Garlic Mutard Pesto

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a serious invasive species in North America that should be eradicated wherever it is found.  It is also a tasty edible green and one of the most common uses is Garlic Mustard Pesto (Photo 1).  

Photo 1: The finished product - Garlic Mustard Pesto!

You can read more about the invasive properties of this plant here: (https://www.pei-untamed.com/post/garlic-mustard). We can’t eat our way out of the Garlic Mustard problem, but there’s no harm in eating it if you find it (especially if that’s part of a bigger effort to get rid of it!). For tips on eradicating Garlic Mustard, visit the PEI Invasive Species Council (https://peiinvasives.com/).

This recipe comes from Kate at Babaganosh (www.babaganosh.org).

Photo 2: The main ingredients.

Garlic Mustard Pesto

1 cup Garlic Mustard leaves, tightly packed, picked clean and washed

¼ cup nuts of choice (I used slivered almonds)

¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese

¼ olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp each salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until well combined. I tried it without the extra garlic first, but as a huge garlic-lover I decided to add it in after tasting.  If you’re less of a garlic fan you may find the greens themselves give you enough flavour.  This pesto can be used tossed with pasta, layered in lasagna, added to soups, or slathered on salmon before baking, among many other things!