Chickweed hummus

It is amazing how many ‘weeds’ are actually really useful plants – and the one that had covered one of the beds is chickweed. I collected a big bunch and ate some of the leaves raw in the school queue. It wasn’t long before a number of children and parents appeared and some were brave enough to try a few leaves. It is delicious and very nutritious, especially high in vitamin A and other essential nutrients. I imagined how happy our ancestors would have been to collect these first edible fresh new greens around this time of year as I blended them up for a delicious medicinal snack. Early Spring Humous 1 cup chickpeas (drained) ½ cup foraged chickweed (well rinsed) or 1 cup watercress 3 tbs olive oil juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp crushed black pepper Blend in a food processor (add a small amount of water to the mix if needed). Serve with crudité, quinoa flat bread (OMG – this recipe is coming next week), healthy crisps, crackers or as a side dish.