Every spring, many wild garlic lovers wonder anxiously whether picking wild wild garlic is perhaps forbidden. It is often said that wild garlic is protected or even threatened with extinction. But is that even true?
Is picking wild garlic forbidden or allowed?
Picking wild garlic is not forbidden, butallowed in all regions of GermanySo you can go looking for the delicious wild herb without any worries - but subject to certainrestrictions, which we will explain to you in more detail in the following sections.
Is wild garlic protected?
Picking wild garlic is permitted (and not forbidden!) because the plant isneither protectednor, as is sometimes the case claimsappears on a red list. The statement found on some websites that wild garlic is highly endangered in some federal states (particularly Brandenburg and Schleswig-Holstein are often mentioned) and is therefore on regional red lists is simply wrong. This can easily be found on the official website of the Red -List Center (https://www.rote-liste-zentrum.de/), all animal and plant species currently on the lists are listed here. The information from the World Wide Found for Nature (WWF, https://www.wwf.de/themen-projekte/artenschutz/rote-liste-gefaehrdeter-arten) do not support such claims.
So isn’t wild garlic protected by law?
Although wild garlic is not protected, it does - like all wild animals and wild plants - fall under theregulations of the German Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG). This means that wild plants and animals, which also include wild garlic and mushrooms, cannot be removed from their living environment or their populations destroyed without reason.
For collectors, this somewhat vaguely worded statement means:
- Wild garlic can be picked for personal use
- Not all plants may be picked at one location.
- No wild plants may be trampled or otherwise destroyed during the search.
- No wild animals may be disturbed during the search.
How much wild garlic can you collect?
This formulation also means that you can only take wild garlic home with you in small quantities. As a rule,a hand bouquetfull of wild garlic leaves is recognized as personal use. Caution: There are no precise regulations regarding the quantities for personal use and are at the discretion of law enforcement. For comparison: Mushroom pickers with a basket of mushrooms weighing around two kilograms have already been warned and fined. Collecting for commercial sale, for example at a weekly market or for use in a restaurant, is therefore alsobanned without official permission
So can you pick wild garlic anywhere?
In fact, picking wild garlic is not allowed everywhere:In designated nature reservesAll plants and animals are protected, which is why collecting wild herbs and mushrooms is strictlyforbidden is. Therefore, pay more attention to the characteristic sign (e.g. an owl on a yellow background, sea eagle on a green background) that indicates a nature reserve.
Tip
What else should you pay attention to when picking wild garlic?
When picking wild garlic, make sure you remove it carefully, i.e. H. Only take one or two leaves per plant and do not dig up the roots! This ensures that the wild garlic will come back next year. You should also be able to clearly distinguish between the poisonous doppelgangers - otherwise this could end badly in the event of a mix-up.
