Grazing on Spring Garlic Mustard
After a long, cold winter, people who lived 100 years ago looked forward to the spring greens that gave them the vitamins and nutrition they could only get from canned and dried foods. Today, with supermarkets offering a cornucopia of frozen vegetables and fresh produce from regions and foreign countries with year-round growing seasons, we have lost appreciation for the first green plants that spring up in late winter. More than a harbinger of spring, plants such as winter cress, mustards, and dandelions were an essential part of the diet and important for restoring the vitality lost in winter’s darkness. I have wonderful memories of “hunting” greens, such as dock and lamb’s quarters, with my mother in the alleyways of my childhood home in Kentucky. The arrival of garlic mustard — considered an invasive weed here in Ohio– is a clear sign that it is time to transition from winter’s gloom to joy and creativity. Garlic mustard is nutritious and delicious cooked for several minutes in a skillet or microwave with a bit of olive oil or butter and salt. You can almost feel the change of seasons as you enjoy its sturdy presence in your mouth. Popeye would understand.
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