Co-Creating with Dandelions

We took our first family trip to Washington, D.C. last week (aside: the Museum of American History is incredible, especially the interactive exhibit where you get to take part in a civil rights sit-in/non-violence training session at THE actual Woolworth’s counter). When we came back home to N.J. last night, Spring had definitely sprung! And, now dotting our back yard (which was solid green when we left), are scores of happy, golden dandelion heads. At least, they’re happy for me. My husband feels a little differently, and I can see his battle stance forming. If any of you tend to feel similarly warlike when faced with a sea of dandelions, here are a few co-creative bits to remember:

• Dandelions and their long roots help to aerate the soil, which keeps our grassy spots actually healthier than if they remained compacted;
• Dandelion greens are considered salad delicacies in many fine dining establishments, and you don’t have to pay $11.95 for a “field greens” salad if they come from your own field (OK, backyard) … just make sure you don’t try Round-Up first and then decide to pick your lunch from your lawn;
• Dandelion greens are also excellent sources of key vitamins and minerals, such as A, C, D, B’s, iron, magnesium, zinc potassium, manganese, copper, and more;
• Dandelion roots make an incredible tea that helps detox your liver and gallbladder, and they have also been used in traditional medicine to treat breast illness, gastrointestinal issues, joint pain, and skin conditions.

To help my husband feel a little better about our dandelion “situation,” each year I pop as many of the little yellow heads as I can (so they don’t go to seed), and then I get out my handy-dandy dandelion digger and go to town, digging up those long roots to use in batch after batch of tea. I think of this as co-creating my healthy body with the dandelion plant. And, I hope that the dandelions and I are also co-creating, in baby steps, a less violent battle response in my husband. Maybe I’ll brew him a delicious cup of root tea (sweetened with another co-creator, stevia) and invite him to begin his own bilious detox…