Friday, May 13, 2011

Garlic Mustard Pesto

I made pesto with the Garlic Mustard that I picked from the timber.  I used this recipe: Monches Farm Garlic Mustard Pesto Recipe.

Ingredients:
  • 2 C Garlic Mustard leaves (no stems, cleaned, dried, and packed tightly)
  • 1 1/2 large Garlic cloves (less would have been okay)
  • 1/2 C pecan halves (chopped, substituted for walnuts, walnuts may be better)
  • 1/2 C Olive Oil (one or two tablespoons more would be good)
  • 1 C Parmesan cheese (shredded)
Instructions:
Clean and cut stems from Garlic Mustard leaves (this is tedious).  Chop garlic cloves and walnut (pecan) halves.  Chop in blender until leaves are well chopped and ingredients are well mixed.  Add olive oil slowly while continuing to mix.  Remove from blender and add shredded Parmesan and mix thoroughly.

Serving Suggestion:
I like using it as a spread on crackers (I like Wheat Thins) or as a sauce for pasta.

How does it compare to Basil Pesto?  Hmmm... it was a lot of work to pick and clean the Garlic Mustard leaves.  Definitely cheaper to buy pesto.  But, it did taste good once I had enough other ingredients for how strong the garlic was initially.  I will make it again if for no other reason than to feel better about the bountiful Garlic Mustard available in the timber all Spring, Summer, and Fall.

If you would like to try making your own Garlic Mustard pesto, I know where you can harvest all of the Garlic Mustard you'd like.  :)

First Morel of 2011

After a long weekend working, I picked the least likely day of the week for rain to go hunting for morels. I found garlic mustard, honeysuckle, buckthorn, winged burning bush, dandelions, raspberry canes, trout lilies, wood violets, yellow violets, unidentified yellow flowers, May apples, turkey vulture feathers, one turkey feather, remains of a deer, and finally three small morel mushrooms.

It was a gorgeous day to be in the woods, sunny and warm. I crossed the stream at the log pile and climbed up the bluff. I saw a small wood pecker, large wood pecker holes, Cardinals, a pair of Mallards, three Wood ducks (I think), and while I was crossing the logs, two Turkey Vultures started circling above. They left once they were sure I could make it. I didn't get my feet wet until I crossed back and chose to just walk through the creek. The cool water felt so nice by then.

Maybe, we'll find more mushrooms this weekend.