Wild garlic has a lighter flavour to traditional bulb garlic, and the green, pointed leaves and white flowers of this bulbous perennial flowering plant are easy to identify, making it a good first foray into foraging<\/a>. As wild garlic grows in abundance it is generally acceptable to pick a small amount, however our guide below explains how to pick wild garlic without causing any detrimental impact to the natural environment. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and can be blended to make a delicious pesto to add to pasta, salads or soups.<\/p>\n Why not take a woodland walk this spring and see if you can spot or smell any wild garlic \u2013 just head to your local woodland or riverbank. Our guide on how to forage for wild garlic in Britain, with a few key details regarding where it can be found, characteristics and easy wild garlic recipe ideas.<\/p>\n The plant, native to Britain, is also known as Bear leek, Bear\u2019s garlic, Broad-leaved garlic, Buckrams, Ramsons, Wood garlic and can grow to heights of between 45 and 50 cm.<\/p>\n The leaves and flowers are edible. Young leaves are delicious added to soups, sauces and pesto. Leaves appear in March and are best picked when young. The flowers emerge from April to June and can add a potent garlic punch to salads and sandwiches.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> Wild garlic grows in dense clumps, often carpeting woodland floors in the peak of the season. The vibrant green leaves are long and pointed with a smooth edge and are best picked when they are young. Wild garlic flowers form delicate white clusters and tend to bloom in mid spring. The flowers are also edible and can look pretty added to salads and other dishes.<\/p>\n Used traditionally throughout Europe as a spring tonic due to its blood-purifying properties, similarly to bulb garlic, wild garlic is also thought to lower cholesterol and blood-pressure, which in turn helps to reduce the risk of diseases such as heart attack or stroke.<\/p>\n The leaves were once boiled and the resulting liquid used as a disinfectant.\u00a0Its smell is said to repel cats, so may be a good inclusion for a keen ornithologist\u2019s garden.\u00a0Despite its strong scent, wild garlic has a much mellower taste than conventional garlic.\u00a0Easily confused, prior to flowering, with the similarly leaved Lily of the Valley. Best not to eat this one though, it\u2019s poisonous.<\/p>\n Dense clusters of green spears thrust from the woodland floor in spring: these are ramsons, better known as wild garlic and they are a sign that the woodland<\/a> you are walking in is very old.<\/p>\n Closely related to onions and garlic, ramsons similarly grow from bulbs and give off a strong and attractive garlic smell. In continental Europe, the bulbs are thought to be a favourite food of brown bears, hence the plant\u2019s scientific name Allium ursinum (bear leek).<\/p>\n Always be sure you can positively identify any plant before you pick it, and never eat any plant you are unsure of. When foraging, ensure you leave plenty for wildlife.<\/p>\n Here are a couple of key foraging guidelines:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> If you\u2019re new to foraging<\/a><\/u> then wild garlic is a great best place to start, as it\u2019s very easy to identify, very prolific and delicious. At this time of year there is no need to buy garlic bulbs in the supermarket \u2013 their foraging counterpart can be found in any British woodland or riverbank.<\/p>\n Wild garlic likes damp ground where it will grow in abundance, with hundreds of green leaves growing on a single green stem.<\/p>\n Here is a small selection of some of the best places to see, and to smell\u00a0wild garlic in the UK:<\/p>\n Like the domesticated alliums, ramsons are edible and the leaves are an excellent addition to a cheese or pate sandwich. Carefully, pick a handful of leaves without uprooting the bulbs and blend or chop and use like garlic. You can also save the flowers as they make a beautiful edible decoration to savoury dishes.<\/p>\n Whizzed up with walnuts, olive oil and a few tablespoons of parmesan added after, the leaves also make a delicious wild garlic pesto.<\/p>\n Try this recipe for wild garlic salt<\/a> on BBC Wildlife<\/em>\u2018s website.<\/p>\n Better still, you can create a lovely spring soup from the leaves. Fry an onion in butter until soft and add a finely cubed potato and a bay leaf. After another five minutes frying, add 500ml of vegetable stock and simmer until the potato is soft \u2013about 10 minutes. Add the bunch of ramsons leaves and cook briefly \u2013 no more than a couple of minutes. Remove the bay leaf, blend the soup, add seasoning and you will have a bowl of spring green goodness.