A friend sent this to me on Face Book just a few days ago. It makes me wonder how many of us really understand how foraging can help control evasive plants. It also made me want to share this with any one who likes foraging for greens. Wild Garlic Mustard is found growing almost everywhere in the Eastern US and can be cooked and eaten like any other bitter green. Another green that is problematic in our area and across the south is Stinging Nettle. Hardy and fast spreading by seed if given the right growing conditions these plants crowed out natural flowers and plants . Animals do not like the smell or taste of the Garlic Mustard or Stinging Nettle so they are not controlled by the environmental conditions .
Forest Service Garlic Mustard flyer
Wild Mustard in Bloom
If you are in the West Virginia area and have time to help with this problem and enjoy the outdoors and cooking free wild food we could use your help. My family hopes to attend one of these pulling dates and make a nice side dish of Garlic Mustard Cakes when we get home.A dish made from boiled greens drained to remove bitterness, eggs for a binder and Italian bread crumbs fried in brown butter.
April and May is prime pulling time before the plants start to seed and West Virginia could use all the pickers we can find. We are allowed to take home as much of the Garlic Mustard as we wish but they would love for us to remove some of the plants also. For ideas on how to cook the wild greens follow this link Cooking Mustard Garlic. Hope to see you in the woods picking this spring.
West Virginia Mountain Mama 
I never knew garlic mustard was edible! Thank you for the great, timely information.
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Most plants in the mustard family are edible and grow just about everywhere in our state so foraging for them is very easy!
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Thanks for the interesting information on garlic mustard. I have learnt a lot from you post. I didn’t even know it was toxic to native butterflies too!
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the seeds and roots are edible also..but the young greens are a bitter green and are usually cooked in the same way that turnip and collard greens are cooked. I boil mine and drain to remove some of the bitterness first then add to soups and dishes that I use spinach in.
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