Outdoor Living

Dr. Carla Gull blogs at www. insideoutsidemichiana.com and hosts the podcast Loose Parts Nature Play. She is often seen with her four adventurers in the greater Michiana area.

Top - Pull at the base of the long, second year stalk to get the roots. Second - First year growth with more rounded leaves—these are great to eat! Third - The heart shaped, pointy leaves and white flowers indicate second year growth. Bottom - Easily pull garlic mustard to fight this invasive species!

Aliens among us? Yes, even in our local plant world there are plants that do not belong disguising themselves as spring foliage.

THE BAD NEWS

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a non-native invasive plant prolific this time of year. It can easily overtake an area, spreading quickly along a forest edge or disturbed area. It can invade forested areas as well, which few nonnatives do. Each stalk can produce 600 or more seeds, so one plant equals significant impact. The dense plots of garlic mustard choke out native plants in that area. Seeds are viable for over 5 years. Additionally, chemicals from the plant alter the soil nearby, making it harder for other plants to grow in that area.

Garlic mustard is really easy to pull! And, it is edible, with a slight garlicky taste! While easy to pull at the base of the plant, be sure to get at least the upper half of the root. Pulling before seeds develop is essential or we become part of the spread of this invasive plant. Keep revisiting the area yearly, pulling for at least 5 years or until it no longer reappears.

IDENTIFICATION

Garlic mustard is a biennial. That means it has two stages of growth over two years to produce seeds. The first year, it is lower to the ground, with round shaped leaves with scalloped edges. Crushing the leaves will yield a garlicky smell. The second year, the plant gets taller with pointy heart-shaped, serrated leaves and small white flowers. Seed pods usually develop in June—do not pull when seeds are present.

Unfortunately, garlic mustard needs to be bagged and put in the garbage or burned. Seeds can still develop after the plant is pulled so composting and other methods of disposal help it spread.

EATING GARLIC MUSTARD

Garlic mustard does have a garlicky taste. The first year leaves are typically the best to eat. The young leaves can be added to salad, made into pesto, sautéed as a green, added to soup, or used as a seasoning. BE A GARLIC MUSTARD CRUSADER!

While garlic mustard is an invasive plant, we can do something about it. Identify garlic mustard in the two stages and pull it up when you walk past it and throw it away. As a community, we can work toward healthier habitats by being vigilant around garlic mustard every spring.

Join us for the Ridge Run and Roll event on May 14 at 9 a.m. Meet at the windmill in Krider World’s Fair Garden for a fun 5K walk, run or ride experience for all ages. It’s not a race, and you can complete the whole route or just a portion of it while connecting with others in our community.

The marked loop route will guide users through the new traffic calming measures located at Bristol Avenue and Berry Street, down the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail to the Ridge Run Trail, and then connect to the Wayne Street Trail down the ‘S’ curves. Please note the last portion of the route is downhill, so cyclists, make sure your bike is in good repair and the brakes are functional!

Upon completing the route (or however far you choose), we kindly ask for your feedback on the new traffic calming measures as you enjoy a free Essenhaus donut and coffee drink from the Electric Brew in Krider Garden.

Four team members at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County are working toward completing their Child & Youth Care (CYC) certification.

Rhonda Eicher, Marisa Lutton and Denise Ward from the Middlebury Club and Grace Hostetler from the Nappanee Club will join Whitney Miller and Nicole Sullivan from the Elkhart Club who already have their CYC credentials.

CYC is an assessment process and certification for child and youth care professionals who demonstrate high standards of care and commitment to ongoing competence development. The CYC certification program is the most rigorous demonstration of competence in the field.

“We are so proud that our team members are taking this next step to show their commitment to the young people that are placed in our care every day,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County Chief Operations Officer Launa Leftwich.

The certification provides an assessment process and certification to child and youth care practitioners who demonstrate their commitment to high standards of care and ongoing competence development. The CYC certification program is the most rigorous demonstration of competence in the field.

“Having the opportunity to further my education in my career field and having my Child & Youth Care Certification is important to me because I didn’t get my Bachelor’s degree in this field. I wasn’t aware of my passion for youth work until I took a summer job after graduating,” Eicher said.

Others on the team have similar reasons for pursing the certification.

“I decided to pursue this because it would be another notch in my belt to help kids and find different ways to help them,” Ward said.

“Through a myriad of roles, I have been working with youth for 30 years. The science, especially when dealing with the social/emotional aspects, has evolved so much. I need to learn to evolve with it,” Lutton said.

“Taking this course over the past couple months, it was awesome to meet people from other Boys & Girls Clubs around Indiana and learn new tips and tricks they use in their everyday Club life. I am so blessed to be a part of an organization who truly helps, trains, and equips their employees to be the best they can be,” Hostetler said.

Mortgage | Home Equity | Refinance | Construction

240 US 20 • 574.825.9471 • essenhaus.com

printing (over 200 colors to choose from), textile laser embroidery, laser engraving, direct to garment, heat transfer, wide format printing, car, wall & window decals, vehicle wraps, yard signs, banners, and rhinestone designs.

851 U.S. 20, Suite 2 Middlebury 574-825-7222 54595 C R 17 Elkhart 574-293-0222

Donors, stakeholders, and community members gathered at the site of the Krider Rest Area along the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in Middlebury at noon on Friday, April 1, to dedicate the new facility. The formal dedication was held at the nearby pavilion due to the blustery weather and a brief but intense snow shower. The rest area consists of a restroom

facility, a bike repair station, a drinking fountain, and extensive landscaping. Many groups and individuals worked together to achieve this longtime goal: the Bontrager Family Foundation, the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, the Friends of the Middlebury Parks, the Friends of the Pumpkinvine, the Middlebury Park Board, the Trails Committee, the Landscape Committee, Mary Cripe, the Middlebury Town Council, the Pumpkinvine Cyclery, the Scott and Vonnie Trumble family, John Dodd, the Poyser family, the First United Methodist Church, A&B Lawn and Landscape, and the staffs of the Middlebury Parks and Recreation Department, Middlebury Public Works, and Middlebury Water Department.

After a brief speech by Middlebury Park Superintendent Tom Enright recognizing the various contributors, refreshments were served, including two veggie pizzas designed to look like bicycle wheels.

The facility was opened in the autumn of 2021 and closed for the winter, but is now reopened for the warmer months ahead. During its brief open period last fall, many trail users expressed their thanks for the facility via emails. As the weather warms up, riders and walkers on the trail as well as visitors to Krider World’s Fair Garden will appreciate this facility resulting from the cooperation of the groups and individuals who worked together to create this rest area.

Are you comfortable in your skin or does a shower leave you feeling dry? Hawkins Water Tech can help.