For the past few years, since learning of the incredible medicinal and nutritional qualities of dandelions, I have been badly wanting to make use of them in some way. Yesterday morning, I came across a great post by The Nerdy Farmwife on twelve fun things to do with dandelions and set an intention for the day to check some of those off the list. I set out with a basket mid-morning to collect the dandelions for the projects I had selected. It was harder than I thought to fill the basket. We don't have tons dandelions and I felt guilty taking them from the bees, so I walked the whole place and only harvested from about 1 in every 100 plants that I saw. I started with the easiest recipes - dandelion vinegar and dandelion tincture. To make dandelion vinegar, you use the flowers, stems and leaves - rinsing and then covering with apple cider vinegar. For the tincture, you use the whole plant, including the root, chopping finely and covering with vodka or some other alcohol. Line the jar lids with wax paper and store in a cool, dark place, shaking the jars occasionally. Wait two weeks for the tincture and four to six weeks for the vinegar. Besides being a fun and cheerful project, I'm kind of blown away by the touted health benefits of dandelions. Chock full of vitamins, antioxidants and trace minerals, dandelions are thought to boost immunity, aid digestion, protect the skin, reduce cancer risk, reduce inflammation and more. Here's an article that outlines some of the benefits. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324083#supplements-and-dosage. If you're inspired to try some of the projects, be sure to collect from an area that you know hasn't been sprayed with harmful chemicals, and please leave plenty for the bees. :)