Content
- Preserve wild garlic and preserve its aroma
- The best harvest time for the wild garlic
- Freeze leaves and flowers better than dry
- The insertion of wild garlic
- Tips & Tricks
Preserve wild garlic and preserve its aroma
The wild garlic (Allium ursinum) belongs to the kitchen herbs, which should be processed relatively fresh after the harvest. The cut leaves and flowers turn yellow at a normal temperature and wither, unless they are kept in a special way.
Early article The consumption of wild garlic: A confusion can be dangerous Next article The wild garlic as a seasonal spice herb: Preservation by freezingThe best harvest time for the wild garlic
The wild garlic can not be harvested fresh all year round, as it leaves its leaves grow fresh from the ground each spring and in late summer already retreats completely into its root-like onion. It is not true that its leaves and flowers would become poisonous after flowering. The flowers already taste very intense garlic at this time, which is not for everyone. Late harvested leaves are more fibrous and of lower quality than fresh green leaves cut in March and April. After harvesting, you can keep the wild garlic fresh in the fridge for a few days. This short-term preservation works a little better with the following tricks:
Freeze leaves and flowers better than dry
If you want to keep the wild garlic for longer than just a few days, you must either dry it, freeze it or insert it. The drying offers the wild garlic but unlike other herbs only as a matter of secondary consideration to be drawn on, since the wild garlic thereby loses much of its aroma. It is better if you freeze the wild garlic in whole or chopped. A clever way to do this is to freeze chopped wild garlic in some water in an ice cube mold. Not only is the aroma well preserved, it is also less likely to be released to other foods stored in the freezer. The wild garlic ice cubes can be easily used for the preparation of sauces, soups, dressings, wild garlic pesto and other dishes.
The insertion of wild garlic
When placing wild garlic, make sure that the harvested leaves and flowers are processed as fresh as possible. Basically, there are two different ways to put the wild garlic in vinegar or in oil. Especially tasty are so-called wild garlic capers from the not yet blossoming wild garlic buds. They have to catch exactly the right time for their harvest in spring, when the wild garlic flowers have not yet opened. The harvested buds are then boiled up with a little salt and herbal vinegar and are ready for consumption after about 2 weeks of ripening.
Tips & Tricks
Since the plant parts of wild garlic can be burdened with invisible small fox tapeworm eggs, you should always wash them thoroughly before eating them raw or storing them.