Wild Garlic. Part Two. Growing it yourself (is it then still wild??)
By oldchem1
@oldchem1 (8132)
June 1, 2010 9:13am CST
Following my recent discussion regarding using wild garlic that you can pick on countryside walks.
To avoid the worry of picking the garlic that may have been used as a dog's toilet(ugh!!
) it is easy to grow yourself in the garden. I have added a picture of the garlic growing in a herb bed. Simply take a trowel out next time you go for a walk and dig up some plants with bulbs attached (as in picture)
This does spread quite rapidly so plant it somewhere that you don't mind the plant taking over because once established, wild garlic is hard to dislodge from your garden.
The leaves can be preserved in vinegar, in oil or by freezing or drying.
With regards to the taste, it tastes a little like chives with just a slight garlicky aftertaste, it is mild and not pungent.
) it is easy to grow yourself in the garden. I have added a picture of the garlic growing in a herb bed. Simply take a trowel out next time you go for a walk and dig up some plants with bulbs attached (as in picture)
This does spread quite rapidly so plant it somewhere that you don't mind the plant taking over because once established, wild garlic is hard to dislodge from your garden.
The leaves can be preserved in vinegar, in oil or by freezing or drying.
With regards to the taste, it tastes a little like chives with just a slight garlicky aftertaste, it is mild and not pungent.1 person likes this
6 responses
@karen1969 (1779)
•
1 Jun 10
I love garlic but have never thought of growing it myself. I use it pretty much every day, but thankfully it is pretty cheap. We were using lazy garlic in jars for a while, but I realised it was nowhere near as tasty as the real stuff!
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
1 Jun 10
The wild garlic is really quite different, but well worth using, it makes lovely soups and is nice in salads and is completely free!!
You have no doubt walked past tons of this stuff walking through the countryside, you can usually tell by the background smell of garlic - we have just all forgotten our basic foraging skills nowadays!!
1 person likes this
@karen1969 (1779)
•
1 Jun 10
Very true. I have some herbs growing in my garden but I don't know how to use or prepare them, so I buy fresh ones from Asda!!
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
1 Jun 10
I have yet to find wild garlic here, but it's a good idea to grow it. This area is mostly agriculture so that much of it is poisoned or burned, or both, and not much but the hardiest of weeds survive.
I have grown the domesticated type with more or less success, but would prefer something I can plant and forget.
@Aphroditei_5279 (2465)
• Philippines
1 Jun 10
Wow, you're really amazing Oldchem! And thank you for the tips. They helped a lot especially nowadays buying goods are so expensive. I love ideas that helps cut in the budget. (^^,)
(^^,)@Aphroditei_5279 (2465)
• Philippines
1 Jun 10
Yes, indeed very amazing. I often use wild pimientos or peppers leaves for chicken soup here that we call "tinola" and you add wild green papayas. And you have an instant soup. And young shoots of sweet potatoes can also be served saute and in some soy sauce. You have instant greens without even going to the market. The same with wild bitter gourd, they make pea poridge very appetizing.
(^^,)
(^^,)
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
3 Jun 10
I've never seen wild garlic. I'd love to find some!
I grow my own garlic. I bought a bulb three years ago when we moved here. I pulled it apart into individual cloves and planted them. They grew, producing new bulbs. I'd keep one to plant the following year and eat the rest. I haven't had to buy garlic in three years and I do like using it because of it's health benefits.
Ooops, I did forget something. Early this Spring, I did buy a bulb of that giant garlic, uhh, elephant garlic? Not quite sure what it's called now. All I do know is that the cloves are HUGE! I do make my own spaghetti sauce and other things like that in bulk so one of these cloves is great. If I don't have anything to make for awhile that would require that much garlic, I mince the whole thing and put the unused portion in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It keeps for a long time.
Anyway, I used one clove of this huge garlic and planted the others. They're growing very well now. I plant them around my vegetables because rodents, like squirrels, chipmunks, voles and field mice, don't like garlic and avoid it so they leave my vegetable garden alone. I also plant my onions like this, around my vegetable garden. It works very well, too!
Now, about growing your own wild garlic, uhh, I'm not so sure it would be wild anymore, although I do have some wild raspberry bushes that I've dug up and transplanted where I wanted them and they're still considered wild raspberry bushes. Maybe garlic is the same.
