An invasive species of weed called garlic mustard is growing in Newmarket and one solution to dealing with the pesky plant is to eat it.
The herb is now “one of Ontario’s most aggressive forest invaders,” according to the provincial government.
It poses a threat to several species, including trilliums, and prevents plants from getting nutrients by interfering with fungi in the soil.
The York Region Environmental Alliance (YREA) says that garlic mustard is growing everywhere in the region, not just in forests and trails, but in backyard gardens, too.
They also provide advice for residents wanting to remove it.
The plant has small white flowers when in bloom and can be easily identified by crushing the leaves, which releases a garlicky odour.
Gloria Marsh, the executive director of YREA, said they encourage people to bring a plastic bag with them on walks to collect the weeds. She said using plastic is important to ensure the seeds are contained and not spreading anywhere else.
“It becomes an activity,” Marsh said. “Instead of just walking, you’re bending. It’s exercise!”
When picking garlic mustard, she advises that you start by jiggling the plants loose at the base and then pulling it out to make sure the whole root comes up.
The bag of pulled weeds then needs to be thrown away rather than composted to prevent further spread, but there is another option if people don’t want it to go to waste.
Garlic mustard is entirely edible and the YREA even provides a recipe for garlic mustard pesto so you can put the plant to good use.
The recipe calls for two packed cups of the weed’s leaves, mixed with three garlic cloves, two tablespoons of hemp seeds, walnuts or pine nuts, and one cup of grated Romano cheese. Once that’s all chopped up in a food processor, it’s drizzled with olive oil and ready to enjoy.
“It’s delicious. It’s very good,” Marsh said of the pesto. “I mean, eat your weeds!”
The recipe recommends serving it with pasta, on raw tomatoes or putting it on pizza. Marsh even thinks local restaurants could go out and pick it to put the pesto on their menus.
While eating or otherwise disposing of garlic mustard helps reduce its presence in nature, the YREA said it is a very stubborn herb.
Despite the alliance picking the weed from Bakers Woods in Vaughan for three years, it still hasn’t been eliminated from the area.
“You can control it eventually but it gets in,” Marsh said.
Town of Newmarekt public works services said they have received reports of garlic mustard growing, but don't yet have a program in place to tackle it.
While they are continuing to monitor the growth and impact of the invasive species, the town also said "an educational program that will help residents identify garlic mustard and how to effectively manage these species on their property" is in the works.
Tips to prevent the spread of garlic mustard include only buying plants from reputable suppliers to avoid adding more invasive species to your gardens, staying on the trails while walking to avoid disturbing the seeds of these weeds, and reporting potential sightings to Ontario’s Invading Species awareness program by calling 1-800-563-7711, or online at www.invadingspecies.com.
