Pink Dandelions are somehow a heck of a lot cheerier looking. This photo btw is from the Experimental Farm Network.
Common Name: Pink Dandelion
Other Common Names: None Known
Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Taraxacum pseudoroseum
Description & Habitat: This species of Dandelion is native to Central Asia, but is noted to be far less likely to go invasive by several sources. You probably won’t just find it in the landscape unless someone cultivated it prior and it is persisting on its own. Given the glut of seed vendors selling the seeds for this plant this year, it is possible going forward you may find this plant in folk’s gardens. Overall Pink Dandelions look like their more common cousin (T. officinale), but have a flower that has a yellow center and pink outer petals. For all intents and purposes these plants are a perennial in USDA zones 3+ and prefer partial shade (4-6 hours) and need a well-drained soil and have a preference for soils rich in Nitrogen and Potassium and likely have a significant bit of organic matter. Growing them from seed follows the same process as growing any other Dandelion, you surface sow the seeds shallowly and they should germinate within 5-10 days at an air temperature of 45-75 degrees. Pink Dandelions bloom from about April to July and might bloom again in the fall if the weather is good. Additionally, Pink Dandelions attract pollinators and are a strong source of Vitamin A. On a strictly herbal/medicinal side of things it is known that these dandelions have all the same medicinal and herbal uses as their common cousin. For those who don’t know Dandelions help with Liver and Gallbladder conditions as well as helping to flush the Kidneys.
When & What to Harvest: You can harvest the leaves, flowers and later in the season, the root to obtain edible greens and flowers, or use the flowers to brew wine. The root can be roasted and ground up as a caffeine-free coffee substitute or used to make medicinal tinctures and tonics.
Non-Dangerous Lookalikes: There are a lot of plants that look like a dandelion and most of them are in the Aster family and may, or may or have milky latex sap. Wild Lettuce, Chicory, Carolina Desert Chicory, Common Dandelions, Cat’s Ear Dandelions all are visually similar.
Related Dangerous Species: None are known.
Recipe:
Basic Dandelion Wine
Ingredients:
7 cups of Dandelion Flowers*
1 Gallon of hot water
2 pounds of unbleached sugar
3 Teaspoons of Acid Blend
¼ Teaspoon of Tannin
½ Teaspoon of Yeast Energizer
1 Campden Tablet, crushed.
1 package Wine yeast (Use K1V-1116 by Lalvin)
1 pound of Golden Raisins.
(Starting S.G. should be 1.090-95)
Instructions:
1. Collect the blossoms when they are fully open on a sunny day
2. Remove any green parts.
3. Thoroughly wash all flowers to make sure they are cleansed of foreign debris.
4. Heat water and put flowers and raisins in a cotton fabric strainer bag.
5. Put strainer bag in your primary fermenter and pour the hot (but not boiling) water over the bag.
6. Stir in the sugar and then add all other ingredients EXCEPT for the yeast.
7. Cover/seal your primary fermenter and allow it to sit for 24 hours.
8. After 24 hours prepare yeas as per the directions on the packet and add to fermenter.
9. Stir daily and check the SG, when the SG reaches 1.040 (3-5 days) thoroughly wash your hands, and squeeze the bag to release more juices into the fermenting fluids.
10. Syphon the fluids in the fermenter into a glass jug secondary that has an airlock.
11 when ferment is completed (SG is 1.000, about 3 weeks) syphon off to a clean secondary and attach a new airlock.
12 syphon off to a new fermenter in two months and again if needed until the wind is clear before you bottle it.
Additional Information: (If applicable)
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
Garlic Bulbs
Blue Oyster Mushrooms
Soil Amendment Products:
Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*
Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag
Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag
Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture Sample size
Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture
Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Turkey Tail Tincture
House Plants for the Holidays:
Cuban Oregano, Large Leaf
Pothos, Cebu Blue
Swiss Cheese Plant
Sindbad Begonia
-more TBA-
*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!
Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. 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): Rose Campion
Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is December 7th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
