Lifestyle: Where to Find Wild Garlic and How to Forage Responsibly.
Last week I received a bag of wild garlic in my Riverford box and I wondered why I needed it being as I see wild garlic on my daily dog walks in my local area. But then it occurred to me that I take it for granted that I’ve been foraging it for years and that it is in abundance in my local area - when I lived in the city I rarely came across it.
I love the first sighting of the pointy green leaves (though was sad to see it so early in January this year) as it marks a fruitful few months of this excellent addition to most dishes.
Did you know wild garlic aka Ramsons is known as Bear’s Garlic because bears have used it for centuries to clear out their digestive system after a winter of hibernation? Part of the allium family, wild garlic is full of beneficial properties and it can be easily found if you know eager to look.
Where to find wild garlic
Wild garlic grows in abundance in woodland that has damp soil - therefore if you have woodland with a stream, brook or river running through you can be sure wild garlic won’t be too far away. It’s unmistakable as you will smell it.
Look out for shapely, pointed glossy green leaves accompanied by white flowers or the buds of. It will usually be blanketed on the woodland floor.
You can look on a map for local woodland with streams near you on Outdoor Active or similar apps - make sure you stick to public footpaths.
It’s really important to forage wild garlic responsibly - not least because your health could be at risk if you pick the wrong thing so do have a read of my foraging notes below.
How to forage wild garlic responsibly
Wild garlic is an easy beginners foragers harvest but it is really important you keep a few things in mind - with a hasty handful you can end up very sick (got the t-shirt) so going carefully is the key.
While wild garlic is easily recognisable it does grow in abundance on the woodland floor which means other plants can easily grow amongst it and be masked by it. I am privy to accidental poisoning after making the mistake myself of quickly picking handfuls of it one go - I ended up very sick for 3 days having to cancel work and losing out on income so let me make that mistake for you!
When collecting wild garlic make sure you pick the leaves individually. Poinsonous plants like lords and ladies and lily of the valley often grow with wild garlic so you want to make sure you are harvesting wild garlic only. If in doubt about the leaves you’re picking rip a little off and smell - it will smell unmistakably like garlic. The white flowers are edible so can be picked too.
It is legal to forage wild foods for personal use from any land in the UK (with some exceptions like local bylaws - check your local council website) however it is illegal to trespass so do make sure you are only picking wild garlic from public footpaths. Make sure you only pick the leaves not the whole plant with roots as it is unlawful to uproot any wild plant. .
What to do with wild garlic
There’s so much you can make with Wild Garlic - for some great ideas I recommend checking out Flavour Fred’s feed and find his wild garlic highlight. I have a post here including a pesto recipe that is so easy and effective. Good Food also have some excellent recipes. Enjoy this abundant season!
What do you do to get your home ready for spring?
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How to find wild garlic in the UK and what to do with it.