Wild garlic is known for its garlicky flavor and is therefore readily harvested for use in the kitchen. In addition to the leaves, however, the buds of the still closed flowers can also be processed into a true delicacy.
The best time for harvesting wild garlic
Classically, many traditional spring recipes are enhanced with wild garlic, because then the freshly grown leaves have a very fresh aroma. For harvesting the buds that have not yet blossomed, you need to be quite attentive to your environment, as the time of flowering depends on many factors, such as the regional climate and the large-scale weather conditions in a year. If you discover pointed, green buds on long stalks during a walk in March and April, you should rub a leaf between your fingers before collecting it, due to the risk of confusion, until the typical wild garlic smell with its garlic note is perceptible. Since the buds are only very few days in this closed state, you should not wait too long with the harvest for consumption.
Capers from wild garlic buds
A popular recipe for pickling wild garlic is the production of so-called wild garlic capers. Since wild garlic otherwise has a very short shelf life, the fine spicy flavor can be preserved with it and kept for several months. To prepare one serving, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup of wild garlic buds
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 0.125 liters of herb vinegar
First, let the cleaned wild garlic buds sit for a few hours sprinkled with salt. Then bring the herb vinegar to a boil and add the buds. After straining and boiling the vinegar again, pour it over the buds in a screw-top jar. After about three days, boil the vinegar one more time and then add it back to the buds. These can then be eaten after about two weeks of cool, dark storage.
Tips & Tricks
Do not collect all wild garlic buds at one location, so that the plants can regenerate and continue to multiply at their location via self-seeding.
