Wild garlic (Allium ursinum), also known as the “garlic of the forest”, has enjoyed increasing popularity on menus in Central European kitchens in recent years. There are a few things you should keep in mind when collecting leaves and flowers during the short wild garlic season.
When and how do I harvest wild garlic correctly?
Wild garlic is best harvested in March and April, when the leaves are young and fresh green and the taste is pleasantly intense. When collecting, make sure that the wild garlic is not confused with poisonous plants and does not have any contamination. After harvesting, process wild garlic fresh or freeze it.
Identifying wild garlic without a doubt
Only when the plants die off in summer does the typical smell of wild garlic spread through the forest. Before that, you have to recognize it by its elliptical, lanceolate leaves or the white inflorescences. In many places wild garlic can be found in the shady depressions of deciduous forests. However, the fact that some poisonous plants sometimes look confusingly similar to wild garlic poses a danger. This primarily applies to the following plants, which also have similar location requirements as wild garlic:
- Autumn Crocus
- Spotted Rod of Aaron
- Lily of the valley
Even within wild garlic stands, these plants can occur as neighbors and therefore pose a danger that should not be underestimated. Therefore, when collecting the leaves, you should regularly carry out an odor test and rub pieces of the leaves between your fingers in order to be able to clearly identify the wild garlic by the intense, garlic-like smell.
Conserve the stocks in the garden
Collecting wild garlic in your own garden offers some protection against poisoning, provided your garden is free of wild garlic's poisonous counterparts. In addition, if there is sufficient fencing, wild garlic leaves from your own garden are usually not contaminated with the pathogens of the dangerous fox tapeworm. In the interests of safety, it doesn't hurt to rinse wild garlic leaves and flowers thoroughly with hot water before eating them raw. If you need dry wild garlic for further processing or for various storage methods, you can pat the harvested wild garlic leaves dry with a soft cloth or paper towel. If you have young wild garlic stocks in your own garden, it is important to protect the stock so that it can regenerate and spread further through independent propagation. Therefore, always leave at least half of the leaves in one location, as these are essential for the energy balance of the plants and for the survival of the wild garlic bulbs for the next season. Additionally, if you allow some plants to flower, you may benefit from self-sowing seeds.
The usable plant parts of wild garlic
Basically, all parts of the wild garlic plant are non-toxic and can therefore also be used raw or cooked. Since the flowers often have a particularly intense taste, eating them is a matter of taste. A delicacy can be made from the unopened wild garlic buds if you harvest them in time in March or April. Put them in vinegar like capers so that after a few weeks of maturation you can enjoy a tasty side dish with a gentle garlic flavor.
The right time to harvest wild garlic: When to pick?
Basically, the taste of the leaves in March and April is of a pleasant intensity, especially in the fresh green, young leaves. Although the taste, which later becomes increasingly intense, migrates from the leaves into the wild garlic flowers from the time of flowering, the leaves then become increasingly fibrous and therefore less suitable for consumption. In addition, even if you plan to dry the leaves for storage, you should not wait for a dry phase before harvesting. Sufficiently moisturized plants have a better and more intense wild garlic flavor than almost dried out specimens.
Keeping wild garlic fresh after harvesting
Since wild garlic begins to wilt very quickly after picking, it should be processed fresh within a few days. To prevent the leaves from drying out during transport, they should be wrapped with a damp cloth to protect them from drying out. Transporting them in an inflated freezer bag with a few drops of water not only keeps the wild garlic leaves fresh, but also protects the sensitive leaves from injuries caused by squeezing. Even if stored in the refrigerator, damp cloths or a freezer bag with moisture can extend the shelf life by a day or two. In addition, storing wild garlic airtight in the refrigerator also prevents the intense smell from being transferred to other foods. Since wild garlic loses much of its delicate aroma when dried, it is better to freeze any quantities left over from collecting.
The different uses of wild garlic in the kitchen
Immediately after picking, the wild garlic can be processed into the following intermediate products in order to extend its shelf life at the same time:
- Wild garlic butter
- Wild garlic s alt
- Wild garlic oil
Examples of dishes prepared directly from fresh wild garlic are:
- Wild garlic pesto
- Wild garlic soup
- Dips with wild garlic seasoning
Tips & Tricks
When harvesting wild garlic in the wild, you should choose locations where contamination with dog feces or similar contaminants can be ruled out. Nevertheless, due to the fox tapeworm, it is strongly advisable to thoroughly clean the picked leaves before eating them raw.
