As with all wild plants, especially when eaten raw, you should pay particular attention to hygiene. The key word here is the fox tapeworm, whose eggs can be found on wild berries or leaves - and also on wild garlic. How to wash wild garlic correctly.
Why should you wash wild garlic particularly thoroughly?
Washing wild garlic correctly and, above all, thoroughly is not only important because of thefox tapeworm. Its eggs can be easily removed if cleaned correctly. However, you definitely don't want to eat wild garlic contaminated withanimal feces or urine, so washing it is also important.
How do you wash wild garlic correctly?
Wild garlic should be stored in a sink withapprox. First bathe in 60 °Chot water and then rinse thoroughly under the running tap. If possible, wear dishwashing gloves to avoid scalding yourself! The high temperatures may affect the aroma somewhat, but they reliably remove any fox tapeworm eggs and also kill bacteria and other pathogens. Then pat the leaves with a kitchen towelcarefully dry or spin them in a salad spinner. This step is particularly important if the wild garlic is to be frozen!
What else should you consider when picking and processing?
Not only washing the wild garlic correctly protects against infection with the fox tapeworm, you should also followcertain rules when picking:
- never pick on the side of the road or along beaten paths
- never pick along a game crossing
Foxes - and other wild animals such as dogs - like to urinate near paths where they have a good overview. Therefore, avoid collecting along paths or game trails, but instead go a little further afield to look for wild garlic leaves. Also, be very careful not toconfuse them with their poisonous counterparts! At home, the wild garlic should be checked again and then processed as fresh as possible - it wilts quickly and then loses its aroma.
Can you become infected with fox tapeworm through wild garlic?
As long as you wash yourself and the harvested wild garlic properly, you basically don't have to worry about a fox tapeworm infection. This is very unlikely due to the consumption of wild herbs, berries or mushrooms. The infection occurs more often because you haven't washed yourhandsaftercontact with a dog- fox tapeworm eggs often get stuck on the dog's fur and then get there by stroking people. The same applies if you havecontact with soil - for example when digging up wild garlic roots - and do not wash your hands afterwards.
Tip
How can you keep wild garlic fresh longer?
Wild garlic should be eaten or processed as quickly as possible. However, you can keep the leaves fresh for a few days in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, washed and wrapped in a damp kitchen towel.
