard

Collards

Corn

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Bulbing fennel

Kale

Leeks

Mediterranean herbs (basil, thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary, chives)

Okra

Parsnips

Salsify

Summer squash

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes

Turnips

Watermelons

Savory, thyme, lettuce, onions with day lilies in the background

Here are a couple of garden ideas

If you have a picky eater, try the kid’s pizza/spaghetti garden.  If they grow it, they want to eat it!

Tomatoes-any you can’t eat, you can easily freeze for winter pizzas, salsa, or sauce

Basil, oregano, chives, garlic for seasoning

Onions-you can grow Egyptian walking onions in a pot or ground and they are perennials to boot

Kale, arugula, broccoli and peas for spring and fall pizza toppings (also easy to freeze for later)

Green peppers, eggplant, zucchini for summer pizzas (maybe some hot peppers for the adults)

For those that are real adventuresome, you can get mushroom kits to grow mushrooms.

Pizza garden for the kids

Or if you want a culinary garden, here is an Italian/Sicilian garden that you can grow in as little as a 6’ x 6’ space:

Herbs (1 each)-thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, and flat leaf parsley

3 basil plants (for pesto and seasoning)

2 tomatoes-1 Roma type for sauces and 1 slicer type for salads

2 sweet pepper plants

1 zucchini

1 eggplant

8 red onions (you can substitute Egyptian walking onions)

8 garlic plants

Arugula, spinach and lettuce scatter sown

Heirloom Sicilian kitchen garden

Different lettuces in a decorative patio container

It is great fun, a time saver, and nutritious to grow your own food in your yard or patio!

Grow your own smoothie and juice garden

Red and green romaine, Red Sails lettuce, and spinach for smoothies

Sunday, May 22, 2016

If you love smoothies and juicing, try adding the ingredients you love best into your garden this year.    I love fresh juiced veggies and smoothies!  They add energy, nutrition, and alkalize the body, which my tummy really enjoys.  A plus is that what goes in smoothies and juices is super easy to grow, even for beginners.

10 easy veggie crops to grow and Easy kitchen garden

There is debate on which is the best for you-juices or smoothies.  On the juice wagon, folks share that the nutrition is the easiest to absorb.  On the smoothie wagon, folks share that the nutrition from these veggie powerhouses is easy to absorb, you get the added benefit of the fiber your body needs, and the fiber smooths out any sugar spikes.  Smoothies are easier to prepare as well.  A juicer is expensive and is harder to clean.  A blender is easy to use and clean.  Personally, I like both!  Love a small juice in the morning and smoothies at lunch and/or dinner.

You can use the same recipe for juices and smoothies.  Any produce ingredient you put into a salad, you can use for a juice or smoothie.  To convert into a smoothie, add 2 cups of water or ice.  I also like to add a half an avocado for a smoother consistency and added good fats when using water.  If you want to make your smoothie a meal, add protein powder.  Juices and smoothies detox the body as well giving instant nutrition.  Your body starts absorbing the nutrients as soon as it enters your mouth!

Here are some recipes with backyard garden ingredients: 

Purple juice-1 large beet, 2 apples or pears, 1 fennel bulb, 2 large purple carrots

Green juice-2 large handfuls kale or any leafy green, 1 medium handful of parsley, 1 large cucumber, 1 half a lemon, 1 pear or apple

Red juice-1 large red pepper, 1 handful of red grapes, 1 large handful of spinach or other leafy greens, half of a hot pepper or pinch of cayenne pepper, 2 stalks of celery

Carrots, beets, apples and pears all contain high amounts of carbs.  If you are looking to for a low glycemic juice, just substitute other green veggies in place of these sweet additions.

Low carb green juice-2 ribs of celery, 1 cucumber, small handful of spinach, romaine lettuce, kale, and parsley with the juice of half a lime.

Low carb red juice-1 large red pepper, 1 cucumber, 1 large handful of leafy greens and half a hot pepper.

You can also add a shot of spirulina, wheat grass, ginger or hot pepper to up the nutrients to any of the above.  You can add dry, raw spirulina or wheat grass instead of the liquid.

You have heard of the nutrition of different colors on your plate.  The same works in your juices and smoothies.  Here are some color choices and what they generally are known for.

White/brown (coconut, dates, garlic, ginger, leeks, nuts, onions)-Helps digestive health and lowers risk of heart disease.

