PLANT PORN: WILD GARLIC
THE DEETS
All the rage on foodie-types Instagram feeds this time of year, no doubt you've encountered some wild garlic at least virtually if not IRL. Though to be honest, this stuff grows pretty easy, so if you've been on a walk through a woody area recently, you've probably seen (and smelt) it in person too!
Wild Garlic, aka Ransoms, are pretty abundant this time of year, and with their easily identifiable and entirely edible fresh green leaves and mild garlicky flavour, making them perfect for first time foragers. Used in the same way as fresh herbs or salad leaves, they're also really easy to incorporate into a dish for those of you who want to impress their mates with a bit of Spring inspired menu.
WHERE TO SPOT IT
Wild Garlic can be found carpeting shaded woodland floors from and in hedgerows from late March through to early June, depending where in the country you are. It favours damp, so looking out for nearby streams may also be a good way to find a patch. The leaves are long, bright green when young, getting deeper and tougher as they get older, and as Spring goes on they are crowned by starry white globe flowers that are typical to alliums. These are edible too, but bees love them so only take a couple.
It is also an indicator plant for ancient woodland, so it could be a sign you're standing in a rare and special habitat - pretty magical that!
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH
Lily-of-the-Valley. Before the flowers come, the leaves and growing habit of these two plants is quite similar. Tell the difference by checking how the leaves grow - for wild garlic, they'll be coming out of the soil, whereas lily-of-the-valley has two or three leaves on its stem. You also don't get the garlicky hit from lily-of-the-valley!
Still not 100% sure? One of the golden rules of foraging is if you can't identify what you've picked with certainty, don't eat it. (Lily of the Valley is particularly poisonous - so definitely not worth risking it!)
Found yourself a bunch? Try this delicious Wild Garlic Gnudi recipe by Klara Moderski.
Remember to pick only what you can use and leave enough others (both foragers and local fauna!).