Issue 18If You Can't Beat Them, Eat Them!

COLUMNIST: JANICE CLYNE
If You Can't Beat Them, Eat Them!
Ground ElderGround elder, also known as Goutweed or Bishop’s Weed, is one of the most prolific wild plants, and few people know it is actually edible. It has a flavour reminiscent of parsley, with a hint of lemon and celery.
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Introduced to the UK by the Romans, it is now considered an invasive weed and is often the scourge of gardeners, growing prolifically with masses of underground runners, making it very difficult to remove.
Ground elder looks similar to an elder leaf but grows close to the ground, carpet-style, and its leaves are set in groups of three at the end of the stem. It is part of the Apiaceae plant family which contains some pretty toxic plants, so always double check before eating it.
Free Food SourceIt is a forager’s delight and a free food source, especially in spring when the leaves are at their best. Like other wild greens, ground elder has many health uses, including cleansing the blood, relieving arthritis, rheumatism and gout, reducing fluid retention, and fighting inflammation in the body. It also supports liver and kidney function. The young leaves are best for salad, the slightly older leaves can be cooked like spinach, or made into delicious pesto and soup, but mature leaves have a strong, unpleasant taste, so are best avoided.
It is best eaten in spring or early summer when the leaves are small, glossy and almost translucent green. The stem is edible and should be picked as close to the ground as possible. The seeds are also edible and can be picked around September.
The more we pick, the more it grows, so we may as well make use of this wild food source, which is resilient, hardy, and surprisingly tasty.
Ground Elder Soup RecipeThis is a delicious soup, best made in late spring or early summer when the nettles and ground elder are at their most tender. Peas add a sweetness to balance the iron rich flavour of the nettles, making this a nutritional powerhouse with plenty of diversity and fibre for our gut microbes.
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What you need:

a tablespoon rapeseed oil or butter

1 medium leek, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

1 bunch of young ground elder leaves

1 bunch of nettles leaves, picked from the stem

2 medium potatoes, diced, or a tin of butter beans

2 cups of frozen peas

750ml vegetable stock

Crème fraiche, soya, or double cream to garnish

What to do:

Sauté the leek and onion with oil or butter, and a pinch of salt.

Add the diced potato or butter beans along with the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the frozen peas, nettles, and ground elder, and bring back to a gentle simmer until the potatoes are cooked.

Blitz using a hand blender, adding more stock if the soup is too thick.

Serve with a swirl of crème fraiche, double cream, or soya cream.

Weed Pesto RecipeWeed pesto is a rather delicious way of using all the weeds and wild plants in the garden - and I don’t mean the hallucinogenic kind. Ground elder, wild garlic, nettles, dandelions, cornered leeks, and sorrel are all great for pesto.
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What you need:

One colander full of edible greens

1/3 cup of olive or rapeseed oil

1 cup of mixed nuts and seeds

1 teaspoon sea salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

What to do:Simply blend everything in a food processor and add extra oil for a looser consistency, and season to taste. You can add some nutritional yeast flakes for a cheesy flavour, some chilli flakes for a bit of heat, or half a pack of silken tofu for a creamy pesto dip.

Points to note:

dandelions are rather bitter, so if you are using a lot of dandelions then remove the middle rib, which is the most bitter part

nettles can be added as they are, no need to blanch them unless you are making a nettle pesto
as above, mature ground elder leaves have an unpleasant flavour, so always use the youngest ones which are a bright, glossy green, and include the stems too

adding lemon juice increases the bio-availability of the iron, meaning our body absorbs higher amounts, presenting even more benefits of eating our weeds

These plants are so powerful as food and medicine, and really give our wee gut buddies a boost. No two batches are the same, and it is very satisfying to weed the garden, and then eat all the weeds.
My motto is: “If you can’t beat them, eat them!”
Trellis ProfileAs a qualified food scientist, gut health guru, supporter of plant-based locally sourced seasonal food, a fermentista, and foraging fanatic, Janice Clyne is passionate about inspiring, informing, and motivating change in health and eating habits - delivering vibrant good health, through her Wellness Hub and 'Nourished by Nature' skills, expertise, and experienceScotlandGrowsIssue18NavigationEditor's WelcomeContentsScone Palace Garden Fair Show Guide 2023Scone Palace Garden Fair TicketsWelcome to Scone Palace Garden Fair 2023What You Need To KnowQuercus Garden PlantsWhat's On at Scone Palace Garden FairScone Palace Garden Fair Speakers ProgrammeScone Palace Exhibitor List 2023Hortiwool advertScottish Garden Design CompetitionScotland Grows ShowPallet and Planter ChallengeScotland Grows SubscriptionBiophilia – Our Innate Connection to NatureLynn Hill at Scone PalaceWhat's Gorgeous in the Garden?Grow Your BusinessDesigning for a Shady AreaGreen Thumb Share the Lawn LovePlanting for PollinatorsThriving Roses in the Land of ThistlesBlank Canvas DreamsFeature Your GardenRebels Without A CareScotland Grows TestimonialHoliday Proof Your GardenGarlic Wards Off More Than VampiresScotland Grows websiteFuss-free Feathery PlumesImprove Mental Health in the GardenWhat We Have Learned from a Lifetime of GardeningTop 3 Plant ChoicesScotland Grows Show PodcastAn Industry with Huge PotentialCome and Chat About PlantsPerfect Strawberries for ScotlandScotland Grows HoodiesHow Can You Avoid Watering Your Plot?Speedy Salad LeavesThe Indonesian CookGrow Your Own Chamomile TeaCommunal Garden ConnectionsIf You Can't Beat Them, Eat Them!Scotland Grows TestimonialGardening and Autism BookClayton's New Gardening JourneyTop Terrarium Tips for BeginnersTerrarium WorkshopReturning to Gardening After IllnessSubscribe to Scotland GrowsJobs AheadPerthshire MagazineThe Last WordArchives