Chef takes matters into his own hands after plant overtakes backyard: 'I don't like anyone who shows up ... uninvited'

A cookbook author and self-proclaimed "third culture cook," Jonathan Kung (@jonkung), posted a video on TikTok about an innovative way to deal with invasive onion grass on their lawn.

Kung invites viewers to watch as he gets the wild onions off their lawn, explaining that the plant is an invasive European species.

@jonkung There are some invasive species growing on my lawn. Let's eat them. @Alexis Nikole ♬ original sound - Jonathan Kung

"Dairy farmers hate these because the cows will eat them and it makes their milk taste stinky, and I don't like them because I don't like anyone who shows up in my house uninvited," Kung jokes.

But Kung has an idea: "Let's eat them."

Wild onions are totally edible — "every single part of the plant," says Kung.

Kung proceeds to sauté the onion whites in butter without having to remove any peel and mixes the buttery bulbs with perfectly soft-scrambled eggs. 

The leaves of onion grass look like chives but are "more fibrous," which Kung says is a good thing. "If you sliced these chives the way your head chef wishes you would," they will hold their shape and still retain their oniony-garlicky taste, and it won't matter that they're tougher because they'll be so tiny.

Kung also sprinkles the petite, pretty green bits of the invasive grass on top of the eggs.

Invasive species often overrun traditional lawns, creating a hassle for people who want perfect, manicured grass.

In actuality, many of the grasses people use for lawns are themselves invasive species, which can spread to grasslands and crowd out native plants.

Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely 💯 It depends on the species 🤔 I don't know 🤷 No — leave nature alone 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

The Hoosier Environmental Council in Indiana states that non-native lawns can have damaging effects, including reducing biodiversity, increasing fire risk, destroying the habitats of native animal species, and simply creating unnecessary costs for homeowners.

A more viable and maybe even more beautiful alternative is to rewild your yard and upgrade to a natural lawn by planting native species. 

Using species like clover and buffalo grass and considering xeriscaping, which aims to lower the need for irrigation, are eco-friendly and cost-effective ways to create gorgeous native gardens. 

Viewers went wild for Kung's TikTok.

"I just garnished some pasta with these last night. All over my lawn," one commenter wrote.

Another said: "The only plants I want in my lawn are ones I can mow and eat."

Someone else wrote, "Happy snacking, don't die!!!" which is the rallying cry of Alexis Nikole, the popular @blackforager on Instagram, who makes a funny one-second "cameo" in Kung's video.

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