"Whole Imeretian families go to forage from hedges and forest clearings come April," Łuczaj said. Mixed weeds like chinchris (nettles) and bati (goosefoot) are cooked up into a pkhalicalled veluri, along with some of their toxic cousins like comfrey and buttercups. "By boiling the pkhali vegetables for half an hour and squeezing the water out, toxicity is reduced," Łuczaj explained.