This afternoon, my son helped me with our dandelion harvest (or as it's more commonly known, weeding).
Dandelions can be quite a pain obviously, since if left unattended they will take over your whole garden. They do have many uses though, which partly makes up for their overbearing nature.
The whole plant is great for your liver, kidneys and digestion. The bitter leaves can be used in soups and salads, as can the flower petals. The flowers can also be used for yellow dye. The roots can be made into a wonderful decoction.
A decoction is like tea, but you simmer it for 25-45 minutes instead of just steeping in hot water. The extra heat and time helps extract the healing properties from the more fibrous plant materials.
I like to make a decoction of licorice root, dandelion root, milk thistle and fennel seed for liver support.
