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Friday, June 24th
by Editor, Soiled and Seeded
Pestival!
In the last few years the dandelion has gained a comfortable and enthusiastic following among local foragers. Gardeners have been pulling out the once detested and intolerable weed to rediscover its versatile culinary appeal - roots, leaves, flowers and all.
Among all the tenacious weedy edibles in and out of the garden, the latest herb gaining ground beyond its abundant and pesky presence is Alliara petiolata, or garlic mustard. A member of the Brassicaceae (mustard family), the leaves are peppery and garlicky in taste. European settlers brought the herb over to North America from their kitchen gardens.
Garlic mustard can now be found practically everywhere; colonizing abandoned urban spaces, herbaceous borders and invading forest ecosystems.
How can we eradicate the weedy import? The Nature Centre at Shaker Lakes in Cleveland, Ohio has incorporated creative cuisine in the plant's management strategy. Each year the centre holds Pestival, the annual garlic mustard festival. Volunteers and ground staff collect plants from the grounds and local chefs are invited to prepare a dish incorporating the weedy import. On the menu - garlic mustard pesto, relish, chutney and ravioli.
Managing invasives by broadening palettes.
Source: Soiled And Seeded
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