Spring Foraging Adele Nozedar lifts us out of the winter gloom to the abundant harvest of delicious wild ingredients on your doorstep wherever you are in Wales. After a damp and dismal winter there’s no better way to perk up the spirits like a foraging stroll to find them. You’ll find cuckoo flowers, hairy bittercress, dandelions, tasty fresh nettles, cleavers, and more…. but for me, nothing shouts ‘SPRING IS HERE !!!!’ louder than a wood full of wild garlic, and there’s a good chance you have some growing near you. An indicator of ancient woodland, you can even buy wild garlic in garden centres, but buyer beware… it’s very invasive. You shouldn’t plant it in your own garden unless you have a lot of land, or you don’t mind your entire outdoor space being taken over for 3-4 months of the year.
Tell me more about wild garlic! Wild Garlic has many different folkloric names, which means the plant is held in high esteem. You might know it as Ramsons – indeed, place names bearing the word ‘ram’ tell us that the plant once grew abundantly there; Ramsgate, for example. Its botanical name, Allium ursinum, means ‘bears garlic’ or, in Welsh, ‘garlleg yr arth’. This is because it was believed to have been the herb favoured by bears to kick-start their digestive system after a long hibernation.
I want some! Where can I find it? Find wild garlic in the woods where bluebells grow. The season is generous; you’ll see tiny green shoots starting to appear any time from early February onwards. The larger leaves are a lovely mid green, the flowers like little white stars. If you’re not sure that you’re looking at the right thing, just pick a leaf and rub; the garlicky scent is unmistakable. Flowers, stems, leaves and seeds are all edible, although an important point to know is that wild garlic doesn’t have a large bulb like the ‘normal’ stuff. Pick the plant carefully, a leaf at a time, leaving the roots in the ground. The only plant that looks similar is Lords and Ladies, aka Cuckoo Pint, which grows in the same places and is toxic. Mature Cuckoo Pint leaves look very different from those of the garlic.
How should I eat it? Use your imagination! All parts of the plant are great added raw to a salad or sandwich. You should definitely chomp some raw leaves as you’re picking! It’s pungent but doesn’t linger in the mouth (or on the breath) like conventional garlic. Wash the leaves thoroughly and dry in a salad spinner or clean tea towel. Chop finely and add pine nuts, finely-grated hard cheese and a little salt to make a pesto (you don’t need to add oil since the garlic is really juicy). My favourite way of using it is to slice the top from a round of camembert, stuff with the garlic, season with cracked peppercorns, pop the ‘lid’ on then bake in a hot oven for 15-20 mins. Scoop up the gooey, garlicky, cheesy mixture with chunks broken from a loaf of good fresh crusty bread. My mouth is watering just thinking of it! Adele Nozedar is the author of several books about foraging, including her latest, Foraging With Kids (Random House), £12.99. Find out more at: breconbeaconsforaging.com
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