Wild garlic season is coming to an end and I’m secretly quite glad. I’ve filled myself with it this year in every way imaginable, making green pancakes and vinegars, wild garlic pesto and hummus, soup, salad, sauteeing the leaves like spinach, gifting fragrant handfuls to family and friends, adding the leaves, buds and flowers to pizzas, stews, and sauces. I’ve been missing the abundance of three cornered leek I was so used to in Cork, but the mass of wild garlic here in Suffolk has (somewhat) made up for the loss of my old spring-oniony friend.
It feels good to have eaten my fill of a seasonal treat, the bitter sharpness of those waxy green leaves coursing through my cells cleaning out all the accumulated winter sluggishness, and waking the body up for new growth.
Wild garlic is known to have antibacterial, antibiotic, and antiviral properties, and also contains vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. Tinctured in vodka, wild garlic is an old Russian folk remedy for cold sores, but the antiviral qualities would work just as well internally as a cold remedy, or even as an interesting springtime addition to a Bloody Mary.
I’m ready for the new growth now, looking forward to comfrey leaf fritters, elderflower cordial, and more new beginnings.
Wild Garlic and Wood Sorrel Hummus
A handful of wild garlic leaves (best picked before flowering)
A handful of wood sorrel
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Lemon Juice
2 tins of butter beans, drained
Water
Add everything to a blender adjusting taste and texture with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, and water until you are happy.
Wild Garlic Pesto
Wild garlic leaves and buds (best picked before flowering)
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Toasted hazelnuts
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Lemon juice
Blend all ingredients together, adjusting to taste, adding more nuts or seeds if needed.
