Sauteed Dandelion Greens

I have seen recipes for cooking dandelion greens for years. Since my yard only manages to produce one dandelion a year, I haven't had any success in harvesting the greens. Several times I've seen mention of buying the greens at the grocery store, but have never seen them there.

Until last week.

I had been on the hunt for another remarkably elusive item - jack fruit - when I stumbled upon dandelion greens at a specialty grocery store. Imagine my surprise and delight! Of course I had to buy them! But what to do with them?

A friend loaned me a copy of a dandelion cookbook she had, and I decided to do something simple. I wanted to get the flavor of the dandelions, and not have them overwhelmed by other flavors. I chose a simple sauté.

This is what a mess of dandelion greens look like before cooking. Yes, *mess* is an acceptable unit of measure in the South!

Sautéed Dandelion Greens

One bunch of dandelion greens, washed and snipped into 2" pieces, stems removed
1/2 an onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil or vegan butter (I used olive oil this time)

Boil the dandelion greens in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain. Saute the greens with the onion and garlic in the olive oil until onion and garlic are softened. Serve. Enjoy!

I actually found them slightly bitter, so want to try them again prepared differently. I topped mine with butter, like I do all my cooked greens. Hubby doused his in vinegar just as he always does. My kids differed in their opinions. My daughter thought they were okay, my son loved them as is, nothing on top.