A Trifecta Class: How To Make Food, Friends and Dandelion-Nettle Pesto

TOTAL READ TIME: 6 MINUTES

I’ve spent a lot of time this spring in my garden beds, pulling things out I don’t want. You too, perhaps? However, with a tall dandelion in hand, thoughts creeped in, reminding me they are one of the most beneficial plants on earth. I’m sure you have heard that too. So why am I still putting that dandelion in the compost heap?

The entire plant is useful – the root, leaves and flower. Birds, insects and butterflies consume the nectar or seeds. For humans, it is a nutritious punch for our bodies. Dandelion roots make a healthier alternative to coffee, and is quite tasty. It helps with liver and gallbladder function, detoxification, hypertension and fights inflammation. Even if we don’t eat it, the plant is vital for soil health as the roots act as a natural aerator as they dive deep underground.

Yet even though I knew all of this, I still tossed these weeds in the heap.

Then everything changed. My bond was solidified with the dandelion, and several other weeds, forever.

I spent last Saturday afternoon with Annmarie Cantrell, owner of Cucina Verde, at her five elements cooking class. She taught the 5 Rhythms of Chinese medicine, based on principles that nature and humans cannot be separated. The more we listen to and flow with nature, the more harmonious our bodies and mind become. The more we eat what is in season, the healthier we become. To facilitate this magic, the best medicine and most nutritious food can typically be found right in our backyard.

Our current Spring season is aligned to the Wood element. Annmarie encouraged us to think energetically. Right now, the first plants that are pushing up out of earth are literally “springing up” with their energy. Visualize the energy of asparagus, one of the first vegetables pushing their way through the soil. Or dandelions, our telltale sign of spring. Can you imagine if we harnessed their own bursts of energy and convert it for our bodies? That’s exactly what happens when we eat those foods. It’s as if we are embodying the energy and essence of the plant.

At the start of class, we were eleven strangers. We were handed a booklet of recipes and full reign of the kitchen. An effortless bond grew through the chopping sounds from our boards, the stirring across the stovetop, and the bumping of hips in tight kitchen quarters. Like professional chefs, we frequently grabbed a spoon for the taste test, refining our recipes.

“What do you think?” Annmarie would ask.

Depending on the dish, the answers ranged from “More lemon!” “Let’s add a pinch more salt,” or “Absolute perfection!”

The highlight of my day was the foraging adventure. Finally getting the Bundt cake in the oven, we ventured outside with scissors and bag in hand. Bending down by the grass, we picked viola and dandelion flowers for the cake. Then, we harvested from a big patch of stinging nettle and garlic mustard weeds. Back inside, we turned the nettle and garlic mustard into the most delicious pesto I’d ever tasted (see below for the recipe).

The stinging nettle pesto changed my life. How can a weed-based pesto taste better than regular basil pesto? As if tasting fantastic wasn’t enough, stinging nettles cleanse the body of metabolic waste and helps drain the lymphatic system. It is high in iron and boron, supporting blood and bone, respectively. And, much, much more.

Are we eating weeds because we are poor? Far from it. Our bodies are becoming rich, with our cells supported with nutrient dense energy, right outside our doorstep.  It is harnessing nature’s spring energy into our bodies, as delicious medicine. It’s what our ancestors used to do. They recognized plants as medicine. Today, we are relearning this intelligence.

After a few hours of chopping, stirring, sauteing, foraging then eating – we departed full with satisfied stomachs, rich conversation and happy hearts.  Even though we started as strangers, we left as friends.

After reading this, perhaps you will go outside and closely inspect your groundcover. Do you spot violas, chickweed, stinging nettle, garlic mustard or dandelions? Perhaps you will go a step further and pick a piece to taste. At first it will taste green. Can you taste springtime? Can you taste the energy? Perhaps you will go a step farther and start picking a bigger bunch. Perhaps you will then bring it into your kitchen. Perhaps you will play with a recipe. Perhaps you will go a step farther and call a friend.  Perhaps you will cook together then dine together.

After the 5 Rhythms class, picking weeds is a different experience. Instead of the compost heap they go on my cutting board. Twice this week I’ve picked the greens and thrown into my salad. I started my own stinging nettle foraging patch, with the help of a friend who was eager to get rid of hers.

What will you take away from reading this? I’m not sure. Perhaps it will bring us closer: closer to our dandelions, closer to our backyards, closer in companionship and closer to the rhythms of this Earth.

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Dandelion Pesto Recipe

(printed with permission by Annmarie)

Place garlic, pumpkin seeds, greens of choice and lemon in food processor. Turn processor on and slowly drizzle in olive oil until a smooth paste forms. Season with salt to taste and puree again.

Serve with soup, on crackers, on raw veggies, stir into grain or cooked vegetable dishes.

*You may be able to find store bought cultivated dandelion greens, which are a bit milder than those found in the wild. If foraging for your own greens, be sure they have not been sprayed.  

**If using stinging nettle, rinse first in warm water to remove the sting before processing.