Patapsco Heritage Greenway's Garlic Mustard Challenge

Patapsco Valley State Park, 8020 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD | Get Directions »
$5.00

Garlic mustard. Sounds delicious to me.

Like so many delicious things, garlic mustard is ok in moderation, but not in the large quantities you’ll find it in

The herb, which smells like garlic or onion when crushed, grows from 2 to over 3 feet tall, according to the USDA’s National Invasive Species Information Center.

It's an invasive plant that takes over nutrients, soil, space and even sunlight, killing native plants.

So if you’d like to help rid the Patpasco River of garlic mustard, join the Patapsco Heritage Greenway for its annual Garlic Mustard Challenge.

Sunday, May 6, from 1 – 4:30 p.m., teams will compete to remove as much of the pesky herb as they can. So far, more than 15,000 pounds have been removed thanks to PHG and this popular event.

Register online (click “event registration”) and if you win – either Most pounds pulled per person or most per team – you get a shot at the prize table, which will be stocked with goods donated by local businesses.

When you register, include the group leader’s name, any organizational affiliation, number of volunteers and contact information for the group.

Registration is $1 per team and $5 per group, but volunteers can come for free.

And after you pull garlic mustard to your heart’s content, cook it at the Garlic Mustard Chef Challenge. After all, it’s called garlic mustard.

Why wouldn’t you want to eat that?

Need recipes? Try these.

Entry to the cooking challenge is $5 – cook enough to serve 10 people and bring your entry in a disposable container! Recipes will be judged on taste, appearance and originality.