One more for the #InvasiveSpecies topic, and then I'll be moving on to other subjects!

Garlic Mustard - Eat It to Beat It!

• Young tender leaves can be torn up a bit and added to salads.

• Sautee garlic in olive oil or sesame oil or bacon grease; add chopped garlic
mustard and other greens if available (garlic chives, spinach, arugula,
lambsquarters, mustard greens, what-have-you); a little salt or soy sauce; add a bit of water or stock and cook gently. A dash of vinegar, balsamic or otherwise, may be in order. Taste and decide. This could be spread on toast, added to casseroles, eggs, quiche, stir-fries, etc.

• Garlic mustard pesto: crush garlic, slice up garlic mustard and also garlic chives if
available, puree both in food processor with olive oil and walnuts (or pine nuts);
add parmesan cheese. Start the water for pasta!

• Cream sauce: heat 1/4 cup oil and add 1/4 cup flour and cook; add hot milk.
Separately cook finely chopped garlic mustard in a little sesame oil; and tamari or soy sauce. Add some of the sauce; puree in food processor and add back to the sauce. Add cheese as desired. Good on stuffed grape leaves for one.

• With leftover garlic mustard sauce, add a little yogurt, balsamic vinegar, and tamari and serve as a sauce for steamed asparagus. [That sounds really good!]

Read more [PDF, includes recipes]:
https://www.woodcountywi.gov/Departments/LandConservation/Brochures/Garlic%20Mustard%20Recipes.pdf

#SolarPunkSunday #EatEmToBeatEm #Recipes #GarlicMustard

5 Invasive Species to Consider Hunting, Catching, and Cooking

by Erin Huggins, Feb 20, 2025

"National Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb. 24-28, 2025) is here to remind us that some of the biggest ecological nightmares are critters that don’t belong here. These invasive species outcompete native wildlife, destroy habitats, damage roads and levees, and throw environments out of balance. But instead of just complaining, we can do something unexpected – eat them!

"Eating invasive species can help protect native animals and plants. By hunting, trapping, and eating these invaders, we can reduce their numbers and the harm they cause. To really manage invasive species well, we need a solid plan that includes teamwork, checking to see what’s working, using all tools available, and making sure to fix and protect damaged lands and waters.

"With that said, here are five troublesome invasive in the U.S. to consider putting on the table."

Read more:
https://www.fws.gov/story/2025-02/eat-invaders

#SolarPunkSunday #EatEmToBeatEm #InvasiveSpecies #Hunting #Nutria #NorthernSnakehead #Iguana #GreenIguana #SilverCarp #WildBoar

#KudzuBlossom Jelly

by Molly53

"#Kudzu blooms the end of July through September. It has attractive bunches of delicate purple flowers with a fragrance reminiscent of grapes which may be used to make a unique jelly to spoon over cream cheese, or melt and serve over waffles and ice cream. Make sure picking area has not been sprayed with chemicals to kill the kudzu. Overnight steeping is not included in the preparation time. Posted in response to a forum topic."

Full recipe:
https://www.food.com/recipe/kudzu-blossom-jelly-94579

#SolarPunkSunday #Recipes #FoodPreservation #Foraging #InvasiveSpecies #EatEmToBeatEm

Eat The Weeds - #WaterHyacinth Woes

Water Hyacinth Stir Fry

"The state of #Florida minces no words about the water hyacinth: '#EichhorniaCrassipes is one of the worst weeds in the world — aquatic or terrestrial.' They apparently have not tried them deep fried with butter, or steamed like mustard greens with a bit of bacon or pork fat.

"Water Hyacinths, a member of the pickerelweed family, are born nearly pregnant adults. … Okay, that might be an exaggeration but they can double in population in as little as two weeks. One plant in one season can multiply to cover one acre. They caused a serious threat to Florida waterways not long ago and have only been fought to a constant draw. If the state were to stop fighting for one season the weed would get the permanent upper hand. In Panama, it would make the canal impassible in three years if not kept under control.

"Of course, the other view is here is a plant that can feed you again in two weeks. That’s not a bad return if you’re starving or need green vegetables for a balanced diet. Even when viewed as an edible there are two down sides: While young leaves and stems can be eaten cooked or raw, raw they give quite a few people the itches, and cooked they still make a few people itch. So you have to sort that out before you eat too many.

"And very much like lichen, water hyacinths can absorb and hold just about any chemical pollutant around. Moral of the story, collect them from only clean waters. Never collect them down stream from any mine because mining can cause toxins. On the other hand, if I were selling hydroponics foods in a state that has a real winter to limit escape, this would be a plant I would experiment with: Fast growing, reproduces easily with about the same leaf texture of some seaweeds.

"The deep fried bottoms are more along the lines of deep fried pork rinds. Some writers say water hyacinth is tasteless but I have found when cooked to be close in texture and taste to a mild #CollardGreens. It always retains some 'tooth.' "

[...]