<\/p>\n Turn your foraged finds into a delicious, vibrant pesto to enjoy this spring. Here is our easy recipe for wild garlic pesto which can be added to pasta, tarts, sandwiches or soups.<\/p>\n Wild garlic pesto recipe<\/a><\/p>\n If you plan on cooking with your newly foraged wild garlic within a day or two after collecting, then it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Alternatively, pop the stem in a glass of water and put in the fridge to help stay fresh for longer.<\/p>\n Similarly to frozen fruit or vegetables, wild garlic can be frozen to preserve its\u00a0freshness and nutrients. Simply, wash and dry and place in a freezer bag and freeze. Another\u00a0benefit freezing wild garlic\u00a0this is you can cook with wild garlic out of season.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> River Cottage chef\u00a0Gill Meller has created three delicious wild garlic recipes\u00a0to rustle up using your\u00a0foraged finds.<\/p>\n Nothing signified the change in the season to my somewhat unreactive senses like the smell of wild garlic, as its emerald spears force up through the warming earth, sweeping over shaded patches of ground like a soft carpet of new green. The smell is still with me today as real and instant as it was then, triggering my sense memories in the same way each year.<\/p>\n Today I use wild garlic \u2013 or ramsons as they are also known \u2013 in my cooking throughout the plant\u2019s short season, which runs from roughly March through to late June. The best of the crop is to be picked when it is still young. As a smaller, delicate plant, the flavour is light and clean. It can even be eaten in salads at this point. Big, heavier leaves can be less interesting, although they can still be cooked or dried.<\/p>\n Harvesting is easy and relatively fun, particularly with children in tow. It\u2019s such a common plant, and in some areas it is more than abundant. Look for nice, tender, bright leaves. I use my sharp penknife to cut small bunches at the base of its stalk. It is possible to harvest the bulbs as well. This tubular structure is a modified leaf stem and very similar to our everyday bulb garlic, although if there is very little wild garlic in your patch it may be worth leaving the bulb in situ.<\/p>\n Late on in the season, the flowers can be picked and eaten, too. They\u2019re great in salads but you can also cook them. I\u2019ve got\u00a0a few interesting recipe ideas for these pretty white flowers in my new book, Gather, out later this year.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve used wild garlic in all manner of recipes, from pesto to soup through to pastries, breads and curries. If you like garlic bread, then try chopping the leaf finely and folding through salted butter, before spreading on a thick slice of granary and toasting. I\u2019ve included a few simple\u00a0and totally delicious ways to use wild garlic in the following recipes.<\/p>\n I really enjoy cooking through spring and early summer. It\u2019s a pleasure, particularly if you\u2019ve gone out and picked a little wild garlic beforehand, and this simple breakfast or lunch dish is no exception. Big flavours and easy to find ingredients make it a pretty, reliable, no-hassle fallback. Try making this earth and easy wild garlic, potato and chorizo tortilla \u2014 perfect for a light lunch.<\/p>\nWhen is the wild garlic season?<\/h2>\n
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<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>What does wild garlic look like?<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>What are the health benefits of wild garlic?<\/h2>\n
Other uses for wild garlic<\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Where to find\u00a0wild garlic<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How to forage responsibly<\/h4>\n
Where to find wild garlic near me<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>What to do with wild garlic<\/h2>\n
How to make wild garlic pesto<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How to store and can you freeze wild garlic<\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Read more:<\/h4>\n
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<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>Wild garlic recipes<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Wild garlic, potato and chorizo tortilla<\/a><\/h3>\n