May 2023

Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT

As rain threatened to break through the gray skies the morning of Saturday May 20th, a group gathered at the Bennington Museum to learn about edible invasive plants. Hosted by BK CISMA members Rose West and Helen Ramspott, this event attracted around 30 participants. Some attendees arrived early at 9:30 for an invasive plant pull of garlic mustard. Once we had packed the pulled garlic mustard into large plastic bags, we moved onto our walk along the George Aiken Wildflower Trail. We walked and discussed garlic mustard, multiflora rose, autumn olive, Japanese barberry, and Japanese knotweed. As we discussed the history, identification, impact, management, and edibility, attendees chimed in with questions and thought-provoking comments. The event culminated with a tasting of garlic mustard pesto and hummus, knotweed crumble, and the star of the show- a delicious autumn olive jam. This event was a result of a partnership between the BK CISMA, VT Master Gardeners, and the Bennington Museum.