Even today, the dandelion's versatility is widely enjoyed. Flowers are brewed into tea, wine, and beer. The young leaves are delicious in salads or cooked as a green. The roots are often roasted and ground into a coffee substitute. Medicinally, the tea is used as a mild calmative.
Dandelions appear in the spring.
The blossoms have a sweet honeylike flavor when picked young. As the flowers mature, the flavor becomes bitter. The green sepals can also be somewhat bitter and should be removed for any recipe in which emphasis is placed on the sweet nature of the plant and for any brewed beverage. The flowers open in the morning and close at night, so pick dandelions immediately before using them as the flowers close quickly after picking. Contact dermatitis has been reported from handling dandelions.