Wild Garlic - a wonderful source of nutrients
In open deciduous forests, wild garlic often covers large areas. Those who know such lush wild garlic "hunting grounds" can consider themselves lucky. Because wild garlic not only tastes incredibly good, but it also does not cause bad breath, unlike true garlic. It also helps with various ailments, and one can certainly believe the farmer's saying, "Wild garlic in May saves the doctor and medicine for the whole year." This is especially true when it is pickled during the harvest season, making it available not only in spring but throughout the year in the form of herbal sauces or drops. Those who have a garden can cultivate wild garlic there, thus preserving the wild wild garlic areas.Identification features and occurrence
Wild garlic (lat.Allium ursinum, wild garlic or ramsons, belongs – like the common kitchen onion – to the family of leek plants. It forms small bulbs in the ground, from which tender, stalked, egg-lanceolate leaves grow at the beginning of March. These leaves are collected for their garlic-like spicy aroma. Wild garlic flowers by May at the latest. They consist of umbels with 5 to 20 star-shaped individual flowers. From these, two millimeter-sized seeds develop. An interesting fact about the wild garlic reproduction trick: the two to three millimeter-sized seeds have tiny fleshy appendages. Ants find these appendages irresistible, carry the seeds away, and thus ensure a wide distribution of wild garlic.Wild Garlic Flower
Wild garlic prefers protected, moist locations. It particularly likes to inhabit mixed forests.Here it often covers the entire forest floor – especially along the streams. Wild garlic is found in almost all of Europe (except for the hot southern regions) and also in Northeast Asia in shady floodplain forests and on deciduous forest slopes. However, it is often found in gardens that have shady, moist areas which are never dug up or otherwise disturbed. This is because the small wild garlic bulbs would be damaged. Anyone who takes all this into account will likely be successful with wild garlic cultivation in their own garden and can expect good harvests.
Confusion with poisonous plants
Wild garlic tastes and smells sharp like garlic. Although not as intense as the latter, it is strong enough to exclude confusion with plants that have similar leaves to those of wild garlic but are not quite as healthy.
Lily of the Valley
The toxic Lily of the Valley has coarser leaves compared to the delicate wild garlic. They neither taste like garlic nor do they smell like it. While wild garlic leaves grow bushily, Lily of the Valley leaves usually appear in pairs from a thin "stem." The leaves of Lily of the Valley are somewhat broader than those of wild garlic and tend to be less wavy at the leaf edge than wild garlic leaves. Another distinguishing feature – especially when both plants are in front of you – is the underside of the leaves. Lily of the Valley leaves shine on the underside, while wild garlic leaves are dull there. Once flower buds appear, identification becomes easier. Wild garlic develops spherical buds, whereas Lily of the Valley forms several buds arranged along the stem, which then open into the small bells.Autumn Crocus
The toxic Autumn Crocus could also be confused with wild garlic. However, it also lacks the typical garlic smell. The Autumn Crocus appears in early spring and unfortunately has the same habitat preferences as wild garlic. On the other hand, the Autumn Crocus blooms in autumn and therefore usually already has a thick seed capsule in spring, which clearly distinguishes it from wild garlic.The Snap Test
Aside from the unmistakable smell, the “Snap Test” can also provide insight into which plant you have in front of you. When you fold a wild garlic leaf, it makes a noticeable “snap” sound when the leaf breaks. In contrast, if you bend a lily of the valley or an Autumn Crocus leaf, they do not make any sound, as they are more elastic than the wild garlic leaf and do not necessarily break under this treatment.One avoids any risk of confusion by collecting slowly and carefully, so that "wrong" leaves do not accidentally end up in the basket.Ingredients and Health Benefits
The most important ingredient to mention is the surprisingly high Vitamin C content. In 100 grams of wild garlic, there are 150 milligrams of Vitamin C. In 100 grams of lemon juice, there are only 50 milligrams. In this regard, wild garlic is only surpassed by the major Vitamin C sources such as acerola cherry, sea buckthorn, and rose hip. Most other fruits and vegetables do not even come close to the high Vitamin C content of wild garlic. A large handful of wild garlic provides three times the amount of this power vitamin. This is also the reason for the antioxidant power of wild garlic, which protects our cells from aging and disease.Wild garlic has bear powers
Other ingredients that strengthen the immune system include flavonoids, free radical scavengers, iron, and chlorophyll. Wild garlic also contains two special amino acids, allicin and alliin. Allicin has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects in the stomach, while alliin generally has antibiotic properties, thus providing natural protection against parasites and microorganisms. This is also the reason for wild garlic's reputation as an excellent blood purifier, making it an important component of detoxifying spring and cleansing cures.
The harvest
The harvest season is usually indicated from the beginning of the sprouting of the first young leaves until the beginning of the flowering period, with the reasoning that wild garlic becomes inedible, even toxic, during flowering.In reality, wild garlic is neither toxic during its flowering period nor is the rumor true that parts other than the leaves are toxic. The truth is: wild garlic is not toxic in any case; you could use all parts of the plant, but the flavor gradually loses its delicacy during flowering. It becomes rougher and eventually unpleasant. By June at the latest, the leaves turn yellow before the wild garlic retreats back into the ground and continues to grow underground for the rest of the year. The ideal harvest time begins in March, when the first leaves appear, and lasts until the point where you personally no longer enjoy the leaves. This can be early May when the flowers have emerged. However, it can also be later, depending on individual taste.Preservation
Wild garlic can be preserved in various ways.In the short term, it can be stored (for a maximum of one week) in an air-filled plastic bag or wrapped in damp kitchen paper in the refrigerator. Drying is a good way to preserve and process it as a spice. Of course, care must be taken to dry it at low temperatures to minimize the loss of as many ingredients as possible. However, even with the gentlest drying, wild garlic loses both a significant amount of aroma and a large part of its healing properties. Therefore, it is advantageous to focus on the numerous recipes with fresh wild garlic. In particular, preservation in the form of herb sauces or pesto is recommended. In this process, the fresh, finely chopped or blended leaves are immersed in oil.Recipes:
There are countless delicious uses for fresh, as well as dried, wild garlic. Dried, it is well-suited as a spice for leaf salads.
Freshly harvested and cut into fine strips, it tastes great in any salad and is a fantastic substitute for chives, which are usually not yet fresh in the garden at this time of year. Simply placed on a buttered bread (or on raw vegetable crackers with avocado cream), wild garlic is a culinary delight. Even the flower buds can be integrated into gourmet cuisine.
