Garlic mustard (𝐴𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑎) arrives in the early Spring faster than the dandelions (𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑒). And like dandelions it can be savored in many different ways. Emerging from the ground, the tiniest of this biannual’s leaves are pungent and delicious as an adornment to any salad. As it grows, which can be very fast in warming weather, its flower buds become its most flavorful part. These pre-flowers taste just like broccoli (𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎 𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑎 𝑣𝑎𝑟. 𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎) sprinkled with cayenne pepper (𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑢𝑚).⠀Fantastic! It is an easy plant to identify because of its distinctive leaves and root system that smells like garlic (Allium sativum). Give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed!
However, I would not cultivate it as it is highly invasive with each seed head containing up to 8,000 seeds.
Garlic mustard
