Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I covered May 5th 2022.
This is a Coffee Dandelion, variety Magda. It is grown for its larger root. 
Look at the strange lobes on this Dandelion's leaves! 
If a Dandelion could do Jazz Hands, this would be it! 
This lovely one emerged in 2025, Dandelions are totally ungovernable!
Common Name: Common Dandelion
Other Common Names: Dandelion, Lion’s Tooth, Dent de lion (French).
Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Taraxacum officinale
Description & Habitat: Dandelions are a non-native perennial that has naturalized in North America. Dandelions are often found in lawns, yards, sites with disturbed soil, by the roadside and many other places. Dandelions have basal leaves which can have very sharply lobed margins and can be more than a foot long on some specimens. The flowers are bright yellow and are borne on stalks over the rosette of foliage on long hollow stems. Following pollination of the flowers Dandelions form ‘puffballs’ of seeds that float away on the wind using a silky parachute.
When & What to Harvest: The leaves, taproot, stems and flowers are all equally edible raw or cooked, but it is noted that the foliage can be a bit bitter no matter what age you harvest it at. The leaves are better when picked young and the roots should be dug in the fall however you can harvest whenever if you choose to.
Edible Related Plants: In the southeast you are likely to encounter several Aster family relatives that are often mistaken for Dandelions such as Cat’s Ear Dandelion (Hypochaeris radicata), Carolina False Dandelion (Pyrrhopappus carolinianus), Asiatic Hawksbeard (Youngia japonica), Wild Lettuce (Lactuca virosa), Prickly Lettuce (L. serriola), Tall Lettuce (L. canadensis), Sow Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) and Prickly Sow Thistle (S. asper) are just a few plants that are mistaken for Common Dandelion.
Similar Dangerous Species: There are none that I was able to locate.
Recipe:
Sautéed Dandelion Root
½ Pound of Dandelion greens
¼- ½ Pound of Dandelion Roots
1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves or an equivalent amount of Black Garlic.
Pink Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Cayenne Pepper (To taste)
Directions
1. Wash the greens thoroughly with warm water; keep an eye out for foreign debris and dirt.
2. Peel the young roots then slice thin.
3. Boil the roots in two changes of water 10 minutes each and make sure to add a pinch (1/16th of a teaspoon) of baking soda to the first pot of water.
4. Once the roots are cooked set aside and clean and prepare the Dandelion greens.
5. Chop the dandelion greens finely and set aside.
6. Mince the garlic if you went for garlic cloves or skip this step if you are using black garlic.
7. Pour enough olive oil in your pan to cover the interior surfaces as needed and then heat until the oil is hot enough to shimmer. (about 2-5 mins).
8. Add the Garlic to the pan, and let it brown if you minced the garlic. I f not just add the black garlic and give a few moments for the flavor to get spread around in the oil.
9. Drain the dandelion roots, and add them to the Sautee pan.
10. Cook roots until they start to brown and add the Dandelion greens and sauté for a few minutes. You want the greens to retain color but also to not go completely soggy.
11. Add the seasonings (pepper, salt and Cayenne) as needed or as an alternative use Harlem Garlic Pepper as an alternative for all noted seasoning and the garlic as it will do the same thing.
12. Optional: I suggest you serve this with long grain rice.
*This root recipe is based off the one found in Field Guide To North American Edible Wild Plants’ by Thomas S. Elias and Peter A. Dykeman. On page 104.
Additional Information: (If applicable)
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/taraxacum-officinale/
Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.
Fresh Foods:
Soup Kit – Parsnip
Soup Kit – Turnip
Turnips
Parsnips
Onions
Celery
Potatoes
Garlic Bulbs
Oyster Mushrooms
Soil Amendment Products:
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag
Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag
Houseplants:
Abutilon
Aloe, American
Begonia, Sindbad
Cuban Oregano, Large Leaf
Hoan Ngoc
Pothos, Cebu Blue
Rose Campion
Selaginella
Solanum uleanum
Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing
Swiss Cheese Plant
*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.
How to stay in Contact with Us!
All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.
Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville
Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:
The Videos: Look Here
>Newest videos (1): Winter 2025
Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is January 25th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
Chickweed is a cool season annual herb that is native to Eurasia and North Africa but has naturalized in North America. Most garden guides and or lawn care manuals consider it a weed which is a bit ridiculous since it falls apart when the temperatures rise in late spring or early summer. Chickweed reproduces mainly by seed and will reappear in outdoor potted plants year after year if given the chance. However Chickweed can reproduce vegetatively by rooting at the stem nodes where they contact soil. Chickweed originally gets its name because it was and still is used as a food source for Chickens who prefer it over other wild greens. In the urban landscape you will find it growing in with lawns, in pots or containers and it may appear under shrubs, between the cracks in cement and almost anywhere there is reasonably good moist soil. Chickweed is also called Starweed because of its five deeply divided petals making its tiny white flowers look a lot like little white stars. Chickweed has teardrop to elliptical shaped leaves in opposite configuration. This plant also has a very shallow root system does not form tubers and whole plants can be easily harvested. If you are planning to grow this plant know that it responds to fertilizer with extra lush leafy growth and you can treat it as a cut and come again sort of wild green. Although the NC Invasive Plant council calls this plant invasive it is easily controlled and will die if you shake an herbicide label in its general direction.
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