After 123 volunteers pulled more than a ton of garlic mustard from various areas of Patapsco Valley State Park May 5, a picnic was held to celebrate their accomplishments.

While I'm sure the standard picnic fare was available, the dishes also had a twist -- the addition of the invasive garlic mustard plant. The annual garlic mustard cook-off was held and judged and winners were announced.

But first, the garlic mustard pull itself. Elkridge Cub Scout Pack 432 was recognized as the group with the most pounds pulled, digging up 364 pounds. The Earth Stewards team from the University of Maryland, Baltimore College, had the most pounds pulled per team member, with about 35 pounds per person.

The big winner of the day was Brian Schexnayder, of Arbutus, who pulled 223 pounds all by himself.

For the kids, there was the Villain of the Valley poster contest, featuring pictures of the garlic mustard plant. Summer Phipps, of Ellicott City, took home top honors.

The event, in partnership with Patapsco State Park, is sponsored by the Friends of the Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway, Inc.

And now, back to the food. This year's entries included a mock crab cake, macaroni and cheese and pumpkin bread and deviled egg and ham salad.

Don't have any garlic mustard on hand? You might be able to substitute spinach or collard greens. But really, I'm sure the Friends of the Patapsco Valley would urge you get out to the park and pull some garlic mustard -- it's good for the park, and it'll be good for your recipe, too.

Deviled Egg & Ham Salad (Becky Valentine)

1/2 c. mayonaise

2 tsp. spicy brown mustard

1 - 2 Tbsp. garlic mustard (minced)

1 lb cubed ham (put through food processor until almost desired consistency)

1 medium onion (cut in quarters)

2 small or 1 large Kosher Dill pickle (cut in half)

Mix mayonaise, spicy brown mustard and garlic mustard together and set aside.

In a food processor, combine ham, onion and pickle, and run until desired consistency.

Add mayonaise mixture and stir thoroughly (if not quite moist enough, you may add more mayo).

Put ham salad spread on crackers. Optional: Garnish with minced garlic mustard.

Deviled Eggs Ala Garlic Mustard (Becky Valentine)

12 hard boiled eggs

2 Tbsp. mayo

1 Tbsp. Miracle Whip

1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

1 tsp. wine vinegar

1 - 2 tsp. garlic mustard (minced)

salt & pepper to taste

Peel eggs and cut in half; scoop out yolk into bowl and put whites aside.

Mash yolk with a fork, and add the rest of the ingredients.

Mix until smooth and creamy. Refill egg whites with yolk mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and top with a slice of green olive.

Mock Garlic Mustard Crab Cakes (Bill McMillion)

2 c. zucchini, grated

1 c. bread crumbs

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. chopped yellow onion, grated

2 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

1 Tbsp. mayonnaise

l/4 c. garlic mustard, minced

Drain zucchini for 2 hours to remove as much water as possible. Mix zucchini with remaining ingredients. Form into cakes. Using only enough oil to cover the bottom of a non-stick frying pan, fry on both sides until golden brown. Serve warm with cocktail sauce.

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