Recipes: Cooking with Weeds

Sautéed Dandelion Greens:

Dandelion leaves are full of vitamins and minerals.

Sauteed Dandelion Greens:

Ingredients:

• - 1 bunch dandelion greens

• - 2 tablespoons olive oil

• - 1 clove of garlic chopped

• - 1/2 teaspoon salt

• - pinch of hot pepper flakes if desired

Directions:

Wash leaves and cut in half, cook in boiling water (unsalted) until tender but not mushy, drain well. In medium frying pan add olive oil and garlic, then add the chicory, salt and hot pepper flakes, toss gently, heat 1 -2 minutes on medium heat. Serve immediately, with a squeeze of lemon if desired. Enjoy!

https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/sauteed-chicory/

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Stinging nettle makes super healthy teas and is delicious as pesto!

While stinging nettle is considered a weed to most farmers, we consider it one of the most medicinal plants on our farm. Nettle thrives in cool, damp conditions and sandy soil. Nettle is high in iron and supports the adrenal glands (its often used as an antihistamine). It's full of iron, calcium, vitamin A and K. Used fresh or dried, nettle is delicious in teas and in your kitchen (see recipe below). Be cautious when handling nettle, it stings, as true to its name. When handling, use gloves or be cautious to grab the bottom of the stalk out of your bag. You can use the whole stalk and leaves for tea, or snip of leaves for pesto. A quick submergence in boiling water will render the stinging needles harmless and easier to handle. More info on handling stinging nettle can be found here.

Infamous Nettle Pesto Recipe:

We love this pesto on our brick oven pizzas on the farm and it combines well with about 1 box of noodles and some broccoli.

Ingredients:

- 2 cloves garlic

- 2 T. sunflower or pumpkin seeds. (pine nuts work too)

- 1 c. loosely packed nettle leaves

- 1/2 c. loosely pack dandelion or basil leaves

- 3/4 c. of quality olive oil

- 1 T Nutritional Yeast (secret ingredient)

- 1 t. salt

- 1/2 t. pepper

- 1/2 lemon, squeezed and strained from seeds

Directions:

• In a food processor, chop the garlic and seeds finely.

• Remove nettle leaves from stalk using one of the methods above to avoid getting stung. Strip dandelion or basil from stems, loosely chop. Add greens to food processor and chop for 1 minute.

• With the food processor running, drizzle in 1/2c. of olive oil. Continue adding oil until your desired consistency is achieved.

• Stir in nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and lemon.

• Toss with cooked pasta and broccoli. Extra can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks of 3 months in the freezer.

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Mallow

Do you recognize this widely thought of pesky weed?! Yep, you guessed it, you can eat it. Mallow has a long history of saving humans in times of war or crop failure because of their ability to grow in neglected areas.

Health properties: High mucilage content make this plant very helpful with inflammatory issues in the respiratory, urinary, and digestive systems. Also found in Mallow are vitmains A,B,C,E; inulin; phenols; flavonoids; essential fatty acids; fiber; calcium; magnesium; zinc; selenium; potassium.

For more info and how to cook:

1. https://dengarden.com/gardening/malva

2. https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/benefits-common-mallow-malva-sylvestris