Invasive plant wreaking havoc in Ontario and you can help by eating it

With spring now in full force and temperatures on the rise, one of Ontario's peskiest and most aggressive forest invaders is beginning to take over green spaces, riverbanks, and roadsides.

Garlic mustard is a biennial flower plant native to Europe, and was brought to North America in the early 1800s for use as an edible herb. While high in vitamins A and C, the species has become problematic since it arrived in North America, and is now considered one of Ontario's most aggressive invasive plants. 

Sightings of garlic mustard in Ontario have skyrocketed on websites like the biodiversity social network, iNaturalist, since the official start of spring. 

jphip/iNaturalist.

As its name suggests, the plant has a strong, distinctive smell that's similar to garlic. During the first year, the species only grows a cluster of leaves shaped like a rosette along with a root system. 

Plants that survive the harsh winter then produce flowers and hundreds of seeds in their second year. According to the provincial government, dense garlic mustard stands are capable of producing more than 60,000 seeds per square metre, and each stand can double in size every four years. 

In their second year, plants can grow up to 1.2 metres tall, with high and triangular leaves and white flowers with four small petals that typically appear in May. The species is incredibly resilient and can still sprout even after remaining in the soil for up to three decades. 

You can find the plant virtually anywhere across the province, all the way from southern and eastern Ontario to Sault Ste. Marie. Thanks to adaptability, the plant can invade relatively undisturbed forests and is known to displace native flowers like trilliums and trout lily. 

Its presence threatens several of Ontario's species at risk, including hoary mountain mint, white wood aster, wild hyacinth, wood poppy, American ginseng, drooping trillium, and Eastern false rue-anemone. 

fiwi_bird/iNaturalist.

Although the herb isn't the best source of nutrients for animals, humans can play an impactful role in its control by consuming it. According to some local foraging groups, the plant makes a tasty addition to savoury dishes like pastas and pesto. 

Before you whip out your pots and pans, just be mindful that foragers usually harvest garlic mustard when it's still young, as older plants typically need to be cooked longer and more thoroughly due to the cyanide they contain.

You should also avoid collecting garlic mustard from any public properties that may have been treated with pesticides. Just make sure to harvest the whole plant (including the roots) to help fight off its invasion. 

If you aren't interested in consuming the plant, you can also help avoid its spread by not planting it on your property, disposing of any garlic mustard you come across by putting it in the garage, and sticking to trails and keeping your pets leashed when hiking.