Local Chef Says Of Weeds: If You Can't Beat Them, Eat Them

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburghers have been renting goats to eat invasive species, like knotweed. But now those goats are getting some help from humans.

Knotweed is showing up on the menus of some of our finer restaurants in our area, like Six Penn Kitchen in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Executive Chef Kevin Hermann says knotweed adds flavor, if properly cooked.

"Knotweed has a very specific flavor that has a bit of acidity to it, but it also has sort of an earthy, grassier sort of background note to it that sort of lends it toward savory dishes, or you can also use it with sweet dishes," he says.

In this case, it's adding taste to seared tenderloin, potatoes gratin, and porcini and knotweed ragout.

Invasive species bites the dust, or at least drowns in butter.

"Any way that we can try to help out our environment, by both utilizing it in different sauces and soups and stocks, or different cooking preparations, it's a nice relationship, because it's never ending," says the chef.