D2_Agraria_Journal_21_OPT

From left: Garlic mustard flower, ramp leaf, ramp flower TEDDY PIERSON AGRARIA JOURNAL 2021 13 fraction of a given patch or population, while others still will encourage foragers to eat other plants entirely. In the case of ramps, this often looks like never harvesting the bulb, only taking one leaf from a plant of two or more leaves, and only taking a fraction of these leaves per patch, with the harvest spread across the patch. The percentage of patch harvested varies widely. I have seen folks suggest everything from 1/3 to 1/250th of any given patch. This brings up another issue though: What if 20 other foragers interact with this patch in this way? Such compounded foraging would surely negate honorable harvesting practices. To which there is another alternative, named garlic mustard. Garlic mustard is an out-of-place or “invasive” plant found in the eastern U.S. It readily colonizes most any soil in shaded areas, though it particularly thrives in many of the same habitats that ramps do. Garlic mustard has the potential to outcompete native plants such as ramps, increasing the already ecologically cumbersome footprint of the history of this country. This plant, in the Brassica or mustard family, is also edible in a garlicky way. As its common name suggests, garlic mustard is more of a garlic/mustard taste combination when set beside the sweet garlic/onion flavor of ramps. I will not lie; ramps easily outcompete in the kitchen. However, I have had incredible garlic mustard pesto, and mixed with other spring greens, it gives salads a great kick. Additionally, the ethics of harvest- ing as much garlic mustard as you can see in the name of conserving native plant diversity and populations and stewarding local ecosystems far outweighs the potential of contributing to the diminution of those native populations. In sum, I adhere to the harvest of garlic mustard to fill my halitosis needs. I do have a strong caveat, however, in relation to garlic mustard consumption over ramps. I am a forager on colonized land who is descended from colonizers. My colonial relation to ramps and to garlic mustard are different than the relationships other peoples hold with these plants. Far be it from me to suggest to any native person what they should and should not eat on their land. Far be it from me to suggest to historically and systemically impoverished Appalachians to refrain from consum- ing ramps, a traditional food in the region. The communion we hold with food and with where and from whom it comes, is deeply personal, cultural, ecological, and political. I for one look forward to the coming weeks wherein I will spend my days after work stewarding the land and eating seasonally unique pesto in one fell swoop. Gabby Loomis-Amrhein is a naturalist, birder, and former lead on the land team at Agraria.