Content
- Process the buds of wild garlic
- The best time to harvest wild garlic
- Capers from wild garlic buds
- Tips & Tricks
Process the buds of wild garlic
The wild garlic is known for its garlic-like taste and is therefore often harvested for use in the kitchen. In addition to the leaves but also the buds of the still closed flowers can be processed into a true delicacy.
The best time to harvest wild garlic
Classically, many traditional spring recipes are refined with wild garlic, because then the freshly grown leaves have a very fresh aroma. For the harvest of the buds, which have not yet blossomed, you have to pay particular attention to your environment, because the time of flowering depends on many factors such as the regional climate and the weather conditions in one year. If, during a walk in March and April, you discover spikes of green buds on long stems, you should grind a leaf between your fingers before collecting because of the likelihood of confusion, until the typical smell of wild garlic with its garlic note is perceptible. Since the buds are in this closed state for only a few days, you should not wait too long to harvest them for consumption.
Capers from wild garlic buds
A popular recipe for picking wild garlic is the production of so-called wild garlic capers. Since wild garlic is otherwise only very short-lived, the spicy taste can thus also be preserved and kept for several months. To prepare a portion you need the following ingredients:
Leave the cleaned wild garlic buds sprinkled with salt for a few hours. Then let the herb vinegar boil and add the buds. After straining and again boil the vinegar, this is poured over the buds in a screw jar. After about three days, the vinegar is boiled yet another time and then added back to the buds. These can then be consumed after about two weeks of cool and dark storage.
Tips & Tricks
Do not collect all the wild garlic buds in a locality, so that the plants can regenerate themselves at their location through self-seeding and continue to multiply.