Thistle Feast

Pamela Huerto -

Back when we started this channel we did a video about thistle and experimented with a few ways to turn it from a thorny weed into a tasty dish.

A year later we were surprised to see the video gain some attention (thank you everybody), and we wanted to revisit thistle. This time we are going to make a thistle focused meal with another round of taste testing.

Video: https://youtu.be/pqPj7S-UhyA

We used Cirsium arvense or Canada/Creeping Thistle for these recipes:

Saskatch-y Fried Thistle Flowers

  • Thistle Flowers

Dish 1

  • 1 egg, beaten

Dish 2

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 Tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Coat the thistle flowers with egg, and then coat with the flour mixture.

Cook until golden brown in a hot skillet with some butter.

And allow to drain before serving.

Thistle Pesto

  • 2 cups of fresh thistle leaves
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cup of a cup of pine nuts
  • 2/3 cup oil of choice
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Blend leaves, garlic and pine nuts in the food processor.

Then add a 2/3 cup of oil and blend it all up.

Stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and serve!