Student shows off home-cooked dinner with unexpected main ingredient: 'Looks tasty'

A student took to r/invasivespecies to show off their dinner, which was made with a key ingredient fitting for the subreddit: wild boar. 

The photo showed an appetizing shot of their meal of wild boar chops with mashed potatoes, carrots, and cornbread. 

Wild boars cause huge amounts of environmental damage across the United States each year, and many are vectors of disease. The original post asked for further recommendations for other invasive species to feast upon.

Several suggestions were made. "Looks tasty. I've heard mussels are good," said one commenter. This was presumably a reference to the zebra mussel, one of the worst of all invasive species. 

Another commenter said, "Kudzu is apparently … delicious on all parts of the plant," referring to the highly destructive "vine that ate the south," according to The Nature Conservancy. 

Upon learning the poster was based in California, one Redditor suggested "roasted Nutria with glazed Northern California organic vegetables." Nutria are invasive rodents whose dietary habits cause immense habitat destruction to wetlands.

On the plus side, the name is quite apt, as nutria are nutritious. They're high in protein and low in fat, an ideal choice for health-conscious consumers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has even made social media posts encouraging people to tuck in to help the environment. 

The discussion highlights one interesting way to help in the fight against invasive species. Invasive species pose a major threat to local biodiversity by overusing resources and destroying habitats. They cause native populations to decline or even go extinct. Because of an ecosystem's delicate balance, an invasive species endangers the rest of the environment when even one plant or animal is removed from it.

For those less inclined to eat up, there are other ways to help out. For example, rewilding your lawn is not only better for biodiversity but also requires less cost and effort to maintain. Additionally, gardening with native plants and flowers will add a touch of beauty and strengthen the local ecosystem. 

Discarded invasive plants can still make for an appetizing salad, as one of the comments suggests: "Japanese knotweed shoots are very edible and tasty. I've heard you can kind of treat them like cucumbers."

What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home? Not enough time ⏳ Not enough space 🤏 It seems too hard 😬 I have a garden already 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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