Where the Wild Things Grow

Got weeds? Reach for the food processor, not the lawnmower 8

Around this time of year, all the foodies in my neck of the woods are, well, in the woods. Spring and fall are the best wild food foraging times around here, and as if ol' Mother Nature knew our food prices were going through the roof and transportation costs skyrocketing, she's brought us a cornucopia of wild edibles out there, free for the taking.

Nettles, how sweet thy sting.

Photo: Kurt Michael Friese

Besides the morels I spoke of recently (did I mention my son found some 10 feet from our back door?), we find oyster and velvet foot and puffball mushrooms around here, and soon the goat's beard and hen o' the woods will be popping out. There are ramps and fiddleheads to be had in the forest as well, but the two wild foods of the week are a weed and an invader -- stinging nettles and garlic mustard.

Now anyone who's done any camping has probably developed a special kind of hatred for nettles, a plant with a natural defense so nasty that many folks recoil from eating them. When they come into contact -- even slightly -- with the skin, these otherwise pretty little plants release the tips of their tiny spines, and with them a wicked cocktail of acetylcholine, histamine, formic acid, and 5-hydroxytryptamine (which, curiously, is serotonin). The result is a crazy burning itch that lasts about 10 minutes. Surprisingly, though, they are quite edible -- and delicious, as long as you know how to handle them. (Short version: Use gloves or tongs.) Harvested and cooked correctly, nettles deliver a burst of nutrition and flavor, and can be substituted for cooked spinach. The real sting comes when you run out.

Garlic mustard: splendor in the weeds.

Photo: Kurt Michael Friese

In my backyard right now, a pernicious invader called Alliaria petiolata -- more commonly called garlic mustard -- thrives. It came to the New World from Europe in the 1800s as a culinary and medicinal herb. With no natural predators here, it soon grew out of control. Extremely prolific, a single garlic mustard plant can spread into a patch of 20 to 120 feet in just a year. Garlic mustard will shade or crowd out native species of flowers and mushrooms and cause massive disruption in a habitat if left unchecked.

In Hickory Hill Park near where I live in Iowa, garlic mustard's invasion has reached such heights of success that local volunteers pull out nearly a ton of the stuff every year! As I recently preached on Gristmill, though, one way to turn an enemy into a friend is to dine with him -- or in this case, on him. As mentioned, garlic mustard is a European culinary herb, and has a pleasant, bitter, somewhat spicy character. This week I've eaten it in salad, on a burger (good local grass-fed beef, of course), in soup, and as one of a mélange of braising greens.

An easy way to enjoy it is in a pesto. And you can make a lot because it freezes well. Here's a variation on the classic Italian basil pesto recipe; tinker with it to suit your fancy.

Garlic Mustard Pesto

I recommend two high-end Italian cheeses here, but you could easily substitute the domestic varieties. Don't use the powdery stuff in the green cylinder, though. It's full of so much cellulose you'd be better off shredding the cardboard it comes in.

From pest to pesto.

2 cloves of garlic
4 cups (packed) fresh garlic mustard leaves, washed
1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons of oven-toasted pine nuts (some contest this inclusion, but I like them)
3 tablespoons of grated Pecorino cheese
3 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 cup of olive oil

Put the garlic, the washed garlic mustard leaves, the salt (which helps to preserve the green of the leaves), and the pine nuts into the mortar.

Slowly mix with the pestle and add the mixed cheeses a little at a time.

When the mixture is smooth and creamy, add olive oil to taste (to the texture you prefer) and stir to incorporate.

To dress your pasta with the pesto, always dilute the pesto with a little of the cooking water from the pasta.

Kurt Michael Friese is chef/owner of Devotay in Iowa City, serves on the Slow Food USA Board of Directors, and is editor-in-chief of the magazine Edible Iowa River Valley. His new book, A Cook’s Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland, was published in August 2008. He lives with his wife Kim in rural Johnson County.

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  1. redambrosia99 Posted 5:51 am
    15 May 2008

    moderationAs with all things, be careful when foraging, and make sure you don't take too much.  While weeds may provide a seemingly endless supply of yummies, we need to be extra careful in forests.  Make sure you don't forage too often in the same spot, don't forage where others seem to have been (some foragers I know leave markers letting others know they've been there), and never take too much.
    Try looking for local foraging groups or start your own.  It can be a great way to get food, but we need to be sure we don't over harvest and also leave plenty for the animals to dine as well.

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  2. redwing Posted 6:38 am
    15 May 2008

    Mmm wild foodI eat all kinds of things from my yard. One of my faves is chickweed (young). Dandelions are allways good, even better as fritters or wine. I hate mowing my yard, because most of it I can eat! Cattails are also an easy to identify edible. Just take care where and how you harvest.

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  3. timhammond Posted 7:17 am
    15 May 2008

    Gorge on garlic mustardPlease gorge yourself on garlic mustard.  Rip it ALL out.  You can eat it while you are picking it.  But do keep in mind that you do not pick it when it is seeding and then string the seeds all the way back to your cooking area.  

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  4. atoney Posted 9:54 pm
    19 May 2008

    Human HealthIf it is an exotic invasive, eat it all (I dare you; you won't be able to).  Bear in mind, however, that some states, counties, municipalities spray herbicides on weeds, so know exactly what's been going on where you harvest.
    Also, Morels and other wild mushrooms taste fantastic, but I think we all know the drill:  do not pick fungi unless you are extremely well-versed or have an expert mycologist at hand.
    Happy Wild Edible Eating!

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  5. cmalberg Posted 12:37 am
    20 May 2008

    NettlesI must say, if you can get out while the stinging nettle is still young (oh, around 3 inches max) they go wonderfully in salads, adding a nice nutty, alfalfa flavor that you can't quite get anywhere else. Also, the high vitamin A and iron content is quite nutritious, and nettle has long been used in specialty women's health teas. Just quickly blanch them in a hard boil and then dry on a towel. The heat breaks down the chemicals responsible for the burn, and the gentle rubbing with the towel helps remove some of the spines.
    However, use caution. As we know, nettles grow near water, and it is important that you verify that this water is not contaminated by pesticides and herbicides, not to mention fertilizers. Just know your area before you pick.

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  6. Storm Dragon Posted 9:40 am
    26 May 2008

    AmaranthIn my garden, we not only have nettles, but also a great abundance of wild amaranth, (also known as pigweed).  When it's young and tender, the leaves can be cooked like spinach.  

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  7. julherra Posted 5:13 am
    01 Jun 2008

    eating garlic mustardIs there a best time when you should eat the leaves (raw or cooked)?  Like with dandelion, leave are best when young and small.  

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  8. emmapb Posted 2:32 pm
    02 Jun 2008

    more garlic-family foraging tipsA few weeks back we made a short video on foraging for field garlic with Leda Meredith. She gives some helpful safety tips to aspiring foragers...
    She makes a pesto out of the field garlic too, I haven't ever come across garlic mustard but now I'm intrigued and want to find some to try!

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