wildflowers

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On May 17, 2005, at 12:01 PM, sagehen wrote:

> arnold writes:
>
>> and there are strains of some weedy
>>
> wildflowers -- even dandelions! -- that are meant for cultivation,
> though i tend to be wary indeed of them.<
> ~~~~~~
> Those dandelions that are cultivated for food are usually not
> actually the
> same as the wild ones, /Taraxacum/, but are a variety of chicory,
> /Cicchorium/.

i've seen both offered for sale.

> Wild dandelions are a wonderful food plant. In our cool New England-
> like
> summers we can eat them from early spring until well after frost in
> the
> fall.

yes indeed.  in my eastern pa. childhood, the beginning of spring was
signaled by my pa. dutch grandmother going out and grubbing in the
snow for dandelion greens, which she'd prepare with "endive
dressing" ["endive" here = chicory], mostly curdled milk and bacon.
yum.

arnold