Eating Invasive Species

Outside of the Americas, crops like tomatoes, potatoes and corn are considered introduced species, which are non-native species intentionally brought to an area. The introduction of plants like these transformed cuisine in countries by providing new food sources. However, not all introduced species are as benign as these pantry staples.

Some introduced species are considered invasive, which are non-native organisms that cause ecological, environmental or economic harm. They include plants, amphibians, fungi, bacteria and more. Invasive species usually reproduce quickly and outcompete local species for resources like habitat and food. More often than not, invasive species are spread by humans, sometimes intentionally, like Burmese pythons brought to Florida as pets and released, or unintentionally, like spotted lanternflies that hitched a ride on an overseas stone shipment.

Edible Invasive Species in Maryland

Regardless of why or how they were introduced, invasive species are harmful and difficult to eradicate, which is where our appetites come in! While not always the case, some invasive species are edible and delicious. By eating invasive species, we can decrease their numbers and help native species flourish. Maryland is no stranger to invasive species—like blue catfish, Chesapeake channa, kudzu, garlic mustard, wineberry and phragmites—making the National Aquarium's home state a great place to expand your palate and include invasive species in your diet.

Flaky Blue Catfish

Known for their size and prolific populations, the blue catfish is invasive and surprisingly tasty. The blue catfish is found in every tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Each fish can grow to over 100 pounds, eating almost any fish and crabs it encounters and reproducing quickly. This catfish was initially introduced in the 1980s into several Virginia rivers for sport fishing. However, the fish's tolerance for salinity was much higher than expected for a freshwater fish, allowing them to spread to the Chesapeake Bay.

Due to their large size and population, the blue catfish is an inexpensive and plentiful option for your dinner table! They can be seasoned and prepared like any other fish—baked, grilled, fried and more. (A dash of Old Bay seasoning can add some delicious flavor, too!)

Savory Chesapeake Channa

New year, new name! In April, this fish experienced a rebranding effort after Maryland legislators renamed it from the northern snakehead to the Chesapeake channa, hoping the new name will encourage more people to eat them.

The Chesapeake channa is originally from Asia and was brought to North America in the late 20th century, possibly for fishing purposes. This fish can breathe outside of water, making it capable of briefly traveling on land to reach new bodies of water. It also has no natural predators in our region, meaning it can take over habitats and food sources with nothing to stop it.

Thankfully, Chesapeake channa is tasty. It's a mild and flaky fish that can be served numerous ways, including baked, grilled and fried. Like most fish, it pairs well with lemon and olive oil, making it easy to prepare!

Sprawling Kudzu

Come one, come all, and see the wondrous kudzu! Or maybe it's not so wonderful. Brought from east Asia, kudzu was introduced as an ornamental plant with much fanfare at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. During the Great Depression and into World War II, primarily southern states planted kudzu for erosion control, making it prolific in the South—it even made its way up to the eastern side of Maryland. It grows almost anywhere a node touches moist soil, forming thick mats on the ground and over trees. Kudzu vines can grow one foot daily, blocking other plants and trees from accessing sunlight.

Much like the kudzu bug introduced to the United States in 2009 to control the population, humans can eat kudzu, too! Kudzu is often used in tea or as a supplement, but the roots are also edible and can be prepared like a potato or dried and ground into a powder to use as breading or thickener. This plant also flowers in late July through early September, and its flowers can add sweetness to foods like jams or sauces.

Bitter Garlic Mustard

Garlic mustard is known for its heart-shaped leaves and small, white flowers. Originally brought to New York in the 1860s for medicinal uses, garlic mustard began to threaten biodiversity because of its ability to spread and bloom quickly. Each plant produces thousands of seeds that can be carried by the wind and easily take root in fields and forests. Garlic mustard blooms quicker than most other plants, meaning it has early access to the limited moisture and nutrients in the soil. Its leaves also extend beyond the plant itself, casting nearby plants in shadows before they can start growing.

Garlic mustard has a bitter taste that can add flavor to a dish. It can be prepared like broccoli by being roasted, blanched, sautéed and more—with a pinch of salt and pepper, of course! Older garlic mustard plants are typically more bitter than younger ones, so they need to be cooked longer.

