Have you spied the 10 LEAST Wanted Weeds in southern Vermont? These weeds are also invasive, meaning that they are not native to Vermont, but have begun to grow prolifically throughout the region, pushing out and overtaking native plant species, and changing the habitats in which they grow. These 10 Least Wanted species are Garlic Mustard, Exotic Bush Honeysuckles, Purple Loosestrife, Gout Weed, Common Reed, Common Buckthorn, Autumn Olive, Japanese Knotweed, Oriental Bittersweet, and Japanese Barberry.

You may have many of these invasive species on your property and not even be aware of their existence and the potential harm they can inflict on the environment. After identifying an invasive weed, it is important to eradicate it from your property to prevent the continued spread of the plant into woodlands and wildlife habitats. Rose Paul, Director of Science & Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy of VT, suggested at the Invasives workshop that pulling the plant before the seeds form and are dispersed works well for some herbaceous plants. It may take several years to exhaust the seeds in the "seed bank." Invasives that have heartier stems may require more radical treatment such as cutting the bush/plant close to the ground and applying an herbicide.

Eating invasive plants is a side benefit from doing the hard work of eradicating them! Not all wild plants and invasives are edible, but one invasive plant that has promise in the gastronomic department is GarlicMustard! Bruce Kennedy, chef for the Manchester site of the Bennington County Meals Program, has been experimenting with some of these locally available invasive plants and provided samples of tasty dishes for the Invasives Workshop, using garlic mustard and Japanese knotweed.

Chef Kennedy served Garlic Mustard Pesto as a spread for crackers and also used the pesto to make a stomboli. He also served Go Anywhere Knotweed Squares using Japanese Knotweed. Chef Kennedy has graciously agreed to share his recipe for pesto.

Chef Kennedy's Garlic Mustard Pesto

This is a basic pesto sauce recipe where the garlic is reduced and the leaves from the garlic mustard plant are substituted for basil. For best flavor, gather leaves during early spring or use the smaller leaves from older, more mature plants. Strip the leaves from the plants; remove the stems, wash, and dry.

1 cup garlic mustard leaves
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Sea salt (use a pinch or two and adjust to taste)
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Place garlic mustard, garlic, salt, and pine nuts in food processor: finely chop. With food processor running, add olive oil in a thin stream. Scrape sides to insure mix. Continue to blend until the sauce is smooth. Add Parmesan cheese, blend with sauce using pulse feature briefly.

The Garlic Mustard Pesto can also be served traditionally on linguine or added to bread dough to make pesto bread. The pesto can be spread on bread dough and then rolled up jelly roll fashion and cut into slices to make delicious pesto swirl rolls.

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