Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Aster Family (Compositac)

This "tramp with the golden crown," as one imaginative botanist called it, is usually well cursed by gardeners for its pestiferous habit of invading lawns. But herb gardeners, es- pecially if there is a dash of Italian in their ancestry, have several and, in fact, quite kind words to say about dandelion, for they remember that it is first cousin to the chicory, endive, and lettuce.

As everyone knows, the plant develops a strong, thick root and it is still cultivated for this and sold as a remedy for a torpid liver, although the experts agree that it is without therapeutic value. Herb gardeners will not grow it for its roots, but for the young leaves which, growing in the familiar rosette, should be harvested only when young. Like the lettuce to which it is related, the leaves have a milky juice containing a bitter principle that gives it a fine flavor in salads. If the leaves are young enough, the Italians use them alone for salad "greens." Mature leaves are far too bitter to be palatable, but if one wants to harvest the roots this should not be done until late August or September when they contain the most of the assumed medicinal value-now mostly relegated to the old wives' remedies. The root is often used to adulterate chicory, which comes from the root of a related plant. Old- fashioned recipes call for making dandelion wine from the flowers, but it is little made today, for it depends for its flavor mostly on lemon and orange rinds.

Eglantine (Rosa egianteria) Rose Family (Rosaceae)

For an account of this, usually called the sweetbrier in this country, see the Damask Rose in this chapter.

Garlic (Allium sativum) Lily Family (Liliaceae)

This, by far the most pungent of all the onion tribe, must be used by the cook with a fine mixture of restraint and genius. As a faint flavor it can be used with distinction, but its dominat- ing odor and flavor spell disaster to the unwary. Some herb gardeners may wonder why it is included here when com- mercial supplies are readily available. The answer is that growing your own is more satisfying, and the plant can easily be raised by any amateur if he follows the methods of the professionals.