May 15: Time to pick garlic mustard!

Now is the perfect time to pick garlic mustard, an invasive species that spreads like crazy and which animals don't want to eat. Here's what it looks like.

Garlic Mustard

It's best to pick it early, before the seeds develop. When you pick it, be sure to put it in a bag, because the seeds develop even after it's picked and they will shoot out from the plant when mature.

A good thing about garlic mustard is that the entire plant is edible. It tastes pretty strong but makes a good garnish. If you google "garlic mustard recipe" you will find a whole bunch of entries, most of which call for a lot of other ingredients. Here's a popular recipe for Garlic Mustard Pesto.

I like things quick and easy, so I tried sauteing the garlic mustard in some butter with onions. I found that the leaves cooked down to the consistency of cooked spinach, but the stems became hardened and chewy. Next time I'll remove the leaves and just use those. Combined with the cooked onions, the leaves were pretty good -- I might put them in an omelet next time.