A few years ago I launched the "if you can't beat 'em, eat 'em program" at the farm. I was so tired of trying to control the wild garlic, that I just gave in and started harvesting it and eating it. It is pretty tasty, and for a while my family ate Asian style pancakes with every meal made from the wild garlic.
There are a couple of other weeds that threaten to overrun the property - one of them is chickweed. I know you can eat chickweed, and I have used it to make healing salves, but my friend Lindy mentioned making pesto from it.
Wow - it is delicious, and I take a wild thrill from picking weeds and eating them. Tomorrow I am making chickweed salad dressing. Now, it is a bit tedious to clean and prepare the chickweed, but guys - it is a free weed I would have otherwise killed. And the baby chicks love the leftovers. Not much is getting wasted at the Double Up!
Chickweed Pesto
Ingredients
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced (I used a combination of our elephant garlic and some garlic scapes and some wild garlic, of course!!)
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cups freshly picked young chickweed leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
dash of sea salt
handful of nuts (I used almonds because it is what I had, but the original recipe called for walnuts))
tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)
Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend well.