But apparently the leaves contain hydrogen #cyanide gas?! Wikipedia cites a source that says "the cyanide is easily sidestepped by chopping up the plant, which releases most of the gas in a few minutes. Soaking and cooking it also reduces the cyanide to negligible levels".
Does anyone have good sources for learning how to eat #GarlicMustard safely? (Or for #foraging safely in general?) I'm just mildly alarmed because the first websites I looked at discussing eating garlic mustard did not mention cyanide or safety at all.
How well chopped does the plant need to be? How long must it sit before eating? How important is ventilation in the room, if you're releasing a toxic gas? What soaking and/or cooking procedures are required to make it safe?
@skyfaller yikes, I used to make pesto with that stuff—just washed it and tossed it in a food processor (got the idea from a local forager). No one said anything about cyanide!
@bendystraw I mean a lot of common foods have cyanide in them, like peach pits. (Well in that case they contain cyanogenic glycosides, but same difference.) The question is how much cyanide, where is it, and how do you avoid it or get rid of it? (Eat the peach flesh, never the pit.)
A lot of people seem dismissive of the cyanide content of garlic mustard, because related plants that we eat frequently also have some cyanide, but it seems garlic mustard may have more cyanide and rate more caution
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