Wild Garlic. Photo © J R Crellin 2004, used under Creative Commons Licence.Latin name: Allium ursinum (Bear's Garlic)
Also known as: Ramsons, Wood Garlic, Bear's Garlic, Buckrams
One of the easiest wild foods to locate, woods and hedgerows are packed with pure white wild garlic flowers now and will continue to be so until sometime around the end of June. The easiest way to find it is to simply walk along and keep sniffing - the aroma is distinctive and very similar to that of the garlic sold in shops. The plant is very common in deciduous woodlands and hedgerows, where it prefers slightkly acidic soil.
Wild garlic was very commonly eaten not many years ago - Culpepper's Herbal encourages the reader to "just try a little in your next salad." Salad remains my preferred use for it, as it has a flavour more delicate than that of cultivated garlic which adds a subtle and delicious taste - the flowers look beautiful scattered over any salad. It also works very well in omlettes and any other recipe that calls for garlic.
All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves have the best taste, especially if you can find them just before the plant flowers. Towards the end of the summer, pods will develop which can be used in the same way as the cloves of cultivated garlic. Like cultivated garlic, it is known for its anti-oxidant properties which are beneficial in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol and is said to be more potent than the shop-sold varieties. An infusion of the plant will help to rid the body of internal parasites such as threadworm.
The name Bear's Garlic comes from an old belief, possibly a myth, that bears will seek out the plant and consume it when they awake from hibernation for its beneficial effects on health.
Caution: Wild Garlic is a member of the lily family and bears some resemblance to other lilies, many of which are highly poisonous. To be certain, crush the leaves between your fingers and sniff - if it's wild garlic, the garlic smell will be obvious.
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