Is nutritious food hiding among the grass in your back garden?

Sarah Allen with her empty black bin in 2018. Ref exe 22 18TI 4416 (Image: Archant)

If you grow your own vegetables, unless you have a heated greenhouse (which I wouldn’t recommend as it’s not very eco-friendly) or a sunny windowsill or conservatory that doesn’t get too hot or cold,

it’s unlikely that you have much in the way of salad at the moment. I have a few beetroot leaves that I over-wintered and I had some rocket but the dry weather means that this is now bolting (growing tall and starting to flower, I’ll leave it and collect the seeds later in the year).

Luckily, though, you probably have some edible leaves growing in your garden, maybe in the lawn or in the gaps in your patio. Alternatively, you might find a supply in your local park or green space.

I’m talking, of course, about dandelions! All parts of a dandelion (the leaves, roots and flowers) are edible, however as this isn’t a field guide make sure you are 100 per cent sure that you have correctly identified dandelion before you start chomping!

Also avoid picking it from where dogs are walked or directly next to a busy road. As with all fresh produce wash well before you eat. Personally, I tend to eat the leaves preferring to leave the flowers for our pollinating insects.

I pick a few small, young leaves because they are less bitter, and I mix them into a salad. I only ever take a few leaves from each plant to ensure it can keep growing.

I was asked recently if dandelions are nice to eat! The honest answer, in my opinion, is not on their own but added to a seasonal salad it’s a great boost of nutrients.

I’d suggest any home-grown salad leaves you’ve got, grated carrot and beetroot, a few small florets of raw broccoli and a bit of red onion along with the dandelion leaves.

This creates a healthy, seasonal salad with no plastic packaging (as long as you only buy these vegetables if they are plastic free – have a look in The Farm Shop in Exmouth).

The dandelions will, of course, be plastic-free, with no food miles (i.e. no carbon produced in growing, harvesting and transporting) and they’re free!

Extract adapted from my book: “52 Tips To Reduce Waste,” available from www.rhubarbandrunnerbeans.co.uk