Why You Should Forage & Eat Garlic Mustard + Simple Recipe Ideas

Flowering garlic mustard in mid-May, when it is easiest to identify
(also check out its distant cousin--the edible yellow rocket in the picture)

You can't help but see this plant everywhere. It's a horribly invasive weed which damages ecosystems by crowding out other native plant species. It's a bully whose numerous seeds spread everywhere, it secrets toxins which poison the fungi native plants need to live, and it can live overwinter, under snow, and get a jump start on the spring season.

It's also a tasty, versatile, and nutritious vegetable.

Whether you are just getting into foraging, or if you have been into wild plants for years, Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is one species you shouldn't pass up. Its abundant, easy-to-identify, every part of the plant is edible, and it's available year-round, and, due to it's invasive nature, gathering as much of it as you want actually helps, rather than hurts, the environment. It's probably the wild plant I eat the most of, every year.

Every part of the plant is edible, at least at some time of the year.

The leaves of the first year plants are low to the ground, darker green, and have a distinctive outline: a deeply scalloped fan or kidney-shape. Though they are more bitter than the leaves of flowering plants, they have the advantage of being available year-round. (Under the snow in most parts of the US)

The root, which can also be eaten all 4 seasons, if the ground isn't frozen, has a pungent, horseradishy flavor, especially when mixed with white vinegar (just like our commercial horseradish is).

The young second-year plant, pre-flowering
at this age the whole plant, including the stem is edible

The stems of the second-year plant can be eaten in early to mid-spring, before the plant flowers, and while the stem is still pliable. Professional forager Sam Thayer says it is the best part of the plant, and can be used as you would asparagus (though of course, the flavor is different), but that has not been my experience. I have always found the stems to be bitter, and rather tough even when very young. Perhaps location plays a factor.

The leaves of the flowering, second-year plants are my favorite part, despite being downplayed in the foraging world. Again, where the plants are harvested makes a huge difference: get your garlic mustard from the shade, unless you're a big fan of very bitter tastes. These leaves can be quite large (up to 5-6" across at the end of summer), making them easy to gather.

So, what can you do with it?
I have a list of garlic mustard recipes here, but for some quick suggestions, consider the following:

Make a Pesto 

There is even a cookbook called:
"Garlic Mustard, from Pest to Pesto"

This is far and away the most common use. I don't have a specific recipe, but it's pretty straightforward: blanched garlic mustard leaves, olive oil and cheese in a food processor. Ingredients like pinenuts or even hazelnuts can be added, but they are optional. Since garlic mustard is so pungent, I like a strong cheese such as asiago or even swiss. The internet is full of garlic mustard pesto recipes, in fact, it's full of pesto recipes for any wild green: stinging nettles, dandelion greens, etc. The moral of the story is that, no matter how hesitant we are with a new vegetable, we know it will taste good once we mix in olive oil and cheese.

This tabbouleh, made with half garlic mustard,
is one of my favorite ways to eat this veggie

Start adding it to salads 

Raw garlic mustard leaves have a much stronger flavor than the blanched ones, so start small. You would also definitely want to use second-year plants from deep shade here. But garlic mustard can enhance almost any salad type, if you use the right proportions. Basically, if you are using mild greens (like iceberg or romaine lettuce), you can add about 25% garlic mustard leaves. If you are using greens that already have strongly bitter flavors, like kale or mustard greens, consider only adding about 15% garlic mustard. On the other hand, if you are using strongly-flavored greens, like parsley in a tabbouleh, they will balance out well with an equal amount (50%) garlic mustard. 

Use it as a pot-herb, on it's own 

Boil the garlic mustard leaves for about 7-10 minutes to reduce bitterness, till the water is bright green, and saute the greens with some butter or olive oil and garlic. Bacon or pancetta also make great additions. Cooked this way, garlic mustard makes a great, simple side dish to any meat, or you can mix it with pasta. You can also take it in an Eastern direction, with garlic, ginger, chili sauce, etc. Boiled garlic mustard has the texture of cooked spinach, but with a bitter kick, like broccoli rabe--to which it's related. You must have a decent tolerance for bitter foods to enjoy it this concentrated though.

A special note
Garlic mustard contains cyanide--but don't panic just yet! Many of our cultivated vegetables, including broccoli and broccoli rabe (both related to garlic mustard) also have trace amounts of cyanide. Garlic mustard has been used as a vegetable in Europe for centuries, and here in America for decades. Most people agree that the amounts of cyanide are negligible for a human, our livers do a great job of filtering it out. However, just to be on the safe side, I limit myself to no more than 2 dishes a week. It's also worth noting that cyanide is water-soluble, so blanching or soaking the leaves (if you want to use them raw) will reduce concentrations.