Wild Garlic

When I catch a whiff of wild garlic on a hike, I stop and look around like a dog who just caught the scent of a squirrel. You can find a lot of wild garlic in the UK, but also in many other countries. Let’s learn about it today.

A great place to start with foraging.

Foraging is no joke - nature is full of amazing edible, tasty and even super healthy plants, herbs and berries, but you can also risk picking something that looks similar that is not at all good for you. But a great place to start is wild garlic, also known as Ramsoms. You’ll probably smell it before you see it, and if you are at all uncertain, smell the leaves when you’ve picked them up. They smell like a mix between chives and garlic (to me!) and smell even stronger if you tear one of the leaves. Have a look at some images of the leaves and flowers if you are unsure!

What is important though, once you are confident that you’ve got the right plant, is to rinse it very well. Wild garlic, along with many other things we can pick in nature, is at perfect dog peeing height and unless you are blessed to live in a very remote area, it’s likely that many people and animals walk past the spot where you find wild garlic. So make sure you rinse it very well!

That being said, let’s look at some of the things I learned from the National Trust in the UK about the amazing wild garlic:

It is known as the Magnesium King, because of its very high magnesium content. Magnesium is fantastic both for our mood, our brain and our heart! It is a very popular homeopathic ingredient, and used for treating digestive issues and high blood pressure! Wild garlic has a really high sulphur content, much higher than regular garlic, which gives it antibacterial and antiviral properties! Regular garlic has been used in wars to sterilise wounds because of their high sulphur content, so it seems wild garlic could do the same job (probably even better).

All parts of the wild garlic are edible, and you can cook them or eat them raw. There are lots of great recipes out there, check out my wild garlic pesto to get you started!

Have you ever found wild garlic? Did you pick any? Message me on Instagram @TheFromScratchBody!