#pascal baudar

Pascal Baudar

Interesting looking seeds of the week: Common Mallow - Malva neglecta.

Malva neglecta can be found in several continents, it's commonly known as common mallow or cheese weed. Its leaves and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. When cooked, they can be used similarly to spinach, added to soups, stews, or sautéed as a side dish. The flowers of Malva neglecta can also be added to salads for a colorful touch or used as an edible garnish.

In addition to its culinary uses, Malva neglecta has been used in traditional medicine for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, particularly for skin and digestive system ailments.

The seed pods of Malva neglecta, sometimes referred to as "cheeses," due to their shape resembling a small wheel of cheese, can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a mild, pleasant flavor and can be added to salads or used as a snack. In some regions, they are pickled or used as a caper substitute. But, I decided to go a little further and break the seed pods once dried to investigate possible culinary uses for the seeds.

True flavors of Southern California

Wild Seed Vinaigrette

Lamb's quarter quinoa (Chenopodium album)

Pine Needle Soda

"Super delicious and loaded with vitamin C. I've made it with Eastern white pine needles in Vermont and all kinds of other pines from Oregon to California.

Cattail, one of those delicious forgotten food which can be found pretty much all over the world, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. In some areas of North America and Canada, it can be considered invasive. Every part of the plant has a use from roots (to make flour) to shoots, flowers and leaves (basketry). There are great videos on YouTube if you are interested. I mostly use the young shoots, my technique is to push aside the largest 2 leaves then grab the inner part of the stem close to the ground/water and pull gently. It looks like a leek but the flavor profile is completely different, it taste a bit like a nutty cucumber. The plant is an excellent source of starch, in the old days the roots were dried then pounded to make flour. Cattail pollen was also collected as a thickener in soup or sauces and additive to flour. I mostly use the shoots which can be eaten raw or added to salads but are truly delicious sauteed, fermented or pickled. From experience, some people can experience a bit of a slight and temporary scratchy throat eating raw cattail so I prefer to cook or pickle it (fermented or preserved in vinegar).