While many people spend hours in the spring and summer on their hands and knees eradicating dandelions and ground ivy from their suburban lawns, Katherine Hoehl ’25 can be found in the kitchen turning those plants and other “weeds” into tasty, nutritious meals.
She enjoys the dining experience so much that she has created a virtual museum exhibit, “Eating Invasive Weeds: Unpacking the Colonial History of Foraging and Food Sovereignty,” that details the delights of foraging for common weeds as a source of hearty nourishment. The exhibit also examines how the colonization of North America has influenced people’s relationship with plants. At the end of the informative and entertaining online exhibit, visitors can easily learn how to forage and prepare five common weeds.
The exhibit is on display at the Museum of Food and Culture, and has its official opening on Earth Day 2025 (April 22) at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. Attendees will get the first look at the new virtual exhibit, and then the forum will be opened for questions with Hoehl, a senior environmental science major and biology minor at Allegheny College, and the museum’s director, Rachel Waugh. All foodies are welcome to join via this event link.
“Eating Invasive Weeds is an extraordinary look at how culture both shapes and is shaped by our food traditions,” says Waugh. “This virtual exhibit not only sparks curiosity about invasive plants in our gardens, but also invites us to interrogate what we define as a ‘weed’ and why. We hope visitors will deepen their understanding of food, land, and power, and reconsider the weeds growing under their feet.”
I have been working on the online presentation for over a year,” says Hoehl. “It started out as a discussion with Professor Eric Pallant, brainstorming ideas for my senior project. While the online presentation did not technically end up being a part of the project, I would consider it the cool, hip version that served as inspiration for my senior project.
The exhibit explains why foraging is not just a hobby, but instead enjoys cultural significance around the world. In North America, much of what we know about foraging comes from Indigenous and Black communities, Hoehl says.
The exhibit provides numerous links to videos and written material that explore foraging, including “A Black Girl’s Guide to Foraging” by Dr. Fushcia Hoover, and “The Honorable Harvest,” by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer.
So why would people with discerning palates want to eat weeds?
Because, as the exhibit explains, they can be tastily prepared on their own or as additions to other recipes. “There are an abundance of resources available online that can help educate people about the plants growing around where they live, especially fun recipes,” says Hoehl, who is from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. “I believe that if more people were aware of the use of plants they would reconsider getting rid of them.”
The exhibit shares recipes and harvesting tips for five common “weeds”: dandelions, ground ivy, garlic mustard, broadleaf plantain, and Japanese knotweed, all common in the eastern United States. “My favorite weed has to be garlic mustard. I enjoy blanching the young leaves and adding it to homemade pesto sauce. I am super excited to start eating it again this spring,” says Hoehl.
“Every once in a great while you run across a person with a hidden ability that exceeds your expectations. Katherine is an exceptional developer of museum exhibits,” says Christine Scott Nelson Endowed Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability, Eric Pallant. “I don’t think either of us knew that when she began, but take a look at what she has assembled and you will be pleasantly astonished. You are about to learn more than you ever thought possible.”
