Wild garlic season is short, but oh so worth it. Learn how to make the most of it: foraging tips, gentle storage tricks, and easy ideas for tasty meals—all right here.
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Do you love a walk through the woods or a park in early spring?
Have you noticed a garlicky scent in the air? Chances are, it's wild garlic. This fragrant plant starts popping up early in spring, and if you follow your nose, you’ll likely spot its broad, elegant leaves carpeting the floor. Here in the southwest of Germany, where I live, the season runs from early March to April, but further north it can start weeks later.
Ever since I started foraging wild garlic a few years ago, I’ve been a little obsessed. Every spring, I’m amazed all over again by how fresh it tastes and how many delicious ways there are to use it—from pesto to soup to garlicky cream cheese spreads.
So, today I’m sharing my favorite ways to make the most of it, plus some handy tips for picking and storing your haul.
But first things first...
What Is Wild Garlic?
To me, wild garlic is the true sign that spring has finally arrived. It’s even more telling than the first tulip bloom or the forsythia bursting into yellow. Every year, I find myself eagerly looking forward to the day I can spot those first fragrant leaves and I greet them like an old friend I’ve missed for months.
🌟 Fun Little Fact
Depending on where you are, wild garlic might go by a few different names—ramsons, buckrams, wood garlic, crow garlic, beer leek, or even bear garlic. I love the ones with animals in them. It makes me wonder: do crows and bears like to indulge in wild garlic?
Wild garlic (Ramsons? Bear garlic? :)) is a wild herb that grows in woodlands and shady areas. One of the first edible plants to appear in spring, and its season is oh-so-brief. The leaves are at their peak before the flowers start to appear, so there’s a bit of a race to gather them while they’re still full of flavor. For a few glorious weeks, the forest floor is covered in a sea of green, and there’s no need to hold back, we can pick away!
Since wild garlic is a lovely surprise in springtime dishes, you'll want to forage baskets full of its fragrant leaves. It has that familiar garlic taste and smell, but softer, fresher, and lighter.
Health Benefits
This little wild plant is said to offer some impressive health benefits. For one, it’s rich in vitamin C and is believed to:
- Lower blood pressure
- Support the immune system
- Reduce inflammation
- Help with digestion
And as it grows wild (in rich, undisturbed forest soil) I like to think it’s even more potent. There’s something special about eating food straight from nature, don't you think? Wild garlic is one of those nature gifts: freely available, even if only for a short while each year.
How to Use Wild Garlic
The leaves are wonderfully versatile. We can enjoy them in various ways:
- As a substitute for basil in pesto (or just substituting parts of the basil and skipping the garlic)
- Blended into vegan cream cheese (Here’s my recipe for wild garlic cream “cheese”—a spring favorite in my family)
- Stirred into soups (my mom makes a gorgeous bear garlic soup with potatoes and cream)
- Stirred into risottos
- Tossed with warm pasta (Chop it finely into a simple pasta with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon = heavenly!)
For the best flavor and nutrients, use wild garlic raw or add it right at the end of cooking. The leaves can lose a lot of their aroma when cooked or exposed to high heat.
Oh, and this plant just keeps on giving. Once the buds and flowers appear, you can use those too! They’re edible and—yum—slightly spicy. Perfect for tossing into a salad or adding a pretty touch to any dish.
Foraging and Storage Tips
Some simple tips to get the most out of your foraging.
FORAGING
- Pick healthy young leaves from places with little human or animal traffic.
- Pick only as many leaves as you need, and ideally just one leaf per plant so that it can regenerate.
- Treat the plants with care. You’ll want to forage again next year, right? So don’t uproot them or trample the area.
STORAGE
- At home, you can store the leaves in a glass filled with water or wrapped in a humid cloth inside a large tupperware to keep them fresh for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
- Before using, wash the leaves thoroughly.
- For longer storage: wild garlic freezes beautifully up to a year! It’s pretty amazing how well it keeps its aroma after defrosting. Just wash the leaves, pat them dry, and pop them into a freezer-safe bag or container.
A Note on Safety
Wild garlic can be confused with two toxic lookalikes: lily of the valley and meadow saffron. If you’re unsure, gently rub a leaf between your fingers. A clear garlicky scent is the best indicator. If there’s no scent, it’s probably something else.
You can find helpful comparison photos and info on websites like The Greedy Vegan or The Foraged Foodie.
Do you have other tips or recipes for wild garlic? I'd love to hear them.
Wishing you planty of foraging delights,
Ramona
♥
Ovidiu says
Wild garlic is amazing!I just can t skip it.I want to tell you why. The words "little obsession" you used said about how much you like it.I understand this thing. For me similar word was "madness"( in a metaphorical way of course:)) equivalent with excitement that period. At the end of march i went 3 times in forest after wild garlic, i found a lot of it. The result was 15 jars with salt in the the fridge, a part outside. Still have 11.They have been preserved very well, was a succes.
I was thinking to make like a calendar but with the treasures that nature gives you in a year. The first will be wild garlic then the rose petals (they are the queens for me) and so on.Were like a revelation to me (they awake the heart emotion)
Plants, vegetables, fruits are like friends for a better life...
Ramona says
I like your wild garlic "madness"! 🙂 Preserving it with salt is a brilliant idea.
And a nature's treasures calendar is such a beautiful concept! You're so right, plants are truly friends for a better more grounded life. Thanks for sharing!