The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and in the garden, the first nutrient-rich green leaves are popping up – no sowing or planting required: nettles and ground elder! Even in greenhouses, you may find some leafy greens.

Nettles

April and May are the best seasons for using nettles as a vegetable. With gloves on, pick the tender tops or 4-6 of the top leaves from larger plants. Later in the year, you can also harvest the immature and mature seeds and sprinkle them over muesli or use them in bread.

Nettle pesto (not fermented)

20g sunflower seeds or breadcrumbs 100g young nettles (or the top leaves from older plants) 20g Västerbotten cheese or grated Parmesan ½ clove of garlic, mashed with a little salt A dash of lemon juice 150-200ml olive or rapeseed oil Salt and black pepper

With gloves on, remove the leaves from the stems, and save only the most tender stalks. Wash them thoroughly. Find a pot large enough to accommodate all the nettles, fill it halfway with water, and prepare a bowl of ice-cold water. Bring the water to a boil and add the nettles, using a spoon to press them below the surface. Boil for only 1 minute, then strain over a bowl to collect the cooking water. Immediately dip the nettles into the cold water. Once they are cold, remove them and squeeze out the liquid as much as possible. They won’t sting when cooked. This method of preparing nettles is great, whether you’re making soup, pesto, freezing them, or using them in bread. Combine the seeds/breadcrumbs, nettles, cheese, garlic, and lemon in a food processor or mortar, gradually adding the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pack it into a jar and cover with a little oil. You can try using half nettles and half ground elder. It will keep for a few weeks in the fridge.

Drink the cooking water hot or cold – it’s delicious and nutritious!

Ground elder

Ground elder is a fantastic spring vegetable that grows in large patches and is absolutely not at risk of extinction. Use it in main dishes, pesto, and salads. It’s an absolute favorit!

Harvest it from March to May before it flowers, taking the young leaves. It can be eaten raw, but I prefer to prepare it in the same way as nettles: Wash thoroughly. Find a pot large enough to accommodate all the leaves, fill it halfway with water, and prepare a bowl of ice-cold water. Bring the water to a boil and add the ground elder, using a spoon to press the leaves below the surface. Boil for only one minute. Dip the ground elder into the cold water or rinse it under running water. Once it’s cold, remove it and squeeze out the liquid as much as possible. Use it in pesto or as a substitute for spinach. It can be frozen after blanching.

Quick ground elder recipe

Coarsely chop the blanched ground elder and mix it with miso, sesame oil, garlic/chives, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Serve with rice, a fried egg, and kimchi. This favorit was inspired by a post on Arirang’s Instagram account.

Fermented pesto

My first lacto-fermented pesto came about by accident – I added too many juicy stems to the wild garlic pesto jar, and thanks to the high water content, it started fermenting. Olive oil ended up all over the fridge, but it was delicious! Since then, I skip the oil (I mix in plenty of olive oil when serving instead) and ensure controlled fermentation by using a little starter culture, which I find unnecessary in most other vegetable ferments. If you have access to wild garlic, it’s an obvious choice as the main ingredient (note: pick gently if you haven’t planted it yourself!), but even nettles, ground elder, and spring greens like mizuna and rocket (wild mustard) can make a nice pesto. Lacto-fermented pesto goes directly into jars because it doesn’t bubble violently and should be refrigerated after two days. If you have seeds and cheese in it, the shelf life will be shorter as there is a risk of rancidity, but it will still last for a few months. Lacto-fermented rhubarb and/or chervil work well as a starter culture for pesto; they contribute a fresh acidity similar to lemon juice and have a mild character. Lacto-fermented garlic cloves (which you tend to accumulate when you start fermenting a lot of veggies) are also a convenient way to introduce a starter culture that adds flavour. A teaspoon of brine from any other lacto-fermented vegetables also works.

(Lacto-fermented nettles don’t taste particularly good in my opinion; you can add a little bit, but it tends to have an earthy flavor.)

Ramson pesto – fermented

It is perfectly fine to use only wild garlic as the herb in this recipe.

3 liters fresh wild garlic/ramson leaves 3 heaping teaspoons salt 2 dl grated hard cheese (optional) 2 dl sunflower seeds 1 stalk lovage 4 stalks lemon balm 1 stalk Sweet cicely (peeled) a bit of anise hyssop a big pinch of black pepper

Chop the leaves roughly and process them in a food processor or mortar into a paste. Add more brine, lemon juice, or water if it’s dry. Mix in the starter culture and pack tightly into a jar (if you forget the starter culture, you can pour a few drops on top of the jar). Leave about a centimeter at the top. Put on the lid and let it sit at room temperature for two days, then transfer it to the refrigerator. It can be used immediately and will keep for a few weeks in the fridge (although I’ve had jars that still tasted good after a year). Add olive oil when serving.

Mizuna pesto – fermented

2 kg mizuna 400 g basil 300 g sunflower seeds or sesame seeds 400 g lacto-fermented rhubarb and chervil if available a few leaves of lovage 3 fresh garlic cloves 2 fresh onions 90 g salt

Pesto made with cabbage family greens is not like typical basil pesto. When I distribute it to members of the community garden, half of them love it, and half of them really don’t.

Chop everything and process it in a food processor or mortar into a paste. Add more brine, lemon juice, or water if it’s dry. Mix in the starter culture (not necessary if using lacto-fermented rhubarb in the recipe) and pack tightly into a jar. Leave about a centimeter at the top. Put on the lid and let it sit at room temperature for two days, then transfer it to the refrigerator. It can be used immediately and will keep for a couple of months. Add olive oil and grated cheese when serving.

Lacto-fermented Herbs – save some Spring for later

If you mix only herbs, salt, and a starter culture, the shelf life is indefinite. This is a great way to preserve all the flavors and nutrients of spring. Use the mixture in soups, salad dressings, on roasted root vegetables, or to make pesto later.

Most things can fit into this jar, but a varied mixture could include parsley, basil, lemon balm, lovage (in moderation!), ground elder, chives, thyme, and oregano, for example. Blend everything in a food processor with salt – 2-3% of the total weight – and a little starter culture. Pack it into jars, put on the lids, and let them sit at room temperature for two days, then store them in the refrigerator.

Do the same later in the season with young leaves from carrots, fennel, and celery.