| Dandelion adapted to our thin, dry top soils of northern California. |
My mother would have thought I was crazy, planting dandelion seeds in my garden! She tried to get rid of dandelions, although not too hard. We had a lot of them, the yellow heads and hollow stems dotting our yard each spring. My sister and I picked them and tied them into chains. When they went to seed, we would blow the magical, feather like balls until the seeds became airborne, hanging from their little parachutes—maybe why we had so many! Dandelions seem to lend themselves to children.
It is interesting to me that at Josephine Porter Institute, where we get most of our Biodynamic preparations, children are often the gatherers of the yellow blossoms. I love to think of that child energy picking the head before it ripens too much, putting it in a bag to then dry before further processing.
In Biodynamics the dandelion is one of the six compost preparations, another of those that helps make the cosmic forces available to the plant through silica. And like the cleansing process dandelion brings to the liver when ingested, it fosters a breakdown of toxins in the compost. Maybe it also infuses the compost with that irresistible child joy!
Take a Biodynamic tour at our Open House, June 23, 2012. For details, see Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields Open House.
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