Red (beets, pink grapefruit, red peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon)-Heart health and lowers risk of lung disease and asthma.

Yellow/orange (carrots, cantaloup, oranges, pumpkin, sweet potato, squash, turmeric)-Lowers inflammation, strengthens the immune system, bones, and skin health.

Green (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards, greens, kale, lettuce, onion tops)-Cancer, vision, immune system, bone and skin health.

Blue/purple (blackberries, blueberries, radishes, red cabbage, red onions)-Reduced risk of some cancers, health of blood vessels, lung health.

Experiment with what you have in the garden.  Use any veggie scraps left over from meal preparation you have for variety and nutrition.

Potted mixed greens for salads and smoothies.  Sorrel, dandelions, corn salad, chickweed, lettuce, cilantro

Right now, I am using cilantro, salad burnet, kale, sprouting broccoli, parsley, lettuce, spinach, chives, onions, garlic and garlic tops, dandelion greens, chickweed, corn salad, sorrel, snow peas, golden streaks mustard, tarragon.   Other veggies in season that can be used are loose leaf cabbage, pok choi, carrots, radishes for some heat, horseradish (also very hot so use cautiously), beets, and many herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme, basil.   Start a kitchen herb garden!

If you decide to experiment, lettuce, spinach and cucumbers are relatively sweet in flavor.  Romaine and red lettuces have more nutrition than other types of lettuce.  Nutritional value of lettuce types  Kale, dandelion greens, sorrel, mustard, and herbs can have a strong taste.   Start with a base of the sweeter greens and add the others more sparingly.  The stronger flavored greens and herbs are powerhouses of nutrition so are a healthy addition to your juice or smoothie.

My current favorite smoothie recipe:  3 handfuls of romaine or red lettuce leaves Everything you need to know about growing lettuce, 1 handful of other greens (kale, broccoli, sorrel, dandelion, chickweed, corn salad, parsley, cilantro and sprouting broccoli) Growing fabulous lettuce and greens a few springs of salad burnet (tastes like a Granny Smith apple), a few stalks of chives, a half an avocado, a handful of snow peas (for their sweet taste and protein), juice from half a lemon, 2 cups of water, and a scoop of vegetable protein powder.  The trick in blending is to add the greens and water first.  Blend, then add the avocado and protein powder.  I substitute this smoothie for a meal.  

I throw a little bit of everything in mine because each has different nutritional benefits.  If you are new to juicing and smoothies, it will likely take a while for your taste buds to adjust.  To help, start with adding fruit and wean yourself away slowly.  Granny Smith apples and berries a good lower carb fruits.

Lettuce and most greens prefer cooler temperatures, but you can keep them going all summer long.  Bolt-free, sweet summer lettuces  Resowing lettuce to get continuous harvests  Growing summer salads

I plan on keeping my greens going all summer because I love the taste and the nutrition of smoothies and juices!

Re-energize your potting soil!

Saturday, May 21, 2016

So your container veggie garden did fabulous last year and you are jazzed to start the season strong.  You wonder, should I throw out my old soil and start with new?  I’d recommend to re-energize it!

The best thing to do is to remove your potting soil and mix 1 part compost to 2 parts existing potting soil with all natural fertilizer.  

To make your own balanced all natural fertilizer:

1/3 cup of green sand (potash and minerals)

1/3 cup of rock phosphate or bone meal (phosphorous and minerals)

1/3 cup of alfalfa or soybean meal (nitrogen)

1 Tbl Azomite (70 minerals and trace elements)

This fertilizer recipe is good for 40 quarts of potting soil.  Just mix it in with compost and your old potting soil to rejuvenate your old potting soil for this season.  

While you have your potting soil out (just use a garbage bag to dump it into and mix your new), you can add a self-watering pot reservoir in the bottom of your pot to extend time between watering.  Gardener’s Supply Company makes them.  They are kind of pricey, but you can make your own as well.

If you are just not that energetic this year, mix in a couple of inches of compost and your natural fertilizer mix at the top of your container before you plant.

For pots that I have self-seeders in, I wait for them to get to a decent size before I add a layer of compost mixed with fertilizer and top with mulch.  Mulch forms a very hard layer so only the seeds with very strong stems can break through mulch.  Mulch helps keep the moisture in the pots when summer comes and keeps the soil temperature more moderate.

