Chickweed Pesto Pasta
2 cloves of garlic
3 T of pine nuts, walnuts or sunflower seeds
¼ t. sea salt
2 cups or more of chopped fresh Chickweed (or any other wild edible green)
½ cup herbal olive oil
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Directions
Mix above ingredients in a food processor or blender, or just chop and mix well. Boil Bowtie pasta al dente. Drain.
Add the Pesto while pasta is still warm. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
Decorate with edible flowers!
Sheri's beautiful Chickweed pesto!
Chickweed
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is one of my favorite wild delectables!
It thrives in cooler weather (even in the Winter) so collect as much as you can now while it is happily offering its gifts. Soon it will be stringy and go to seed (which is when I collect the seeds and spread them for Fall growth where I want them). Chickweed loves rich soils especially next to buildings or fences, gardens and in compost bins. If you plant it next to a decaying log it will thrive.
The white flowers are only 5 petaled but are so deeply cleft that they look like 10 petals. Also check out the hairy line along the stem and see how it shifts 45 degrees from one leaf axil to the next and on up the stem.
Chickweed is also high in Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron….. And an amazing plant for hot situations. Great for diaper rash. Don’t even bother making a salve just take the plant material smoosh it well (in a processor or with a knife) and apply to babies raw bottom. BINGO. It works fast.
One time a friend of mine had a rash on her face. Her face was swollen and beet red and throbbing when I came to see her. It was pouring rain at the time but I went into her yard collected 2 handfuls of Chickweed, chopped it in her blender with a tad of water and placed it on her face while she lay on the couch. The heat from her rash turned the cool poultice HOT so after 5 minutes I made another batch with fresh weeds and within 20 minutes the rash was GONE!
I’ve been eating Chickweed as often as possible, just had a handful of it this morning for breakfast… I stir fried it in bacon grease added some sea zest seasoning and place my poached egg on this bed of wild greens.
Because this plant disappears in warmer weather collect a lot NOW and make Chickweed Pesto. Freeze in ice cube trays then bag in freezer bags to keep till Fall bestows another wave of Chickweed joy.
Vinegar extracts it’s saponins and other healing constituents better than alcohol so I like infusing vibrant Chickweed in vinegar to eat in salad dressings or to use as medicine when I need Chickweed. I can tell you miracles about how it moves lymph and swollen tonsils and glands like no bodies business. Another amazing gift from God!
