Garlic Mustard Recipe - Garlic Mustard Hummus

Garlic Mustard
flower stalks

A common invasive species, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) can take over entire areas of habitat. Right now, the flower stalk is about 24 inches high and the 4 petalled, white flowers are blooming along roadsides, in yards, in fields, and disturbed areas. The top 4 inches or so of the flower stalk is still tender, and we pick it along with the flower head and top triangular leaves along the stalk. The taste of the flower buds can be quite fiery, like raw horseradish and add a bite to whatever we eat them with. We usually eat them raw or lightly boiled since cooking them in a sautée pan seems to bring out the bitterness. In this hummus, we added them raw to give the hummus a green spiciness. We also added ramps greens (Allium tricoccum), but garlic can be substituted.

Garlic Mustard Hummus       makes about 2 1/2 c.

2 c. washed, chopped garlic mustard leaves
1 c. washed, chopped ramps greens
2 c. cooked chick peas
5 T olive oil
4 T lemon juice
2 T tahini
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 T cumin

1. Place the chopped garlic mustard leaves, ramps greens and chickpeas in a food processor. Process until chunky.

2. Add the remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. We like our hummus very thick, but you could add more olive oil. Serve with pitas.

Garlic mustard flowers