Wild Garlic Spaghetti Recipe

There's a tremendous joy to foraging - marking the passing seasons, discovering something forgotten just nine months before, and memories replete with a pungency found only outdoors, seeking with friends. Each time I enjoy wild garlic I remember the friend who moved here from America, and first got to know walking down a disused railway line, trying not to slip down the muddy sidings hunting for garlic, both laughing as the dog tried to carry a tree home with us.

The early morning jogs seeing the graffiti change, picking stems and carrying them back to share in the office for lunch. The little river through a wood carpeted with the proud green leaves,  bobbing ears of thousands of green Easter bunnies - just close enough to another friend's house where I hope she is free for me to pop past for a glass of wine.

Wild garlic can be sharp and vegetal when raw, although conversely some complain it's too mellow when cooked. The flavour also depends on the maturity of the plant, and whether it's in flower. I like the garlic wilted, but not too much. A touch of sugar in a pesto will help. To make sure we fit in all our greens, I've added some monks' beard by way of marshy contrast. If it's all a little too 'green sea monster' then leave it out - and the lemon zest as well.

What parts of wild garlic do you eat?

There are three parts to wild garlic: leaves, flowers and the fruit/seeds. Every part of the wild garlic plant is edible!

What can you do with wild garlic?

Wild garlic leaves have many uses. They are long and oval in shape, with a strong garlic scent. You can use them in a pesto as we’ve done here, turn them into salsa verde, add to homemade mayonnaise for a kick of flavour, or use in place of spinach when making soups.

The small, white flowers are perfect for decorating dishes, especially as a garnish for salads. They have a delicate garlic flavour.

Towards the end of wild garlic season, the flowers are replaced with small pods. These small green seeds can be removed from the stalks and mixed through mayonnaise for a take on tartare sauce, pickled in cider vinegar and served with cheese, or sprinkled over a salad. You can also keep the wild garlic stalks and add to stir fries.

Can you freeze wild garlic?

Wild garlic season doesn’t last long, and in order to make your foraged finds last longer, you can freeze the leaves to use at a later date.

To freeze the wild garlic, it’s best to blanche the leaves first, and then drain and pat dry. You can even squeeze it into balls like frozen spinach, and space out on a parchment-lined baking tray to freeze. Once the balls are frozen, just tip the portioned wild garlic into a bag and keep in the freezer to use when needed.