| Kyla Viger, Environmental Resources Committee |
Have you noticed an abundance of invasive plants in your yard? Recently, Julia Bayly for the Bangor Daily News published an article about “invasivores,” or people who opt to battle invasive species through consumption. Bayly lists several Maine invasives, including autumn olive or Japanese silverberry, green crabs, and Japanese knotweed.
While we don’t have many green crabs in New Gloucester, we have plenty of knotweed growing along roadsides and in ditches. If you’d like to try raw knotweed, it is best eaten in early spring when it starts shooting out of the ground. You can treat it like rhubarb and turn it into strawberry-knotweed pie or even a jam!
If you feel inclined to travel north, muskies (a large, pike-like invasive fish) love the deep waters of the St. John River; there is even an annual muskie fishing derby based out of Fort Kent each summer! Muskie are best eaten when pan-roasted or fried—just watch out for bones.
For more information about edible invasives, check out BDN’s article here.
