I keep wanting to head more and more into the food category of plants rather than only ornamental and I think there's not enough room, but really, it's an excuse. The foliage on the goji is beautiful and it could easily fit in among the perennial border. Do you eat the dandelion flowers? I can't even envision what they'd taste like since I haven't eaten the greens. Hm. I need to be more adventurous. Looking good there!

Those dandelions look very familiar since I just yanked a bunch but didn't eat them. Seems like they would be bitter. Beautiful plate, dcarch.

Both dandelion greens and flowers are eaten around here - the greens taste like greens, and I can't tell about the flowers: guess I should try some.

Had a single spear of slow-growing asparagus last week, half a dozen more coming up slowly, will take them to my landlord. There's a household of three, so three spears wouldn't be a thoughtful gift.

ole joyful

I just harvested a bunch of dandelion greens. I like them early in the season but I soak them to lessen the bitterness.

My Aunt Yoshiko always cooked dandelion greens in the spring, but she said only in the spring and only while small, or they would be too bitter. I don't know, I took her at her word and only ate the small ones. I've never eaten the flowers, but I did make a batch of dandelion wine from them once. It was a lot of work, plucking all those blossoms, and a lot of sugar, the stuff was sweet at syrup.

Dcarch, I've considered planting a couple of goji berries, but I'm not quite sure what I'd use them for or how they'd grow here. I did try to grow one that was a gift, but it did not survive the winter, sadly. And do they need another goji for pollination?

Annie

Beautiful presentation! WOW! I'd never heard of goji, never eaten a dandylion. Yes...discuss medicine "here" any time....always willing to learn.

Very pretty!

I really enjoy chicory, and make a salad with it and feta cheese, walnuts and mini sweet peppers. It's been so long since I tasted dandelion greens that I can't recall whether they're more or less bitter than chicory. The flowers of both are definitely less so.

IMPE, bitter greens lose a lot of their bitterness when cooked.

I love endive too.

Aren't goji in the nightshade family?

Thank you everyone for your flatteries.

"rob333 (zone 7a)

I keep wanting to head more and more into the food category of plants rather than only ornamental and I think there's not enough room, but really, it's an excuse.---"

Interestingly, there are many vegetables which are ornamental. But that is for another big gardening topic.

"---socks

Those dandelions look very familiar since I just yanked a bunch but didn't eat them.---"

I wish that my neighbors would not complain about dandelions, they are so beautiful.

"---Had a single spear of slow-growing asparagus last week,--"

Asparagus is a very decorative vegetable.

"---Dcarch, I've considered planting a couple of goji berries, but I'm not quite sure what I'd use them for or how they'd grow here--"

Use them for stir fry, or substituent for spinach.

"---Yes...discuss medicine "here" any time....always willing to learn.---"

It's dangerous to talk medicine in a forum like this. You never know who has severe allergies.

"------Aren't goji in the nightshade family?---"

Yes, remotely.

dcarch

To go with the allergies dandelions are a diuretic. However if you never try something how will you know how it affects you. I use as an example of people tell me they allergic to tomatoes but have no problem eating them cooked.

It is quite common here for organizations to host " ham and dandelion " dinners. The greens are not cooked but are served with warm bacon dressing. I vividly remember my grandmother walking around the backyard with a paring knife while cutting the dandelion ( no flowers) greens and carrying them in her apron.

To me the greens are very bitter like endive.