"Water hyacinth is a good cattle fodder, chicken feed, mulch. dry fuel, mushroom growing medium, cigar wrappers, furniture and fertilizer. It is also a fantastic biomass for making alternative fuels. Florida should be thinking of water hyacinths as 'green' oil, Florida Tea, a sustainable source of fuel. Instead, it’s a 'weed' they don’t know what to do with. (See my 14 March 2008 blog.) The water hyacinth’s leaves are a source of vitamins A, B1 and B2 and betacarotene. They contain 18.7% protein, 17.1% fiber and 36.6% carbohydrates. Each year, the state of Florida spends some $15 million to control it. Some of that control is by spraying poisons, so be careful where you collect hyacinths."

https://www.eattheweeds.com/water-hyacinth-stir-fry-2/

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies
#EatEmToBeatEm #Foraging

‘If you can’t beat them, eat them.’ Why foraging for invasive plants is good for you — and the planet.

How to identify and cook two invasive species

By Jenna Perlman, Updated April 16, 2024

"The Globe asked local #foragers for recipes incorporating two edible (and quite tasty) invasives: #GarlicMustard and #JapaneseKnotweed. Below is a detailed identification guide and some of the best recipes, with help from certified educator Rachel Goclawski, who runs the 'Cooking with Mrs. G' YouTube channel."

Read more:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/16/lifestyle/if-you-cant-beat-them-eat-them-why-foraging-invasive-plants-is-good-you-planet/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/7CNV1

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies #EatEmToBeatEm #Foraging #Recipes

Includes plants -- like #SowThistle, #GarlicMustard, and #Watercress!

Welcome to Invasivorism

"Turning invasive species into gourmet meals could blunt #environmental and economic costs across the US. But can Americans stomach them? Chefs and biologists are taking a gamble."

Learn more:
http://eattheinvaders.org/

#SolarPunkSunday #Invasivorism #EatEmToBeatEm #InvasiveSpecies

Barbecued iguana? Lionfish tacos? The ideas are limitless!

Could we solve Florida’s invasive animal problem by eating them? Possibly! See which ones

by Samantha Neely, August 5, 2025

"Florida is unfortunately home to a lot of uninvited guests — especially invasive animals. But there might be another way to control their rapidly increasing populations.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a list for National Invasive Species Awareness last month, encouraging people to eat some of this species to limit damage to ecosystems.

" 'Eating invasive species can help protect native wildlife by reducing their numbers and limiting the damage they cause to #ecosystems,' the agency said. 'However, it’s not a complete solution and should be combined with other #conservation efforts to effectively control these species.'

"While the list touched on a few of the animals seen in Florida, there are others more that you could eat if you wanted to (and prepare correctly). See which ones you could bring to your next potluck."

Learn more:
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2025/08/05/florida-invasive-species-how-to-eat-iguanas-wild-hogs-pythons/85458602007/

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies #Lionfish #Iguana #BullseyeSnakeHead #EatEmToBeatEm #WildHogs #GreenMussels #Florida

#InvasiveCarp are Delicious. Here's Why You Should be Eating Them

Posted July 11, 2022

Excerpts: "And that brings us to the meat of the subject. We should be eating these fish. Unlike their sometimes muddy tasting cousins, the meat from silver and bighead carp is firm, white, mild, and flaky. It is often compared to cod in texture. I have grilled, fried, broiled, and steamed both bigheads and silvers and the results are always surprisingly good."

[...]

"Despite their excellent flavor, #BigheadCarp and #SilverCarp do have a big drawback as food. They are a bony fish. Besides the standard spine and rib bone structure found in most freshwater fish, they have an additional set of two rows of unattached Y-shaped bones that run the length of the fish on each side. That means they can't be processed into the large boneless fillets most American consumers tend to prefer."

Learn more:
https://realtree.com/fishing/articles/invasive-carp-are-delicious-heres-why-you-should-be-eating-them

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies #EatEmToBeatEm

#InvasiveCarp

"Carp are a family of fish native to Europe and Asia. Common carp (#CyprinusCarpio) has been in the United States for over 100 years. The common carp is considered a nuisance fish or a pest fish. See Species Profile: Common Carp (Nonindigenous Aquatic species Database) for more information.

"The newest invaders, #BigheadCarp,#BlackCarp, #GrassCarp, and #SilverCarp that originated from Asia are collectively known as invasive carp or #AsianCarp. These invasive carp species are causing issues in the #MississippiRiver and surrounding waters. Invasive carp are fast-growing and prolific feeders that out-compete native fish and leave a trail of environmental destruction in their wake.

"The four types of invasive carp currently found in the U.S. were imported into the country for use in #aquaculture #ponds. Through flooding and accidental releases, black, grass, bighead and silver carps found their way into the Mississippi River system. The Mississippi River system is like a giant freshwater highway that has given invasive carp species access to many of the country’s rivers and streams."

Source:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatic/fish-and-other-vertebrates/invasive-carp

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies #EatEmToBeatEm