This month we’re turning heading out to shady woodlands, fields and hedgerows to find wild garlic. A delicious alternative to the usual domestic garlic bulb and can be used like any herb or green in cooking, to add great depth of flavour.
The plant’s common name used to be ‘bear garlic’ which was from a folklore belief that if bears ate wild garlic, they would gain strength after a long winter.
Wild garlic has high quantities of ajoene and adenosine, which help lower blood pressure and reduce blood cholesterol.
Nutritional Summary
- 100g of wild garlic leaves contain 45mg of vitamin C and almost 5mg of beta-carotene.
- 100g of wild garlic bulbs have 16mg of vitamin C and over 2mg of protein.
Time of year: Leaves are best picked early spring, but can be found from late March through to July.
Tips: Veer off the coast path somewhat to avoid dog droppings!
Warnings: Not to be confused with Lily of the valley, a poisonous planted often amongst wild garlic. Meticulously check what you pick and cross reference before using.