对抗大蒜芥末的食谱

我叫Stella Piasecki, 23岁. 我是一个 环境研究专业 来自大巴林顿, 麻萨诸塞州, and I’ve dedicated a decade of my life to the battle against a destructive, distressing and downright deplorable entity — garlic 芥末. 
 
I like to think of myself as a garlic 芥末 warrior, and this summer I am continuing 我在火博体育的竞选活动. 一个人是如何被征召去执行这项任务的? 它开始于 对户外的热爱. 
 
Growing up in the Berkshires, I've always had a deep love for forests. 当我 choosing a college, I knew it had to be one that had a forest readily available for 我的探索.
 
当我到火博体育的时候 上旅行, one 的 first things I did was look up a map of campus and head in the direction 的 北部森林.

On that first day, walking the red trail loop, I got a small taste of what these beautiful 155英亩的保护土地. 我知道我恋爱了，还有北森林 让我感觉就像在家里一样. 
 
In my time at Skidmore since that first walk, I’ve often returned to the woods for 休息，锻炼，探索和学习. 但每次我去拜访，我都注意到 像蒜芥菜这样的入侵物种已经生根发芽. 我知道我必须想个办法 to get involved, and I found the perfect opportunity — working as a 北部森林 steward. 

 
北部森林 stewards are student employees who work for Skidmore’s 可持续发展办公室 over the summer and throughout the school year to help preserve, protect and raise 意识到这一宝贵的校园资源. 树林与校园相连 with five hiking trails, which lead visitors through nature and away from the hustle 和日常生活的喧嚣. 除了提供娱乐的机会，公园 woods are also used by professors in classes and other projects, including 暑期合作研究 与学生.
 
Stewards do everything from conducting trail maintenance to improving wayfinding with 标牌和信息亭. The whole job is very rewarding, but I feel the most joy when I know I’m helping to maintain the woods for future generations by pulling and disposing 入侵物种.

In just three weeks on the job, I’ve pulled tens of thousands of garlic 芥末 plants. The 北部森林 Stewardship has given me the opportunity to devote the majority of my summer to doing what I love: protecting the natural beauty of native forests.

为什么要和大蒜芥末开战?

Throughout my life, I have been devoted to reducing populations of garlic 芥末, 无论是在马萨诸塞州还是在火博体育. 一株植物可以产生数百个 of microscopic seeds that can sit in the soil for years and create hard-to-fight patches that displace native plants like wildflowers and tree seedlings.

Garlic 芥末 is particularly troublesome because it grows in thick outcrops that 掐死附近的任何东西. 大蒜芥末的根部也会产生一种毒素 杀死许多植物赖以生存的土壤真菌.

Basically, garlic 芥末 is the worst in all possible ways. 
 
If left unmanaged, invasive species like garlic 芥末 can reduce the biodiversity of an ecosystem by outcompeting native species and reducing resources for native flora 和动物.
 
To pull garlic 芥末 effectively, you need to pull the entire plant, including its 根系. It is really important to dispose of garlic 芥末 properly because if you leave the plants after you have pulled them, they can easily regrow in the 他们被遗弃的地方. We bag up the plants in trash bags, seal the bags and then 把它们当垃圾扔掉. 

While I'm determined to destroy the garlic 芥末 and save the 北部森林, I also 很难看到成堆的废弃植物材料. 我很高兴能和大家分享 there’s a silver lining to such a dark and devious plant: Its leaves are completely 可食用的. 
 
I have been making garlic 芥末 pesto every summer since I was 10 years old, and 它已经成为我最喜欢的夏季传统之一.

Now, it is my honor to recruit you in the campaign against garlic 芥末 with this 配方: