Dandelion isn't a weed — it's food. The Amish gather it in spring as the first greens after winter.
Salad
Young leaves (before flowering — later they're bitter). Dressing: hot bacon with drippings, vinegar, sugar, salt. Pour hot dressing — leaves wilt slightly. Classic Amish spring salad.
Tea
Dry dandelion roots, roast, brew. Tastes like coffee. No caffeine. Amish drink it as morning beverage. Root is a diuretic and digestion stimulant.
Wine
Dandelion flowers + sugar + lemon + yeast. Ferment 6 weeks. Light, floral, slightly sweet. Dandelion wine — a rural American classic.
Nutrition
Leaves: vitamins A, C, K, iron, calcium. More vitamin A than carrots. More calcium than milk. Free on every lawn. Only rule — don't gather where pesticides were used.