You've been pulling dandelions out of the ground your whole life. The joke is, the entire plant is edible — root, leaf, and flower.

The bitter green

Young leaves are a proper bitter salad green, and the bitterness is the point. Pick them before the flower opens and they're mild enough to eat raw; after, they're better cooked.

The flower

Petals go into fritters and a bright, honey-like syrup. Pull them off the green base, which is bitter, and you've got the good part.

One rule

Only pick from a lawn nobody sprays. If it's the neat green carpet out front, leave it — walk to the unmanaged corner and pick there.