Tangy earthy and we say wild garlic is better for you than an apple
Forage without ID books, maps, courses, planning and excessive research.
Here is what's in this post:
It is the wild dream right?
Living off the land, being self-sufficient… having local knowledge, walking out into fields and woodlands, picking natural foods and using natural methods to invigorate, re-energise you and, dare I say it - heal you inside and out.
Imagine preparing earthy, wholesome food that is partly wild and feels like you are adding years to your life with every bite.
Pop 💦
That was your bubble. As idyllic as that life is, it is unachievable for most of us. What with work commitments, financial ties and pressures, the children.
Your dream is pushed back - maybe - for retirement.
Shelved up and inaccessible.
Or is it?
A few years ago, I decided I couldn’t do it all.
I have no time to learn detailed differences between mushrooms or what bark I can boil. But I do know a few easy plants and recipes that would make me feel like I was touching the dream, enjoying the pieces of it that are possible to achieve in life’s chaos right now.
And you can too.
Wild garlic is one of the easiest plants to find and identify, and you can use it in so many ways!
Throughout spring, you can find them in woodlands, and along rivers oozing their pungent aroma.
You literally can follow your nose.
So on a dog walk, if you smell the garlic, find it and pick some fresh little leaves and a few flower heads. A little goes a really long way.
You know you have the right plant, as when you crush the leaves in your fingers, it erupts with a deep, rich, garlicky scent that is undeniable.
Here is a what three words location for my beautiful garlic glade! It’s down at Meidrim common, which you can walk to on the lane and then footpaths from your glamping hideaway at the Welsh Farm.
///acoustics.tanks.riches
Here is a little explanation of which leaves to pick.
Once the garlic is picked and washed.
My favourite thing to make is pesto. Here is a traditional recipe.
But I like to play around with things and be creative. And also, I like to use ingredients I have as cupboard staples. I’m the worst at remembering to buy things not usually on my shopping list.
Embarrassingly that does include washing up liquid and toilet paper.
For my pesto this year, I switched out pine nuts for cashews. I always use olive oil. I used half a lemon, as I didn’t have a whole one. And because I bought parsley thinking it was coriander, I popped some parsley in. 😂
A nice little tip here, parsley takes the bitter edge off the garlic.
So that shopping mis-hap was meant to be!
Then I added parmesan, more oil and a little water, until I have the consistency I want.
The whole process takes 5 minutes, 10 at a push.
And I bet you’re thinking right now, “I know where I can find wild garlic locally…”
So go pick some! Another week and it’ll be gone.
Make a pesto pasta, smother a focaccia in it, make it into a dressing, enjoy it in a wrap.
And do not forget to pick some heads to sprinkle the flowers over a spring salad. The sun means we are all going to be BBQing over half term, especially if you on a wild romantic adventure at the Welsh Farm. Make a salad with some wild garlic flower garnish…
It's an impressive show-stopper if I ever saw one!
Bon appetite!
Cariad Mawr x
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