This spring is the same — and profoundly different — as past springs. We did sharpen blades, charge batteries, and begin another year (our 12th) mowing lawns. But we also outfitted our crew with gloves and masks and stored a big bottle of hand sanitizer in each dedicated vehicle.
Like every year, we charge our batteries with renewable energy. But this year, each battery also gets a daily wipe down with an alcohol-based disinfectant.
And like past springs, the slight hill on my corner lot is overrun with garlic mustard, considered a noxious weed by the USDA and all 46 states where it occurs. But this year, I’ve started eating the darn stuff!
From roots to flowers, the whole plant is edible and nutritious, with a payload of vitamins A, B, C, and E along with calcium, potassium, iron, manganese, and best of all, omega-3 fatty acids. This essential nutrient, also found in fish, is helpful in preventing and managing heart disease.
While garlic mustard is edible, I wouldn’t call it delicious. I found the leaves to be more bitter than garlicky. But when stir-fried with spinach and sage leaves and served over pasta, it made itself right at home. Just like the masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer sitting here and there around the house.
A strange spring indeed. Embracing my invasives while keeping my distance from friends and neighbors.