Issue 17Wild Garlic Season

COLUMNIST: JANICE CLYNE
Wild Garlic SeasonWild garlic season is well and truly here and I have been using it in so many different ways! It is one of my favourite wild plants and grows in most woodlands and shady areas. I have a patch of wild garlic in my garden, which is spreading every year, so I have a constant supply during the growing season!
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Using wild foraged greens is such a great way of adding diversity to our gut microbiome, and diversity equals resilience for our health so it makes sense to make use of nature’s bounty!
Wild garlic is easy to identify, it smells intensely of garlic, so follow your nose! Always be sure of what you are picking though, use a plant ID app to double check, and if in doubt, then leave it out!
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I make the most of foraged wild garlic in pesto, pakora, salt, soup, sourdough, kraut, and wild garlic kimchi, and I wanted to share a few recipes with you.
Recipe 1: Wild Garlic PestoThere is no better way of preserving anything than fermenting it, and wild garlic ferments beautifully! Although I also make standard pesto with oil, this fermented wild garlic version is delicious, is intense, is tangy, is packed with probiotics, is versatile, and naturally preserved for months!
This recipe uses wild garlic, salt, lemon, and a mix of nuts or seeds. I always go for extra diversity points so I use a combination of almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
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You will need:

around 200g wild garlic, washed

100g of mixed nuts

100g mixed seeds

a tablespoon lemon juice

a teaspoon salt

a 500ml glass jar

What to do:

Finely shred or blitz the wild garlic in a food processor.

Transfer to a bowl, add the salt, and give it a wee massage to release some brine.

Pulse the nuts and seeds in the food processor a few times, a few bigger bits are good, so don't blitz it to a powder.

Add the wild garlic and any brine back to the food processor, add the lemon juice, and blend until well mixed. (This is not a very juicy or briny ferment, it is more a paste so do not worry if you do not have much brine).

Pack it into a clean 500ml glass jar, and top with a glass fermenting weight if you have one, or a small plastic ziplock bag scrunched on top works well or the bottom end of a butternut squash trimmed to fit the top of the jar.

Close the jar and leave at room temperature for around 5 to 7 days until nice and tangy, before transferring to the fridge where it will keep happily for months - I have some fermented pesto leftover from last year! Pesto in oil will only last a few weeks at most.

This pesto is delicious spread on sourdough toast, bruschetta, with pasta, on a baked sweet potato, stirred into risotto, or mixed with houmous or natural yoghurt for a wee dip.

I transfer mine to smaller jars to store in the fridge.

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Recipe 2: Wild Garlic and Cheese SconesMy scones are vegan, and are so light and melt-in-the-mouth delicious, made using organic soya milk and a vegan butter.
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I added nutritional yeast flakes, inulin, and ground flaxseeds for extra diversity points, and to give them a cheesy flavour! Bear in mind that nutritional yeast is a great source of fibre, protein, minerals, and vitamins, compared to cheese which has zero fibre, so zero diversity points!
Remember to finely chop the wild garlic leaves for an intensely green scone, and an overall nicer eating experience! I used around 30g of wild garlic leaves which is about 3/4 of a cup loosely packed, but you can use less or more depending on how much you have. Make sure the leaves are not too wet which makes for a denser scone which is not ideal.
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Another few top tips for light and well risen scones is to cut them fairly thickly, do not handle the dough too much, and bake them in a hot, preheated oven.
This recipe makes around 10 small scones.
You will need:

30 to 50g wild garlic leaves, finely shredded

225g self-raising flour

2 level teaspoon baking powder

a teaspoon of salt

a tablespoon ground flaxseeds (optional)

a tablespoon inulin powder (optional)

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

110g vegan butter or spread

4 to 5 tablespoons organic soya milk

What to do:

My method is simply to add the flour, salt, inulin, flaxseeds, baking powder, and nutritional yeast to a food processor, and blitz a few times to mix.

Add the cubed vegan butter or spread, and wild garlic leaves, and pulse until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the soya milk and pulse until the dough comes together (if you added the flaxseeds then you will need around 5 tablespoons. You just need enough for the dough to come together, if you add too much milk the scones will be denser so do not add the full 5 tablespoons at the same time. If you omit the flaxseeds then 4 tablespoons should be enough).

