Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) is one of the kitchen herbs that should be processed relatively fresh after harvesting. The cut leaves and flowers will quickly turn yellow and wilt at normal temperature if they are not preserved in a special way.

The best harvest time for wild garlic

The wild garlic cannot be freshly harvested all year round, as it lets its leaves grow fresh out of the ground every spring and in late summer they are already completely withdrawn into their root-like bulbs. However, it is not true that its leaves and flowers would become poisonous after flowering. Only at this time do the flowers already taste very intensely of garlic, which is not for everyone. Leaves harvested late are more fibrous and of lower quality than fresh green leaves cut in March and April. After harvesting, you can keep wild garlic fresh in the fridge for a few days. This short-term preservation works even better with the following tricks:

  • place the bunch of wild garlic in a glass of water
  • Wrap the wild garlic in damp kitchen paper
  • Put the wild garlic in an inflated plastic bag and knot it

It is better to freeze leaves and flowers than to dry them

If you want to keep the wild garlic for longer than just a few days, you must either dry, freeze or pickle it. In contrast to other herbs, drying wild garlic is only a secondary option, since wild garlic loses a lot of its aroma in the process. It is better if you freeze the wild garlic whole or chopped. A clever way to do this is to freeze chopped wild garlic in a little water in an ice cube tray. Not only is the aroma well preserved, it is also released less strongly to other foods stored in the freezer. The wild garlic ice cubes can easily be used to prepare sauces, soups, dressings, wild garlic pesto and other dishes.

Pickling wild garlic

When preserving wild garlic, it is also important to ensure that the harvested leaves and flowers are processed as fresh as possible. Basically, there are two different ways to pickle the wild garlic in vinegar or in oil. So-called wild garlic capers made from wild garlic buds that have not yet blossomed have a particularly appealing taste. You have to pick exactly the right time to harvest them in spring, when the wild garlic blossoms have not yet opened. The harvested buds are then boiled up with a little salt and herb vinegar and are ready for consumption after about 2 weeks of ripening.

tips and tricks

Since the parts of the wild garlic plant can be contaminated with invisible small eggs of the fox tapeworm, you should always wash them thoroughly before eating them raw or storing them.

Category:

Herbs