First Kohler-Andre Hike of the Year

Garlic Mustard- is quite good if prepared right and picked early enough in the season.

This is the first of a series of Edibile & Medicinal plant outings that will be held at Kohler-Andrea state park this year. We will be doing these about twice a month through fall. This is the peak of the season for some of the best spring greens

We had around 24 adults and kids show up. We tried something a little different this time by bringing some cooked leeks and rice for everyone to have a sample along with their nettle tea.

Even the little ones like sampling and harvesting

I have been taking people on these types of hikes for over 30 years now. My new emphasis isn't to just show a lot of different plants but to focus on and help people realize how gourmet the wild foods really are. It's to easy to always try to wow people with all the possibilities and forget about the 'ordinary' few that we personally use all the time

Nettles-- Nettle tea is what is in the teapot.



In order to eat gourmet food you have to have a lace table cloth to serve it on.



On the bench is a big bunch of garlic mustard.

Last week I quickly dipped the garlic mustard leaves into boiling water before I stir fried them. This seemed to cut some of the bitterness. As with many of the vegetables we eat I stir fry with soy sauce, olive oil or butter and sometimes some seasonings. I found the stems to have very little bitterness in them. Wonder if if would be worth the work to just fry up the stems?



Stuffed Garlic Mustard Leaves
20 medium garlic mustard leaves, washed and dried on paper towels
5 wooden spoonfuls of cooked sausage
4 wooden spoonfuls of cooked rice
2 Tbsp chopped garlic mustard leaves
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Mix rice and sausage and stir well. Add chopped leaves and lemon and toss. Put a teaspoon of this mix on a medium leaf of garlic mustard. Hold leaf together with a toothpick. Serve on a plate.

Haven't tried this recipe yet. Try it out and give me some feedback. Thanks John

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