Admit it. You hate those ubiquitous bright-yellow intruders.

Sure, the emergence of the dandelion's tooth-like leaves lets us know that spring is (finally) here to stay. Yet this flowering weed is annoying nevertheless, polka-dotting our emerald-green lawns with unwelcome splotches of color. Especially since pulling them out only seems to rejuvenate them, if you're not careful to get the entire tap root. Which, of course, you won't.

Then again, maybe we're going about this all wrong.

Up until the late 1940s, Americans made plenty of room for dandelions, both on the dinner table and in the medicine cabinet, notes botanist Peter Gail, who has spent the last 40 years studying how ethnic groups use weeds for food and medicine. Then GIs returning from the Second World War began moving their families to the suburbs, where the perfect weed-free yard was the ultimate status symbol. And before we knew it, these native greens -- the ones Grandma slow-cooked with some sort of fatty meat for Sunday dinner, or sauteed in lemon juice or vinegar, or tossed with red onion and bacon in a salad -- were hopelessly passe.

"It was like, we don't need them anymore, that's what we ate when we were poor," said Mr. Gail, the director of Goosefoot Acres Center for Resourceful Living in Cleveland, which specializes in wild vegetable research and education.

As with so many things, though, what's old is new again. In 1994, the so-called "Wizard of Weeds" started speaking nationally about the awesome nutritional benefits of dandelions. Two cookbooks -- "The Dandelion Celebration: A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine" and "Great Dandelion Recipes" -- soon followed ($10.95; www.dandyblend.com), along with a dandelion festival in nearby Dover, Ohio. And while it's hardly a revolution, the number of dandelion devotees continues to grow.

To wit: As many as 15,000 from all over the U.S. are expected at the 15th annual Dandelion May Fest and National Dandelion Cook-off, which kicks off tomorrow at Breitenbach Wine Cellars on Old Route 39, in the heart of Ohio Amish country.

The fest's free events (www.breitenbachwine.com) include guided tours of the winery, which this year will make about 2,000 gallons of dandelion wine. There also will be a dandelion flower-picking contest for kids, a scavenger hunt, an art show and horse-drawn wagon rides.

The highlight for many, though, is the Great Dandelion Cook-off at 2 p.m. Saturday, which will feature 15 finalists going pan to pan.

Fairly traditional when the contest first started in 1994, entries -- incorporating the leaves, blossoms or roots as the main ingredient -- have gotten more gourmet over the years, says organizer Anita Davis.

Last year's winning dish, for example, married artichokes, chicken and two different cheeses with chopped greens and red pepper in a savory dip.

Other winning recipes include dandelion burgers and rhubarb dandelion pie. Spectators are allowed to sample the dishes after the judging.

Another event that pays homage to the weed is The West Virginia Dandelion Festival, which this year will be held May 22-26 in White Sulphur Springs (www.wssmainstreet.org; 304-536-5060).

Dandelions might seem like a seasonal delicacy, but the plant is grown in all but the coldest months in California. As such, it's generally available year-round at health food and specialty stores and some supermarkets, such as Raddichio's International Market in Peters ($2.49 per bunch); McGinnis Sisters in Monroeville ($1.99/pound); East End Food Co-op in Point Breeze ($3.99/bunch); and Whole Foods in East Liberty ($3.99/bunch). Locally grown greens, including those harvested by Three Sisters Farm in Mercer County and Wilmington Garden Farm in Lawrence County, typically appear on the culinary scene in late April or early May.

And it's not just home cooks who appreciate the plant's slightly chewy texture and chicory-like flavor. The Spitfire Grill is among a handful of local restaurants that have incorporated dandelions into their spring menus.

During the Pittsburgh Wine Festival, which kicks off Saturday, the Greensburg eatery will pair greens mixed with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts with cocoa- and cinnamon-rubbed lamb loin; chef Greg Andrews also will feature this versatile green on his regular menu once it's available locally.

You can also find dandelions at Maggie's Mercantile on Craig Street in Oakland, a restaurant dedicated to local, organic and seasonal produce when possible.

At Vivo, an upscale Italian restaurant in Bellevue, owner Sam DiBattista offers fresh young greens prepared in the same "pure down and dirty" manner he grew up on: tossed in olive oil and a really strong, aged red wine and then seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Dandelions are most tender in early spring, before the plant begins to flower. But even when young, the leaves have a bitter, slightly tangy taste, which is why they're often cooked with something sweet, like tomato sauce, sugar or carrots, or in a salty fat like bacon. You can also use the taproot as a cooked vegetable in soups and stews.

In salads, dandelion is best mixed with other greens. "You need a balance," says Darrell Frey of Three Sisters, who uses a 1-to-20 ratio of dandelion to other greens in his spring mix.

Not only are its leaves an excellent source of vitamins A, C and E, but the plant also contains more beta carotene than carrots and more potassium than bananas.

Full of trace minerals (more accessible when the leaves are cooked), dandelion is also rich in calcium, iron and lecithin and loaded with magnesium.

Ruth Hale of the Inn at Honey Run in Millersburg, Ohio, who at noon Saturday at the festival will give a talk on its medicinal benefits, says dandelion is believed to enhance liver and gallbladder function.

Its roots, which can be dried and made into tea and coffee, are also used to aid digestion and improve upset stomachs.

Maybe that explains why some people aren't content to let the weeds simply pop up where those fuzzy, globular parachutes land but to grow them from seeds. On purpose.

Mail-order seed outfits such Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. (www.rareseeds.com) sells two varieties of dandelion while local company Heirloom Seeds of West Elizabeth (www.heirloomseeds.com) carries one. Johnny's Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com) offers four varieties, including Catalonga Special, a slender, deep green variety with deeply cut leaves that's perfect for a salad mix or bunching. So far this year, the Maine company has sold more than 5 million seeds.

Dandelions are pretty hardy and will grow just about anywhere, even in poor soil conditions. And you don't even need a whole lot of sun; Mr. Gail says they're actually less bitter when grown in partial shade -- say, under tomato plants or bean poles. Just be sure to weed out competing plants and water them when nature doesn't. It's also important to pick the flower heads to keep the plant's energy going to root and leaf.

Once it has completed its bloom cycle, Mr. Gail adds, the plant can be cut back to the ground and the new leaves in fall will be just as tender.

"The perception is changing," he says. "More and more people are seeing dandelion as a valuable plant."