Ways to Use Wild Garlic

It brings me such joy to see the first sprig of ramson in my local woodland. From about late January, I check regularly to see when it’s fully sprouted. The smell is usually a strong indicator for picking. I love wild garlic for that reason alone - it’s the perfect example for why our senses are a great tool for foraging.

There is so much more to make than the standard wild garlic pesto (although this is perfectly lovely). I’ve shared some of my favourite ways to use this delicious wild edible green. Wild food is so good for us in so many ways. Remember my motto - diverse bacteria will thrive and our guts will thank us. You cannot get any more ‘raw’ or ‘organic’ than this.

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Brown Miso Ramen

Feed your gut a double whammy with fermented soya bean (miso) infused broth. This recipe is such a quick and easy dish, serving two people.

You will need:

1 tbsp oil for the pan, plus extra to serve

20g ginger (from root)

2 tbsp miso paste

500g vegetable stock

2 nests of rice or egg noodles

Handful of wild garlic

Handful of salad onions

1 fresh chilli

Method:

1.Heat the oil in a large pan (ideally a wok), add the ginger and sizzle until fragrant. Stir in the miso, vegetable stock and 100ml of water and leave on low heat.

2.Bring another pan of water to the boil. Gently place the noodles to the simmering water and cook for two minutes then remove from heat and set aside.

3.Add the wild garlic to the miso broth and simmer for two minuets. Use tongs to lift the noodles into two serving bowls followed by the wild garlic. Pour the hot broth around. Scatter with the salad onions and chilli, then drizzle a little more wok oil to serve.

Raw Salad

Lacto fermented Ramson Stems (& flower heads)

You will need:

100g Wild garlic stems and buds

10g Himalayan rock salt or raw sea salt

Pickling jar

Freeze for a later date

Pick and leave in bunches that will act as a serving.