Re: Dandelions.

tooth to the lion?

Re: Dandelions.

The budgerigar we once had used to love a dandelion leaf. I always expected it to squawk and fall off its perch. It liked lettuce too.

Re: Dandelions.

I remember as children we used to think if you smelt one then you'd pee the bed We had so much fun just at the thought of it.

Re: Dandelions.

This brought back memories. When we were kids we used to use the white sap from the dandelion stalk to draw on the back of our hands and then dust it with yellow dandelion pollen to make a pretty pattern...weird?

Re: Dandelions.

An appropriate name for what is considered by some to be a diuretic I guess that is where the name originates..

Re: Dandelions.

Hello Woolie and a warm welcome to you.
We used to put the milky stuff on warts to make them go away, I can't remember now whether it worked or not, must have I ain't got no warts.

Re: Dandelions.

One should do what the politicians do Patsy, if you haven’t got the answer make one up.
This is how I heard the story, and it’s as true as the pope is a protestant.
There was a Lion called Dan in the Paris zoo many years ago, Dan refused to sleep on the straw provided for his bedding so they had a special Lions bed made for him, Dan loved the bed but made the mistake of pissing in it, the bed was taken away from him so he had to lie on the straw, like it or lump it. Yellow Plants began to grow from the straw and they became known a Dan the Lions plants, or Dandelions.

Re: Dandelions.

you tell them as only the Irish can - you and JR should do a double act!

Re: Dandelions.

OG is right -

Apparently the jagged edges of the leaves resemble Lions teeth.

God bless Wikipaedia.

Re: Dandelions.

That's absolutely right Jem. Says so in one of my herbal books somewhere. Snap a bit of the root or else very low down on a larger leaf, and run the milky looking stuff onto a wart, I believe it had to be done every day though. I remember trying it once on a wart my old dog had. It turned the wart black and it started withering, then I forgot to do it anymore, so can't remember if it fell off or not.

Also for warts, saturate them daily with onion juice, or else rub them with the furry inside of a broad bean pod!

But getting back to the dandelion leaves, haven't tried them myself, but apparently the very young, tender leaves taste much the same as lettuce or endives.