Sour Wineberry

Wineberry stands out with dense patches of up to 9-foot-long arching canes covered in thick hairs. The plant also grows flowers and red berries closely resembling raspberries. In fact, wineberry was brought to North America in the 1890s to be bred with raspberries. Wineberry grows quickly, choking out other plants with its dense vegetation, which also takes away cover for many animals that can't navigate wineberry's foliage. It spreads by re-rooting through its tips when they grow long enough to touch the ground.

Often compared to a sour raspberry, this fruit will make your taste buds dance. It packs an acidic punch and can be used like raspberries when cooking, making it an excellent addition to muffins, sorbet, syrups, preserves, salads and more!

Towering Phragmites

Much like the wineberry, phragmites are known for their size. Phragmites, also known as common reed, are found in wetlands, growing vertically up to 13 feet. European ships inadvertently carried the seeds to America in the 19th century, and the plants spread quickly after that. Phragmites spread through seeds, rhizomes (underground stems) and stolons (stems that grow along the surface of soil). In small amounts, phragmites offer cover for animals. However, they spread quickly, forming dense groupings usually too thick for animals to use. They also block sunlight and choke out native plants that wildlife rely on, like small, native grasses that birds use for nesting.

However, phragmites are not entirely harmful and offer some benefits. They store more carbon dioxide than small, shorter grasses, which helps combat climate change. Phragmites also absorb nutrients, like nitrogen, from water, which reduces the chance of algal blooms that suffocate wildlife.

Parts of phragmites are edible and are an excellent choice for asparagus lovers because they're so similar! Simply wash the shoots and peel back the first three to four tough layers to get to the delicious soft core. Then, you can boil them and serve with butter, salt and pepper.

Foraging Invasive Species

Due to the pervasiveness of invasive species, you can find garlic mustard, wineberry, kudzu and phragmites all over Maryland, providing ample opportunities for spring or summer foraging lessons. In Baltimore, foraging experts Chris Amendola, executive chef and owner of Foraged, and Atiya Wells, founder and executive director of Backyard Basecamp, encourage people to find an expert and try foraging.

For Chris, foraging inspires the menu at his restaurant. Featuring a rotating menu, Foraged serves seasonal ingredients, including invasive species like wineberries and blue catfish, in elevated dishes inspired by Chris' love for the woods and food. After attending culinary school in Florida, Chris further developed his culinary and foraging skills by working in restaurants and exploring nature in different states. This experience encouraged Chris to learn to cook with foraged foods, which would eventually lead him to open his restaurant in Baltimore.

"Learning to cook with foraged ingredients starts with trying the ingredients, which involves a lot of tasting and spitting out and tasting again," Chris said. "You learn to be patient when foraging because sometimes you aimlessly wander around without finding anything, and other times you can find a lot."

Unsurprisingly, a love for nature also led Atiya Wells to foraging. After a series of walks with her children, who were curious about the plant life around them, she took her first plant identification class. From there, Atiya started to forage regularly in her neighborhood and even incorporated foraging classes into the Backyard Basecamp programming. Backyard Basecamp is an organization focused on reconnecting Black, Indigenous and people of color to nature in Baltimore, making foraging a natural fit.

"There are so many plants around us that we don't pay attention to. There are plants with medicinal and edible purposes that we're missing out on, and I'm lucky enough to have a small forage footprint. There's so much around where I live that I don't have to go far to find enough of what I need for personal use," Atiya explained.

Both Chris and Atiya encourage people to always put safety first when foraging—never eat anything you can't positively identify, don't put yourself in harm's way to harvest, and avoid eating foods along trails or highways that might be contaminated with herbicides or other pollutants. Instead, find a trusted foraging expert in your area, grab some plant identification books and have fun safely expanding your palate!

Invasive Species ... They're Everywhere

Stopping the spread of invasive species can be as ordinary as picking something off a menu or as adventurous as heading into the woods. But addressing invasive species doesn't need to stop with our appetites.

Other ways to get involved could include researching recommended native plants for gardening and landscaping in your area. You can also learn about measures your state has taken to stop the spread of invasive species and encourage the growth and sale of native plants. For example, in Maryland, the Aquarium has successfully advocated for state laws that prohibit the use of state funds to purchase invasive plant species for landscaping, improve classification systems to limit invasive plant use and distribution in Maryland, and promote the use and sale of native plants at places like garden centers.

You can also use iNaturalist to record your findings when foraging! While you should not use iNaturalist as a foraging identification guide, you can upload pictures of what you find to help the iNaturalist database track the spread of invasive species.