Wild garlic - the “wild garlic” - is not only related to real garlic, but is also strongly reminiscent of it in its intense aroma. It's hardly surprising that the spicy forest herb is so popular with many people. However, wild garlic quickly loses its flavor if you store it for too long or prepare it incorrectly.
Why does wild garlic lose its taste?
Various reasons cause wild garlic to lose its taste. This includes, above all, thewrong harvest time, but also toolong storageor thetype of preparation too Pureed for a long time or cooked too hot are common reasons for the loss of aroma.
How long can you harvest and eat wild garlic?
Basically, you can harvest wild garlic as long as the leaves are there. However, once flowering begins, wild garlic loses a lot of its taste, and theleaves become hard and fibrousTherefore, you should no longer harvest wild garlic leaves from this point on. Depending on the location and weather, thebloom begins between April and May. The typical wild garlic aroma now migrates to the flowers, which is why you can pick them and use them, for example, for flower butter, to flavor s alt, vinegar or oil and to decorate salads. Wild garlic flowers can also be dried easily, but they also lose their taste.
Can you store wild garlic in the refrigerator?
Even if stored for too long, even in the refrigerator, wild garlic quickly loses its taste. Theessential oils responsible for the characteristic aroma are extremely volatileTherefore, you should process the herb as soon as possible after harvesting. If this is not possible, you should wrap the leaves in damp kitchen towels andstore them in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for a maximum of two to three days Alternatively, they can also be preserved in various ways, for example by pickling, Freeze or dry.
Should you wash wild garlic?
Even if it is not necessarily beneficial for the aroma, you should definitely not avoid washing wild garlic in particular! It is best to clean the leaves under runningwater at least 60 °C warm This will kill any pathogens such as the eggs of the fox tapeworm. Alternatively, the leaves can also be blanched briefly in boiling water, for example before preparing wild garlic pesto.
Can you cook wild garlic?
Furthermore, wild garlic should not be cooked for a long time or otherwise heated to a high degree, as theheat destroys the aroma compoundsand the herb loses much of its taste. Therefore, always add wild garlic to soups or stewsonly at the end of the cooking process and under no circumstances cook it! The same applies to pureeing with a blender or similar: pureeing for too long at a setting that is too high causes wild garlic to taste grassy.
Tip
Does preserved wild garlic lose its flavor?
Even preserved wild garlic – no matter how you preserved it – loses its taste. Wild garlic tastes best when you pickle it in oil, for example in pesto or as a paste.