I also put a paper towel in the bottom of my containers to keep the soil in while letting excess water out.

You can use the potting soil you remove for your new containers, in your garden, to add to your compost pile or to fill in low spots in the yard.

Time to plant summer veggies!

Lettuce in forefront and newly planted green beans planted on trellis in background

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Mother's Day is when old timers say it is the best time to plant your summer garden.  Prior to May 1, there is still a good chance of poor weather, chilly temps, and frost in our Zone 6 garden.  This can be catastrophic for tomatoes, eggplants, basil and other heat lovers.

Today, we have the added advantage of the 10 day forecast!  I checked out ours and it showed warm temperatures for the next 10 days.  Warm temperatures and weekly rain is the perfect recipe to get the summer lovers off to a good start.  Planting earlier is not necessarily better.  Summer lovers will shiver in their holes in the garden bed if the soil and air temperatures are chilly.  I like mulching right before planting summer veggies as the heat from the mulch helps warm the earth and keep the transplants toasty.

Summer vegetables include tomatoes, peppers, basil, summer squash (zucchini), winter squash (pumpkins, butternut squash), cucumbers, melons, watermelons, corn, okra, and eggplant.

So, what did we plant this year?  

Of course, we planted the number one veggie in the USA-tomatoes.  I am growing 4 red tomato varieties: 1) An heirloom slicer storage tomato, Red October, 2) Seeds from a store bought red grape tomato that stores very well, 3) A red cherry tomato, Super Sweet 100, that is reported to be very prolific and sweet, and  4) An heirloom large paste tomato Italian Red Pear that did great in our garden last year.  Tomatoes 101, everything you need to know to grow great tomatoes

The purple tomatoes I am growing this year are the large slicer heirloom tomatoes Cherokee Purple and Black Sea Man and 2 smaller types Violet Jasper/Tzi Bill and Tsunshigo Purple Chinese tomato plants.  The Cherokee Purple did great in our garden last year.  The other 3 are new ones I am trying.   Different colors in tomatoes give different nutrition  and The Power of Purple.  Typically, you can expect to have your first ripe tomatoes around the 4th of July.  The smaller tomatoes are the first to ripen.  

We also planted several peppers-Ancient Red Pepper, Pimento Pepper, Tangerine Dream, Super Red Pimento, Orange Habanero, and a decorative, hot pepper that a friend gave me seed from.  I also have the Chipetin pepper that I overwintered in the garage.  It is an ancient pepper with tiny, hot peppers.   Peppers are for every taste and garden

The only eggplant this year is the Japanese White Egg eggplant I overwintered.  I'll keep it in a pot to bring back in the fall.   Eggplant-add this native from India to your garden

I planted 3 different kinds of zucchini-Black Beauty, Bush, and Early Prolific Straight Neck.  They are susceptible to being killed by the squash vine borer if planted before June 1.  You can protect the vine to keep the insect from boring into the vine by wrapping the vine or just replant if they do get infected.  Zucchini grows fast!  Growing zucchini and summer squash  This may seem like overkill on the zucchini as one plant produces as much as a typical family needs during the summer.  I didn't have the greatest luck with zucchini last year.  Too much rain caused disease and insect pressure.  I also found some great ways to use and preserve zucchini that any extra will be stored for many new ways of using.  What to do with all that zucchini?!  I really liked shredding the zucchini and using in place of spaghetti.  I'll shred and put into freezer bags so I have a low carb, nutritious option anytime.

Trellis in background for the cucumbers

 I am planting extra cucumbers this year to make green smoothies.  Grow your own juice garden   I planted seeds for a yellow that can weigh up to 5 pounds (Jaune Dickfleishige), a red (Hmong Red), and 2 white cucumbers (massive producer Dragon's White Egg and Miniature White that is a good container variety) directly into the garden last weekend.  The whites are both small fruits.  It will be nice to have smaller ones so I can pick one for a single salad or smoothie.    Cucumber info and tips for growing  One of the varieties has already sprouted so the others should be soon poking their heads out of the ground.  Cukes are tropical plants so they grow best when the temperatures are hot.

