Dandelion recipes
Commonly considered a weed, young dandelions provide excellent salad leaves (though larger, older leaves become bitter). They grow wild all over Europe, the US and Asia. If you pick your own, do so in the spring when the leaves are small and sweet and before the flower has formed. Take care though, as they may have been chemically sprayed and, if so, should be avoided. Also avoid picking dandelions by the roadside as they will have absorbed petrol fumes.
Forget gloppy mayonnaise - this German-style potato salad is tangy with shallot and white wine vinegar.
Each serving provides 530kcal, 6g protein, 48g carbohydrate (of which 6g sugars), 33g fat (of which 5g saturates), 6g fibre and 0.1g salt.
More dandelion recipes
Buyer's guide
In some parts of Europe, cultivated varieties of dandelion are available that have longer, more tender leaves. These are available from specialist herb growers in the UK.