Wild garlic season is short, so it’s a smart move to dry some and build a little stash! Drying wild garlic is a super simple trick, and it has a surprisingly bold flavor. I love making a little garland out of the leaves and just watching them dry. no energy needed, just a bit of patience and time. If you want to speed things up, you can also dry the leaves in the oven – I’ve tried both. The dried wild garlic can be used for seasoning, just like the fresh kind. There is also another way how to store wild garlic, namely freezing it as described here: Wild Garlic Ice Cubes.
Ingredients for Drying Wild Garlic:
- Fresh wild garlic
Equipment needed
- Large sewing needle
- Thread
- Screw-top jar
How to Dry Wild Garlic:
If you’re familiar with wild herbs, go ahead and forage it yourself (check “Important Knowledge about Wild Garlic” below!). I just picked some up at the supermarket to build up my little spice stash.
Firstly, wash the wild garlic well, spread it out on a kitchen towel, and gently pat it dry with paper towels.
How to Air Dry Wild Garlic:
Depending on how much you have, thread a long, sturdy piece of string through a large sewing needle. Stack a few leaves at a time and carefully pierce them near the stem end. Keep going until all the leaves are strung. Then, hang the string somewhere dry and airy in your home. Spread the leaves out a bit along the string so each one gets enough air. At my place, they took about three weeks to fully dry.
How to Dry Wild Garlic in the Oven:
Spread the washed leaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I used the leftover oven heat after baking a cake; about 40°C / 100°F is enough. If your oven door fogs up, wedge a wooden spoon in the door to let moisture escape. Every now and then, turn the leaves over and check how dry they feel. They’re done when they rustle and crumble easily. Mine took about 4 hours to fully dry. The oven-dried wild garlic turned out darker once crushed than the air-dried version. For my taste, the oven-dried flavor was a bit more intense.
Crushing and Storing:
Once your leaves are completely dry, crush them with your hands. I wanted mine really fine, so I finished it off with a mortar and pestle. Then just store your wild garlic seasoning in an airtight jar, away from light. Now you’ve got a year-round supply of that amazing garlic flavor!
Important Knowledge about Wild Garlic:
Make sure to educate yourself before foraging. You will have to be extra careful when foraging wild garlic. There are some poisonous plants to confuse wild garlic with! Lily of the Valley, autumn crocuses, corn lilies, and others, can easily be confused with wild garlic. A deadly error!
Consult with a professional when foraging. You can go the safe route and buy wild garlic in the store when in season.
Educate yourself thoroughly before foraging, as there are some dangerous lookalikes to wild garlic. The key identifier is its strong garlic scent; however, caution is advised; once you’ve rubbed a few leaves between your fingers, the garlic smell lingers on your hands, making it hard to safely identify additional plants. Wild garlic features broad, oval-shaped green leaves, each growing from its own stem. The tops of the leaves are glossy and dark green, while the undersides are matte with a distinct central vein and several parallel veins alongside it. This matte underside helps distinguish it from toxic imposters. The plant also produces edible, white, star-shaped flowers with six petals. Wild garlic typically thrives in moist, shady environments with nutrient-rich soil and grows from a small bulb, much like other members of the allium family.
The best time to harvest wild garlic is between March and May before the plant starts to flower. After flowering, it loses some of its intense flavor, but you can still use it, and even the white flowers are edible. The best time to collect is in the morning when the leaves are still fresh and juicy. Only cut one leaf per plant to avoid weakening it too much. It’s best to use scissors or a small knife or gently snap the leaf off without pulling up the root. Avoid digging up the whole plant so it can regrow, and you can harvest again next year.
I hope you enjoyed this how to dry wild garlic tutorial. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Some Recipe Suggestions:
- Wild garlic ice cubes
- Wild garlic focaccia
- Wild garlic pasta
- Wild garlic pesto
- Wild garlic butter
- Wild garlic bread
How to Dry Wild Garlic
How to dry wild garlic? Drying wild garlic is easy! With these two methods, keep spring in your spice rack!
Ingredients
Fresh wild garlic
Instructions
How to Air Dry Wild Garlic:
Thread a long, sturdy piece of string through a large sewing needle. Stack a few leaves at a time and carefully pierce them near the stem end. Keep going until all the leaves are strung. Hang the string somewhere dry and airy in your home. Spread the leaves out along the string so each one gets enough air. At my place, they took about three weeks to fully dry.
How to Dry Wild Garlic in the Oven:
Spread the washed leaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Put it in the oven at 40°C / 100°F.
If your oven door fogs up, wedge a wooden spoon in the door to let moisture escape.
Every now and then, turn the leaves over and check how dry they feel. They’re done when they rustle and crumble easily.
Mine took about 4 hours to fully dry.
Crushing and storing
Once your leaves are completely dry, crush them with your hands. Then finish it off with a mortar and pestle. Store your wild garlic seasoning in an airtight jar, away from light.
Notes
Be Careful if you Forage Wild Garlic!
Make sure to educate yourself before foraging. There are some poisonous plants to confuse wild garlic with! Consult with a professional when foraging. You can go the safe route and buy wild garlic in the store when in season.