Captain's Phlog                          2020.04.26
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Watching:  I've started watching Battlestar 
Galactica (2004). As a kid, I devowered the 
original series and so far (ep 5) this one is even 
better.

[  Day 32 since last purchasing food.  ]
[     13 Days until I'm restocked.     ]


Garlic Mustard (Alliara petiolata)... 

Garlic Mustard is a biennial flowering plant 
native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia as far 
east as Western China. "Jack-in-the-Hedge" is one 
common name for it in the UK. It's a common herb, 
posessed of pests to keep it under control like 
all natives in an eco-system (76 species at last 
count). In the Americas, it's an invasive with no 
fauna adapted to keep it in check.

It can quickly carpet forest floors over-competing 
native plants. It also poisons beneficial soil 
fungi. Such mycorrhizal dependencies are essential 
to the healthy growth of native tree species 
including several types of maple as well as ash.

So it's a bad dude, and it's successful enough 
that there's no way we're eradicating it. It's 
the new normal. That said we can still drink of 
it's blood!!! ...or at least use it at a potherb.

A quick survey of "Garlic Mustard Recipie" on the 
intertubes will lean hevily toward pesto. It seems 
LOTS of folks try this and it's aparently quite 
good. I have not. There seems to be more cyanide 
compounds in the leaves than is REALLY best for 
your system. But the good news is cyanides are 
soluble in water and boiling the herb for five 
minutes and disgarding the water drastically 
reduces the CN content.

Below is a recipie. But as always learn to 
identify the plant and any inpersonators. Use at 
least two sources! Too, sample only small amounts 
at first - this is because you have no idea if 
you're actually allergic to it. The last thing you 
want is a visit to the hospital right now.

Garlic Mustard Couscous:  Serves 4

10 Oz Dry Couscous
2 Cup Broth
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Qt Garlic Mustard Leaved & Stems
Pepper to taste

Boil herb in water for 5 minutes.
Drain.
In Blender, combine herb, broth & oil. 
Blend to slurry (is that even a culinary word?)
Pour into saucepan and bring to boil.
Stir in couscous and remove from heat.
Let stand for 5 minutes.
Serve.

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Stay safe & well everyone.