Spring Green Pesto is made of some of the great “Volunteer Vegetables”- coming into disturbed soils to heal and preserve the fertility of soil. These plants are not only edible and medicinal, they act as ground cover and mulch. The recipe is not exact; it contains roughly equal-parts Chickweed, Onion Grass, Bitter Cress, and Purple Dead Nettle, with the addition of Black Walnuts, and (the only ingredients not foraged by us here in the Appalachian Foothills) Sea Salt and Sunflower Oil.  

Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) is one of the first plants to flower in Southeast Ohio, providing crucial sustenance to emerging Bees and other pollinators.  This introduced Eurasian plant does well in disturbed soils, especially open lawns and fields. The leaves and flowers make a nice addition to salads and pesto, or as a cooked green.  Because Purple Dead Nettle has a fuzzy/hairy consistency, this makes a better companion than stand-alone green.   Lamium purpureum is known for antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, astringent, immunostimulating, nutritive, and styptic (blood staunching) qualities.

Common Chickweed (Stellaria media)  In addition to being a nutritive power house, this dainty-looking green is a mender of wounded skins, irritated mucous membranes, inflamed digestive tracts and damaged tissues and lymphatic systems.  Freshly harvested greens that thrive in cooler weather (often gathered even beneath the snow) offer our bodies tremendous amounts of essential vitamins and minerals that our seasonal diet typically lacks.  Chickweed nourishes the body directly, and assists in creating elasticity and permeability in the cell walls to increase nutrient absorption and waste excretion. 

Pennsylvania or Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine pensylvanica or hirsuta) These are wild mustards – Brassicasea family members (Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, etc.) – like their cultivated cousins (and possibly moreso), abundant in vitamins and minerals our bodies crave – especially in early spring.  Though only slightly bitter and spicy, those bitter, spicy tastes support our digestive, endocrine, circulatory, and immune systems, aiding the body on many levels.  Use the wild Cresses to provide that delightful mustard flavor to salads, dressings, marinades, and sauces.

Onion Grass (Allium vineale) Like all Alliums (Garlic and Onion), this plant is a powerful antibiotic, antimicrobial, circulatory stimulating blood purifier.  Folks have used Alliums to relieve tension headaches, heal fungal infections, lower cholesterol, and reduce blood pressure.  The leaves and bulbs contain all the same properties and flavors, and can be used just the way one would use commercial garlic or chives. It’s worth remembering that no poisonous look-alikes of Allium plants smell like Alliums!

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) Though processing them by hand is no simple task, it’s absolutely worth the effort (and a wonder that there aren’t more people processing Black Walnuts locally).  Used just as the English Walnuts – with a richer, stronger, fruitier (and many people agree, better) flavor – these little marvels are packed with protein, essential fatty acids, iron, magnesium, potassium, and a whole lot more.  They are being studied for their anti-cancer properties.  And the juglandin, juglone, and juglandic acid (alleopathic constituents that hinder the growth of some other plant species) that give them a bad reputation also kill parasites and are effective in treating homes and animals infested with fleas.