Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 09:01 pm
After the winter season, wild garlic is one of the first aromatic herbs in spring that you can harvest in nature or in the garden for use in the kitchen. If you want to extend the season of wild garlic, you need to preserve the aromatic wild garlic leaves.
Wild garlic has the best aroma before flowering
When the snow cover slowly recedes in March in most areas of Europe, the juicy green leaves of wild garlic soon appear. These may only be collected for consumption in the spring if they can be identified without doubt, as confusion with lily of the valley, meadow saffron and the young spotted arum can be fatal to health. The main culinary season for the use of wild garlic is in the months of March and April, because from the time of flowering of wild garlic, its leaves lose much of their characteristic aroma. As a true messenger of spring, the typical taste of wild garlic is somewhat similar to garlic. Due to the higher quality of taste, the use of fresh wild garlic leaves is preferable to the use of dried wild garlic leaves whenever possible.
Refining seasonal dishes with wild garlic
Many dishes are only in season in spring, when forests and specially planted stands in the garden have enough fresh wild garlic for their preparation. These recipes include, for example, the following wild garlic dishes:
- Wild garlic gnocchi
- Wild garlic pesto
- Wild garlic butter
Tips & Tricks
Freshly cut, wild garlic will only keep for a few days, even in the refrigerator. However, it can be frozen or pickled in oil for longer periods of time, retaining most of its flavor.