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape with your hands into a round roughly about 2cm thick.

Using a small cookie cutter cut 10 scones - do not twist the cutter, just push it straight down and dip the cutter into flour to stop it sticking.

Transfer to a lightly oiled and floured baking tray.

Brush the tops with soya milk, and bake in a preheated oven at 220℃ for around 12 to 15 minutes until well risen and nicely browned. If your oven has hotspots then turn the tray halfway through.

Serve with vegan butter, or butter, or cream, or kefir cheese!

Recipe 3: ZhougOne of the other ways I like to use wild garlic is in this delicious spicy green sauce, called Zhoug, which originates in the Far East and is made with varying degrees of spiciness!
I am a chilli wimp and literally cannot handle hot spicy food so I like to make a tame version, but you can make this as hot and spicy as you like!
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This is such an intense sauce, with a beautiful vibrant colour - it will really tingle your taste buds! It is also extremely versatile and can be stirred into natural yoghurt, couscous or grain salad, soup, or mixed with coconut milk and served with oven roast veggies for a delicious spicy dinner!
Coriander, flat leaf parsley, or mint can be used with wild garlic in this recipe. I have made a wild garlic and coriander, and a wild garlic and mint, combo and both were delicious!
Coriander is a great detoxifier and remover of heavy metals from the body, and mint is great for the digestion. It goes without saying that all dark, green, leafy plants are highly nutritious and packed with vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, protein, and are a great source of prebiotic fibre for our gut microbes!
In the absence of wild garlic, you can use a combination of coriander, flat leaf parsley, or mint, and add a few cloves of garlic.
You can add as many chillies as you like but as I am a chilli wimp, two standard green chillies is enough for me but you can also leave the seeds in for extra heat! I have also made this with Padron peppers which are not spicy at all and the sauce was delicious.
You will need:

1 large bunch of wild garlic leaves, about 2 packed cups full

1 large bunch of coriander, flat leaf parsley, or mint

2 to 4 chillies, keep the seeds for extra heat, or remove them for a milder flavour

a teaspoon black peppercorns

a teaspoon sea salt or Himalyan salt

seeds of 4 or 5 cardamon pods

a teaspoon cumin seeds

a tablespoon lemon juice

What to do:

Store in the fridge, or freeze it in ice cube trays to add great flavour to soups, curries, and dips.

This will keep for around 2 weeks in the fridge.

Trellis ProfileAs a qualified food scientist, gut health guru, supporter of plant-based locally sourced seasonal food, a fermentista, and foraging fanatic, Janice Clyne is passionate about inspiring, informing, and motivating change in health and eating habits - delivering vibrant good health, through her Wellness Hub and 'Nourished by Nature' skills, expertise, and experienceScotland Grows 17NavigationContentsEditor's WelcomeWhat's Gorgeous in the Garden?Quercus Garden PlantsThe Language of GardeningWool PotsA Planting Scheme For WildlifePlanting with Nature BookEasy-going AquilegiaSow Amazing AnnualsEmpathy RootgrowKeep your Hosta HappyHortiwoolHere Comes Hayfever SeasonQwickhose CompetitionA Garden From Scratch - Two Years OnPimp Your Garden CompetitionA Perennial BorderFeature Your GardenScone Palace Garden Fair 2023Scone Palace Garden Fair TicketsDesign a Kitchen GardenScotland Grows ShowHerb Growing PlansGlendoick Garden CentreGrow Your BusinessWild Garlic SeasonNo Room for Raised BedsLet’s Talk TomatoesCome and Chat About PlantsScotland Grows WebsiteWildly Edible BrambleScotland Grows TestimonialStarter Crop List for Aspiring Veg GrowersBuild Raspberry Support Structures from PalletsMenstrie Community GardenThe Indonesian CookLiberate Your LawnAll Change at the Top in The CaleyScottish Garden Design Competition FinalistsTackle the Decline in Scotland’s Iconic SongbirdsTop 5 Air-Purifying Houseplants for your BedroomScotland Grows SubscriptionListen to Your BodyPerthshire MagazineJobs AheadWhat's On In ScotlandThe Last WordNext IssueArchives