Garlic Mustard Foraging for Lunch

Living Off the Land

I’ve always fantasized about being  able to live off the land — to grow what I eat, reap what I sow, etc. It would be so gratifying to coax fresh, organic produce  right from Mother’s Earth with just my hands, the soil, some sun, and a little rain.

However, my little dream bubble pops when I think back to all the houseplants I have killed in my past.

That doesn’t stop me from trying to fill my life with garden-fresh organic produce. I blogged last year about different ways you can go organic, and finally, this summer, I’m taking part in my first farm share (aka community-supported agriculture or CSA).  I am so ridiculously excited to see what’s in my box o’ stuff each week! We are actually sharing this CSA with another family, which is a great way to “try out” a farm share if you’re not sure you want to commit 100%, either financially or gastronomically.

But my efforts don’t stop there. Oh no, there is more and you will not believe what I did.

I foraged. In my yard.

I found an invasive EDIBLE weed – the garlic mustard plant – taking over the perimeter of our yard. So I plucked it out by its roots. – and put it in my egg scramble 🙂

All About Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard goes by several names – Garlic Root, Hedge Garlic, and Poor Man’s Mustard, among other nicknames. Botanists would call it Alliaria petiolata. Georgia, fresh from her plant unit at school and field trip to Drumlin Farm, just calls it a “bully” –an invasive species that bothers the plants around it, impeding their growth and eventually taking over the area. The National Park Service explains quite nicely how the garlic mustard plant is able to do this — something about herbivores not liking its flavor (imagine a bunny with garlic breath) and some other blabbity-blah about mychorrhizal fungi.

Whatever. It’s an invasive species that prevents the growth of other stuff. It tastes a bit like a cross between garlic and mustard. Oh, and it’s safe to eat. That’s enough information for me. Out by the roots it goes, and into my kitchen 🙂

Wondering if YOU have garlic mustard in your yard? Here’s what it looks like in my yard:

And here’s a close-up of the white flower that sprouts from the garlic mustard plant’s top (picture courtesy of Harvard Extension):

If you are interested in learning more about edible weeds, check out this neat resource from Brandeis University and also the Resilience website. Please take care to identify potential ingredients carefully, so that you don’t accidentally poison yourself with hemlock (no joke!).

If you have experience foraging for edible weeds, please leave a comment! I’d love to hear more about how folks are living off the land.

Happy Foraging, y’all!