Spring is the time of year for wild garlic foraging. If you are lucky you can find carpets of it in the woods and along river banks. Follow the basic rules and you should be able to gather a decent harvest.
Guidelines for foraging
- Only forage from ‘clean areas’ - pollution, spray and litter-free areas
- Be conservative in your harvest and spread out your pickings
- Make sure you know what you are picking - (the smell of garlic gives it away)
- Leave the environment as you found it
It’s the leaves that are worth foraging more than the bulbs and preferably before the flowers appear. These leaves can be treated much like spinach and used for many recipes or simply chopped into mayonnaise or sour cream to make a delicious dip.
We particularly love it for making wild garlic pesto. Make a jar and pop it in the fridge. It’s delicious mixed with pasta, as a spread on toast, added as a pizza topping, spread on top of meat and fish before baking or as an accompaniment to a salad bowl.
And on top of being delicious it has a number of health benefits:
- Studies have shown that it helps to reduce blood pressure and hence the risk of heart disease and stroke
- It is known for its antibiotic, antibacterial & antiviral properties
- It contains vitamin A and C, calcium and iron
So get out there and get yourself a bunch of garlicky goodness to kickstart a healthy spring!
