Pennycress in flower. Its leaves are garlicky in flavor, similar to that of garlic mustard.
Thalpsi arvense
EDIBLE leaves, seeds
Pennycress offers garlicky spring greens as well as its mustard seeds, which can be used as an aromatic culinary spice in the kitchen.
Pennycress is a biennial plant that produces a basal rosette in its first year and grows erect and tall, up to 2 feet in height. Its leaves have a garlic-like odor. They are alternate, oblong, and slightly lobed. In its second year, pennycress produces clusters of white flowers in late spring. Heart-shaped seedpods produce small, aromatic, brownish-black mustard seeds useful as a culinary spice.
Pennycress in flower. Its leaves are garlicky in flavor, similar to that of garlic mustard.
Pennycress is a wild weed, abundant in open fields and empty lots with rocky, disturbed soil. The small, new greens should be gathered in early spring and the heart-shaped seedpods of the second-year plants collected in late summer. The greens and stems become tough and bitter when the plant goes to flower.
Gather the small, tender leaves by hand for use in the kitchen. To use and preserve the seeds, winnow the papery husk from the seed and store in a airtight container.
Pennycress has a strong garlic-mustard flavor. When young, tender, and small, the aromatic greens can be sautéed for egg dishes like frittatas, or added to stir-fries. The dry seeds can be used in place of store-bought mustard seeds. Use pennycress seeds to make a foraged stone-ground mustard or vinaigrette dressing.
Like other mustard family plants, pennycress is self-sowing and reproduces rapidly in areas of disturbed soil. It qualifies as a weed in some places. In others areas, though, pennycress is being field-tested as a potential biofuel source. Harvesting pennycress from the wild will not impact its future harvests.
