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May I present to you: another cake recipe with hidden wild herbs!
This time around the hidden wild surprise is goutweed also known as ground elder.
Unlike your classic American apple pie, which consists of course of a buttery double crust with pastry both above and below the spiced apple filling, with the upper crust often being latticed – this Dutch apple pie or appeltaart has a flaky pie crust filled with several layers of sliced golden apples. Unlike the American-style double-crusted pie, it is open faced (as the name taart / tart implies), and often topped with a buttery crumb topping instead of the top pie crust. You can also add currants, apricot jam, lemon juice, rum and/or cinnamon to the filling, if you like.
So far, I had only used the leaves of goutweed or ground elder for recipes like my quick & easy wild herb salad bowl, sourdough bread with wild spring herbs, wild herb pesto, wild herb & garlic butter, or stuffed hazelnut leaves. But never for dessert, and never the flowers.
The Health Benefits of Goutweed / Ground Elder
The Latin word podagra, which can be found in the botanical name of goutweed / ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria) means "gout" in Latin and – just like its common name "goutweed" – illustrates what the plant was traditionally used for medicinally: gout. Due to its anti-inflammatory and uric acid dissolving properties, it is also used to treat rheumatism, arthritis, as well as bladder and digestive conditions such as cystitis. In addition, it has been used to make poultices, and to treat burns and stings.
It is rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, zinc and copper. It also contains several times more vitamin A, Vitamin C and protein than lettuce.
Where and How to Harvest Goutweed Flowers
It is one of the first edible wild plants to show up in the spring, which is the best time to collect its leaves, and stays throughout the summer until late autumn.
As the plant ages, the leaves (and also the flowers) can still be eaten either cooked or raw, but they will become slightly bitter over time, so the younger the plant, the better. In addition to that, the medicinal effects are greatly increased, and once the plant has started flowering, it should not be eaten in any great quantity due to its increased diuretic, laxative and soporific effects.
As a very robust and quickly spreading ("invasive") herb that is difficult to remove once established, gardeners often complain about it as an annoying weed. But I think, the issue is just that we've forgotten how to make use of it – just like the stinging nettle!
Although not related to the elder shrub (Sambucus), which produces the delicious elderflowers and elderberries, the name "ground elder" stems from the strong similarity of the leaves and also the superficial similarity of the umbrella-shaped flowers. It's very important to know that young elder leaves are poisonous, whereas goutweed/ground elder leaves are edible!
Flavour-wise, the goutweed leaves are reminiscent of parsley, carrots, celery or even young peas or spinach, depending on who you ask. For me personally, it tastes like a mixture of parsley and carrot greens.
Please be aware that goutweed is part of the family of umbellifers which include highly poisonous species such as deadly poison hemlock, water hemlock, spotted cowbane, fool's parsley, rough chervil and various species of water dropwort!
Most of those poisonous look-alikes will have finely divided and lacy leaves, like carrot greens, whereas goutweed has 3 groups of 3 toothed leaflets and a three-edged, hollow stem. So make sure that ALL criteria match when identifying a plant!
In late spring to early summer (May until July), the plant forms umbels of white flowers which consists of 12-25 flower stalks.
General Foraging Guidelines:
You should be 100 % certain you are identifying the correct plant. If you do not know what it is, DO NOT eat it! Do not pick if you're in doubt!
Don't harvest from contaminated areas such as busy roadsides, near industrial facilities, where dogs pee, along the edges of agricultural fields, old landfill sites etc.
Be mindful & harvest sustainably. Only pick from areas that have a plentiful supply, and never more than 1/4 of a plant, ideally only about 5 %.
Leave the harvesting area litter-free.
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