When Mother Nature gives you dandelions, make coffee

When John and Irene Feddema started growing Rhodiola Rosea in 2006 at their farm south of Strome, dandelions were their greatest enemy, but that’s all changed.

Rhodiola Rosea is best known as an adaptogen, which is a metabolic regulator which increases the ability of an organism to adapt to environmental factors.

Despite his growing frustration at the dandelions, John said, “I thought to myself, ‘God must have put these plants on earth for a reason!’
“Instead of fighting with them, I though we should find a practical use for them.”

Feddema had heard stories of campers digging up dandelion roots and making a roasted root coffee from them so he decided to try it.

He then approached Alberta Health Inspectors about the new coffee and says their reply was ‘No problem’ as long as Feddemas marketed it as a food product.

Feddema approached Canada Food Inspectors and were told that they could not make any health claims.

Read the rest of the story in the September 25, 2012 Edition of The Community Press, on newsstands now!