Mugwort Chips: An Easy Recipe Using the Herb Weed

In the waning days of fall, a weed that happens to be a wild herb is still growing with enough vigor to defy the season. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is a perennial that is usually leggy and seed-covered in autumn, but because this invasive (in the US) plant is often mown or weed-wacked in a futile attempt to subdue it, it responds with a resurgence of fresh green foliage as the days grow shorter. These tender leaves are a treat, especially for anyone tuned to seasonal, local eating and who is beginning to dread the looming, un-green months ahead. One of the easiest and most deliciously surprising ways to enjoy mugwort leaves is as a crisp chip. Here’s how to make mugwort chips and what to do with this feral delicacy.

Photography by Marie Viljoen.

Mugwort chips are irresistible. They snap and crackle, and their flavor is intact. If you have never tasted the herb before before, it carries implications of sage, a suggestion of rosemary, a whisper of something herbally and attractively bitter (it is a species of wormwood, after all), but mostly…mugwort.

(Find more suggestions about eating mugwort—and a fava bean recipe—in our Mugwort the Weed vs Mugwort the Herb story.)

To make mugwort chips, the dry leaves are laid flat on an oiled baking sheet and baked for just 10 minutes. At that point I like to salt them before returning them to the oven for another 3 minutes.

Crunchy, satisfyingly sage-like and flavorful, mugwort chips are an umami-rich and shatteringly crisp foil for anything smooth, soft, slithery, or creamy. Think hummus, eggs (boiled, steamed, scrambled, omelette), tomatoes, avocado, plump ravioli, and thin pasta. Top a noodle bowl with chips at the last minute, or crush them across a bread salad. Or just eat them straight up.