Wild garlic trend herb – what you need to know about picking

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It is fashionable to collect wild garlic in the spring. The sharp and fresh flavor of its leaves is suitable for soups, sauces or salads. The harvesting season begins at the end of March and lasts until May. Then the white flowers of wild garlic sprout and the leaves lose their aroma. The most important questions about the popular weed – answered by an expert.

Grass grows on the ground in forest clearings or forest edges. “You shouldn’t collect anything directly on the road because dogs pee there,” says qualified herbalist Ulrike Amann (66) from Wermatswil ZH. He recommends walking a few meters into the forest to collect wild garlic. Also known as forest garlic, the wild herb forms a dense carpet of leaves. “Anyone who finds a place with wild garlic can assume there will be a lot of growth again next year,” says Amann. Wild garlic stays in one place for years. The leaves are especially fresh after it rains.

Wild garlic has two poisonous pairs: lily of the valley and autumn crocus. You have to be very careful when collecting them, as the leaves of the plants are confusingly similar. “You should only choose what you can define with 100 percent certainty,” says Amann. He recommends that amateurs take an experienced person with them when picking wild garlic for the first time. “I find applications to identify weeds difficult for beginners,” says Amann.

• wild garlic (Allium ursinum): Leaves sprout separately from the ground and stand out clearly from the slender stem. The upper part of the leaf is glossy, the lower part is matte. If you rub the leaves between your fingers, you can recognize wild garlic by its distinctive garlic smell.
• autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale): The leaves are stemless and attached to the stem. The leaves are lance-shaped and odorless.
• Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis): 2 to 3 leaves with parallel veins grow on a stem from a branched rootstock. The top and bottom of the leaves are shiny and odorless.

According to Tox Info Suisse, eating a few leaves of lily-of-the-valley can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and a slow or irregular heartbeat. Autumn crocus triggers the same gastrointestinal problems and can even be deadly due to the cytotoxin colchicine. If symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea occur after you think you have eaten wild garlic, you should immediately call the emergency number (emergency number 144) or Tox Info Suisse (emergency number 145).

Wild garlic can be harvested by hand. “You can rip off individual leaves or a whole tuft like grass,” Amann says. Out of gratitude for nature, she advises collectors to collect only as much wild garlic as you want to prepare fresh. Air-permeable cloth sacks or baskets are the best way to transport the harvested wild garlic home.

“Collected wild garlic stays fresh for about two days,” says Amann. If you want to eat the weed later, you can freeze the leaves or turn them into herb oil, spring herb salt, or pesto sauce. Before processing, the tough stems should be cut off and the leaves washed, because small insects are often found there.

Source : Blick