Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

When my Morel hunt fails miserably one of the consolation prices is Garlic Mustard. This is an invasive species brought to North America to be used as edible herb, but escaped to the wild and is now creating quite a problem for native species. It is listed as Ontario Invading Plant and some info about ways to help can be found here.. A quick Google search will show that it presents a serious problem in many northern US states and southern Canadian provinces. It is propagating at astounding rate and every year it is obviously spreading.

My recommendation is to help by destroying the plant whenever you can by pulling the whole plant out of the soil, but the alternative way is just to eat it. It is very good edible and especially delicious at this time of the year when it is not yet overly pungent and garlicky. The best is to collect stalks with flowers before the flowers open.

Use same technique used to prepare asparagus. Bend the stalk and let it break. The upper part is good to cook; the lower part is discarded. The top of the plant should look like miniature broccoli, with majority of flowers still closed.

Preparation is simple: cook for 5 minutes, drain, add some salt and olive oil or butter.  It taste a little bitter, like chicory or radicchio.

Later in the season the leafs can be used to create pesto. The decent recipe can be found in Toronto Star.

As far as Morels go, spotted only two, too small to pick.

Noticed some fiddle heads showing. Time to check my spots soon. Mayapple is ready to bloom.

Great number of Jack in the Pulpits around. Although used as medicinal plant by native people, it is definitely poisonous to eat.