The only summer herbs I needed to plant this year was basil and stevia so far.  For fun, I added lemon verbena in a pot.  The rosemary made it and I am still waiting to see if the bay tree made it.   Start a kitchen herb garden!  I planted 3 types of basil-Cardinal, Lettuce Leaf, and Blue Spicy Vanilla.  Cardinal basil has a beautiful garnet flower top.  Blue spice I like to dry and use in potpourri.  Lettuce Leaf is a new variety in my garden and their large leaves are perfect for making pesto.  Basil basics-harvesting, preserving, growing basil

It was also time for another round of lettuce and spinach.  The first planting of lettuce is just beginning to bolt.  We planted Bloomsdale Longstanding spinach which lasts about two weeks longer in the heat than other types of spinach so the spinach is still doing well, but won't last for long after the temperatures hit the 80's.  For lettuce, we went with Jericho Romaine which is supposed to go for 3 months before bolting as well as Red Romaine, Red Sails and a couple of crisphead varieties.  Growing summer salads

We had already fertilized, added compost, and mulched a couple of weeks ago.  I also added Azomite around each plant.  Azomite has lots of trace minerals.  The lettuce plants all shot up after.  Plants are like us, they need trace minerals.  When your plants have them, you will, too!  

If planting in pots, be sure to recharge the potting soil for this year's growing season  Re-energize your potting soil!

Interplanted garden with rainbow in the background

When we planted the summer veggies, I powdered the roots of each plant with mycorrhizal microbes.  Mycorrhizal fixes nitrogen to the roots of the plant, helping it to grow sturdier, bigger and faster.  Once added to the soil, mycorrhizal will continue in the soil in that spot.

Before you send your new transplants into the garden, insure they have been sufficiently "hardened off."  If you started your own seeds indoors, take your plants out daily over a week or so into a partially shady spot, letting them get used to the strong sun.

If you purchased your transplants and they were already outdoors, they are ready to be plopped into the ground and grow!

I also planted summer loving flowers I started from seed, Love Lies Bleeding which is a really cool looking amaranth which means it is edible, Moonflower vine, Hummingbird vine, and zinnias.

Now it is time to watch everything grow, water and fertilize as needed, and eat!

Grow Cultivated Dandelions

Cultivated dandelion in foreground in pot

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Dandelions are considered a weed and valiant foe of the pristine grass lawn in most U.S. lawns.  Dandelions are actually super nutritious and were brought over by the Puritan European settlers for food and medicine in the 1600’s.  By 1670, dandelions were everywhere in New England.

The earliest records of dandelions are traced back to Roman times.  Arabian physicians were using the plant for its medicinal qualities in the tenth and eleventh centuries.  Dandelion gets its name from the shape of it’s leaves, which in French is “dent de lion” which means lion’s tooth.

Dandelions are grown for their medicinal properties in the North America, China and Europe.  It is used most commonly for improving digestion, as a diuretic, to treat infections, and liver and bile support.  It can also have a mild laxative effect.  It is actually sold in Canada as a drug, mainly for its diuretic properties.

Dandelions are edible from root to flower.  The leaves are great in salads or steamed.  When temps rise and the leaves become more bitter, they can be blanched to make them sweeter.  Growing them in shade will also keep the bitterness down.  Flowers can be used in salads as well or fried.  The flowers are also used in making dandelion wine.  The root can be dried and used as a coffee substitute.  

Dandelions and corn salad in pot

The leaves are high is beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, and iron.  It has more iron and calcium than spinach.  Dandelion also contains a variety of flavonoids, terpenoids, triterpenes and sesquiterpenes.

You can buy cultivated dandelions that were bred for their large leaves and sweet taste from many seed companies.  I started with a cultivated Italian dandelion a few years back and it tastes great.  I have added several more varieties: Thick Leaved Improved, Nouvelle, Debelleville, Rugels and Vollherzigen.

More varieties that are available are:  French Dandelion a.k.a Vert de Montmagny,  Amélioré à Coeur Plein,  Pissenlit Coeur Plein Ameliore, Improved Broad Leaved, Clio, Catalogna Special, and Arlington dandelions.

To get the largest, sweetest leaves, grow cultivated dandelions like you would lettuce-in rich soil, partial shade, and keep the soil moist.  The newest leaves will be the least bitter and are great additions to salads.  The older leaves can be used in cooked dishes like steamed greens and dandelion fettuccine alfredo.

If you don’t want your dandelion spreading, be sure to pick off the flowers.  You can also wait for the flower to close and the seed to mature and pick right prior to them opening to have seed to place where you want more plants or to share with others.