BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 20, 2021
Japanese knotweed is one of the most invasive plant species in the state, as it outcompetes many other native plant species. But it’s a delicious edible plant — and foraging for it will help you to do your part in managing this scourge on Maine’s environment while also enjoying a fresh meal. Though it looks like bamboo, it is actually a perennial species more closely related to buckwheat that spreads vigorously through rhizomes. Alexandria Goodwin said that she started foraging Japanese knotweed with her daughters in the Sebago Lakes region last year. She said that Japanese knotweed has a “bittersweet” taste. In fact, she notes, the species is sometimes known as the “poor man’s rhubarb.”