In the Blue Ridge states, depending on elevation and how far south or north you are, garlic mustard appears sometime in April and disappears sometime in June.
Photo Above: Garlic mustard goes well in salad.
Photo Courtesy of Bruce Ingram.
Alliaria petiolate hales from Europe and as is typical of invasive plants, has few native insects or mammals that regularly consume it.
Overwhelmingly, most of the plants I’ve encountered in these mountains have been about a foot-and-a-half high and growing in the understory or at forest/field junctures. They are much more common in woodlots with moist soil. The triangular heart-shaped leaves feature toothed edges and the white four-petal flowers are dainty and attractive. Garlic mustard is a biennial, meaning that it appears in its first year, produces seeds and dies in its second.
Unfortunately, garlic mustard produces a chemical reaction that inhibits the growth of other plants especially natives, which can cause it to form dense stands. Fortunately, this plant is edible and, as one would expect, the leaves have a garlic taste and smell. Elaine and I gather the leaves for salads.
Nevertheless, I do all I can to eliminate this invasive from our Southwest Virginia land. After spring rains, I go on garlic mustard hunting expeditions, easily pulling up this shallow rooted plant. My advice concerning this species? Eat what you want and pull up the rest.
Bruce and Elaine Ingram will profile a different wild edible every month. For more information on their book Living the Locavore Lifestyle, contact them at bruceingramoutdoors@gmail.com.
