Wild Garlic (Ramsons)
How To ID Me And What I’m Good For?
My ID Features:
Flowers
Leaves
Leaves & flowers
Fields of white!
Wild Garlic (Ramsons)
Latin Name - Allium Ursinum.
Common Names - Wild garlic, ramsons, cows's leek, buckrams, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, bear's garlic.
Family - Alliaceae.
Season - February - June.
Edible Bits - Stems, leaves, flowers, seeds & bulbs.
Habitat - It’s found in broad-leaved woodland, enjoying moist and shaded areas. We've found it to particularly likes hazelnut coppices.
Possible Confusion - Lords and Ladies [Arum maculatum], Lilly of the Valley [Convallaria majalis], Blue bells [Hyacinthoides non-scripta]. None of these, however, smell of garlic. There is a risk of accidentally collecting the leaves of the aforementioned whilst picking Ramsons. We'd suggest whilst washing the leaves at home, carefully pay attention. We've quite often accidentally picked some ivy leaves when harvesting.
Description - Arguably one of the first plants I learnt to forage for in a professional kitchen. Something that has remained on menus throughout my career every spring. We once described it as a gateway drug to foraging infatuation. Interestingly in Nikki’s home country, it’s called bears garlic, as the mountainous bears like a good munch. Probably all the goodness they contain after a long and freezing winter in the Czech Republic. It’s a very versatile part of our kitchen larder with an almost endless amount of possibilities.
All parts of the plant are edible. With the leaf being a great addition to practically anything. The unopened flowers and seeds can both be made into wild capers. Personally we don’t advocate digging the bulbs up, as we find this practice unsustainable.
Physical Characteristics - Wild garlic is a bulbous perennial with a pungent garlic smell that is abundantly available in woodland during spring. Easily distinguished from other plants cohabitating the same space by its smell. The leaves are long, pointed and oval in shape with untoothed edges. The flower is small, white, with six petals on a single, leafless stalk.
Medicinal Qualities - An absolute super medicinal wonder of the wild terrior. Wild Garlic has most of the health benefits of the cultivated garlic, though it is weaker in action. It is a beneficial addition to the diet, promoting general health when used regularly. It is particularly effective in reducing high blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. The plant is anthelmintic, anti-asthmatic, anticholesterolemic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, cholagogue, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, hypotensive, rubefacient, stimulant, stomachic, tonic and vasodilator. Wild Garlic eases stomach pain and are tonic to the digestion, so they can be used in the treatment of diarrhoea, colic, wind, indigestion and loss of appetite. The whole herb can be used in an infusion against threadworms. The herb is also beneficial in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. The juice is used as an aid to weight loss and can also be applied externally to rheumatic and arthritic joints where its mild irritant action and stimulation to the local circulation can be of benefit.
Harvesting Sustainability - We wouldn't recommend uprooting the plant as this can impede further growth in later seasons. Cutting the plant with scissors at the base of the leaf is best. Harvesting 3 for 4 leaves per plant would ensure further growth.
Saftey Note
Wild garlic grows on the floor so make sure to pick away from pollutants.
Never munch on a hunch! Volf takes no responsibility for anything consumed.
