Diego’s Rambling Dock & Farmers Friend Salsa Verde

Diego, the weed forager, presented at April’s Talk and Feast

His reputation went before him, and people we’d met at the Farmers Market Stall were disappointed they weren’t going to be able to come (the date was the Thursday night of Easter).

Though his usual setting is in ‘the wild’, leading groups through weedy patches and along tracks, Diego Bonetto did a great job of entertaining us (I think his second job must be actor) with his lively presentation including many things:

• Stories of generational learning, and close observation of plants, through the cycle of the years
• Historical and cultural information about medicinal and nutritional qualities, and the way land use has changed over long periods of time
• Facts about particular weeds – their seeds, taste, habitat
• Humourous anecdotes about encounters and discoveries

And he took us, almost by the hand, to a deeper level, guiding us with wisdom about a sequence of mental states required for engagement, if we are serious about weed foraging:

• Knowledge of the plants and their ways and offerings
• Respect which comes from knowledge; treating it carefully
• Stakeholder – where we develop a relationship with the weed world, and particular plants that become part of our geographic circuit
• Caretaker – embodying the qualities of caring, including gratitude and humility

And our Feast this month – including baked sweet potato and Jerusalem artichokes – was garnished with a special something…

Rambling Dock & Farmers Friend Salsa Verde!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup rambling dock leaves
• 1/2 cup farmers friends leaves
• 1 cup parsley
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 2 tsp capers drained
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Dash of red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt to taste

METHOD

1. Place rambling dock, farmers friend, parsley, garlic and capers in a food processor. Process until finely chopped
2. With the motor running, add oil, vinegar, mustard and lemon juice to mixture. Process until well combined
3. Season with sea salt and pepper. Stand for 10 minutes
4. Serve as a dipping sauce or use as a marinade

Yummm! Thank you Diego!