Going along with nature
There are plants that you would rather not have in your garden. Like lesser bindweed and ground-elder. It can really give you a hard time to get rid of it in your garden. Then why go against nature instead of going along with nature. Go with the flow with ground-elder.
Edible
Because ground-elder (aegopodium podagraria) is edible. Yes, that ineradicable plant even has many vitamins and minerals. Ground-elder contains vitamin C, carotene and potassium, calcium, magnesium and silica. The leaves can be prepared like spinach or you can make a ground-elder pesto. Dried ground-elder leaves taste like parsley. For recipes you use the very young leaves that are coming out of the ground now. So, quick go pick them and start cooking.
Recipe ground-elder pesto
for 4 persons
2 hands full of young ground-elder leaves, about 25 gram
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
50 gram of walnuts
70 gram of Pecorino or Parmigiano, grated
olive oil
pepper and salt to taste
Place all ingredients, except the oil, in the food processor and let it run briefly until everything is mixed well, but still in pieces. You can also do it with a hand blender. Add, while still mixing, the oil into it. Don’t let it mix for too long, because then it gets too mushy. Add as many olive oil until the pesto has a nice smooth texture. Good for pasta, tomato soup or on a toasted sandwich. Enjoy your meal. (Source: blog Cathelijne.)
You can also make more pesto, put it in jars and freeze it. Than you will have fresh ground-elder pesto in summertime.
Unfortunately
Unfortunately I have not found a solution for lesser bindweed. Because it is not edible. So my motto: excavate with root and let it go… The wide, funnel-shaped flowers are beautiful and smell of vanilla. But if I find another solution, you can read it here on bodyandmind.amsterdam.
Photocredits: Hanneke Sloof