April 2011 - I have been collecting dandelion seeds for an experimental oil extraction project, but wondered if the seeds could be sprouted like mustard and cress, for an unusual micro-salad..

Growing dandelions on purpose seems to me, as a gardener, akin to madness - but I'm not going to let that stand in the way of an interesting experiment, so here goes...

I sowed the seeds fairly thickly onto soaked kitchen paper towels in a plastic container.

I had wondered if they might not germinate without first being chilled to simulate winter, however, it's probably a fairly reliable general rule that plants producing seed in the early spring are doing so in order for it to germinate and grow throughout the summer.

After two days, my dandelion seeds started to sprout. At this stage, I watered them daily with just a fine trickle from the kitchen tap.

Another two days on and there was a thick carpet of little seedlings. Now that they had rooted into the absorbent paper, I watered them by adding a more generous (although still gentle) stream of water, then pouring off the excess - this helps to keep the growing medium fresh and hygienic..

The plastic container I used was divided into two compartments, so I covered one half with card to exclude some of the light.

At the end of six days, there was a very healthy-looking forest of tiny dandelion plants - still only showing their seed-leaves, and not as tall as cress would be, but this still seems the ideal moment for harvesting.

I snipped them over a plate loaded with pieces of toast, topped with crisp fried bacon, then dressed it with a little fruit vinegar, black pepper and a drizzle of the fat from the bacon pan.

The Verdict

Not bad. Fresh tasting - a bit like the flavour of fresh home grown lettuce, with a very subtle hint of chicory-like bitterness - just enough to offset the sweet-sourness of the vinegar and the salty richness of the bacon. Not much difference between the flavour of either group of plants, although the ones I covered were taller (I expect they might have been sweeter if I had excluded all light.

I declare this interesting, simple-yet-productive experiment a resounding success.