Summer Salad: Cucumbers in a Wild Goutweed Dressing
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Aegopodium podagraria, also known as goutweed, bishop’s weed, and ground elder (I call it goutweed, so I’ll stick with that from here on out), is a perennial plant in the carrot family. Native to Europe and western Asia, it was introduced to North America as an ornamental and medicinal herb (like so many other invasive plants), but has since become an aggressive invasive species in many regions. It thrives in moist soils and partial shade, often forming dense colonies in forests, gardens, parks, along roadsides, and even in backyards. In fact, the goutweed I used for this recipe came from a patch in the backyard that I inherited when I bought my house.
The name “goutweed” comes from its historical use as a treatment for gout. Medieval herbalists believed the plant could help relieve the painful joint inflammation leading to its cultivation around monasteries. This is also how it got one of it’s other names, Bishop’s Weed, since Bishop’s were known to consume rich foods and a lot of alcohol, leading to gout. Good thing the monks were growing it nearby!
For foragers, goutweed is most valuable in spring when the young leaves first emerge. At this stage they are tender, mild, and pleasantly aromatic, with a flavor often compared to parsley, celery, carrot tops, and green pepper. Older leaves become tougher and less appealing—I wouldn’t recommend harvesting or eating them.
Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads, blended into pestos, stirred into soups, sautéed like spinach, or added to omelettes and other cooked dishes. Harvesting it for food can also help reduce the spread of this persistent invasive plant in a small way, so eat your veggies and do your part!
I used the mild, but very noticeable, flavor of the young leaves to help flavor a summery vinaigrette, which goes great with cucumbers, but could be used on any type of salad. Best part is that it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare!
Serves: 2
Time to make: 10 minutes
Also make with: any herbaceous wild green
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Summer Salad: Cucumbers in a Wild Goutweed Dressing
2
servings10
minutes0
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 English cucumber, sliced thinly
1 cup young goutweed leaves, chopped finely
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sherry or white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar or honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Preparation
- Whisk the chopped goutweed, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, and salt in the bottom of a medium bowl. Add the cucumbers, toss well, and serve. Enjoy!
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I love recipes like this because they completely change how you look at the landscape around you. Most people spend years trying to get rid of goutweed without realizing it’s edible. Turning an invasive plant into something delicious feels like a small act of ecological revenge. The dressing sounds like the perfect way to showcase those fresh herbal flavors without overpowering the cucumbers. Now I’m looking at every patch of goutweed a little differently.
Love this! Delicious ecological revenge is the best response to many of these weeds!