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Allicin: Why The Ingredient in Garlic is so Healthy

Allicin gives garlic its distinctive smell. But the substance is also responsible for many of the health benefits of garlic.

Opinions differ when it comes to the smell of garlic. Some love him, others can’t stand him. Allicin is responsible for the strong smell of garlic. Allicin is a cleavage product of alliin, an amino acid found in garlic. If the garlic clove is injured, enzymes begin to break down alliin into allicin and other aromatic substances.

But allicin not only gives garlic its characteristic smell. The substance is also considered to be very healthy, which is why the food and pharmaceutical industries often work with it. A large number of food supplements and medicines based on garlic are now on the German market. According to the consumer center, the prescribed maximum amount for allicin as a drug is five milligrams per day.

The health effects of allicin

Scientists have long wondered why garlic is so healthy. It is still unknown how the tuber works exactly. Science assumes that the health-promoting effects of garlic come about through the interaction of the various ingredients. Allicin plays a crucial role in this.

Studies suggest that allicin:
Can prevent cancer because it prevents the formation of tumors as a radical scavenger.
Prevents infections with pathogens because it has an antimicrobial effect.
Prevents cardiovascular disease as it can lower the levels of bad LDL cholesterol.
It’s important to keep in mind that many of the studies on allicin have been conducted on animals. The extent to which these results can also be transferred to humans is scientifically controversial. In addition, the study results are not always clear: For example, a cholesterol-lowering effect of garlic was observed in only 44 percent of all studies from 1993 to 2006.

The antimicrobial effect of allicin may be one reason why garlic is particularly popular in the national kitchens of tropical countries. The antimicrobial effects of garlic, chillies, pepper, and ginger protected people from bacterial pathogens before the invention of the refrigerator. Germs in the food could be killed by garlic and marinades containing chilli.

You should pay attention to this when buying garlic

If you want to benefit from allicin’s healthy properties, you don’t need to resort to supplements or drugs. According to the consumer center, one should not assume that garlic in powder form or extracts has the same healthy effects on human health. It is therefore best to avoid artificial products and cook with garlic at home more often. It is not only healthy but also delicious.

If possible, buy garlic from Europe, as it travels shorter distances than, for example, Asian garlic. Garlic from China is also often heavily contaminated with pesticides. Bleaching agents that are banned in the EU are often used illegally there. You should therefore avoid snow-white garlic.

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Plant Garlic: This is How it Grows at Home

Planting garlic is not difficult at all – even if it is not native to us. If you follow a few simple basic rules, you can do it at home too.

If you don’t have a green thumb, you’ve made the right choice with garlic. It is one of the leek plants that are usually very easy to care for. In addition, it is winter hardy and only needs sufficient sun and moisture to be able to grow optimally.

To plant garlic yourself, all you need is a fresh clove of garlic. With a little patience, you can soon be harvesting your own garlic.

Planting garlic: the right time

As with all herbs and spices, when you plant the seeds or bulbs is crucial:
Ideally, you should plant garlic in the fall so that it can sprout in the spring.
While you can start in the spring, the garlic plants will often become smaller and slower to grow.
The right soil is just as important as the timing:
Only when the garlic plant gets enough nutrients can it form roots and sprout.
A loose soil, such as humus or special herbal soil, which contains a particularly large number of nutrients, is best suited.
However, fertilizer is not necessary.

Plant garlic on the balcony

You can simply plant garlic in a small pot or box on the balcony:
To prevent waterlogging, the bottom layer in the pot should consist of small stones or compost. This allows the water to drain away and no mold develops.
Choose a sunny spot on your balcony close to the wall of the house and plant the garlic cloves in the soil as described above.
The same applies here: water only occasionally and let the soil dry out a bit.

Planting garlic in the garden

The easiest way to plant garlic is in a small bed:
First loosen the soil.
Then stick the garlic cloves, point up, about 1.5 to 2 inches (4 to 5 centimeters) into the soil.
Attention: Do not plant the individual cloves too close together so that the plants have enough space later. A distance of 10 to 15 centimeters is sufficient.
At the end you have to close the holes again and water something.
You should observe these care tips:
Make sure the soil doesn’t get too wet.
You should also loosen the soil from time to time.
Even if frost and cold can hardly harm the garlic plant, you should still protect it from heavy rain: Cover the bed with a tarpaulin in winter.
Important: Do not water too much, otherwise the garlic can rot!

Harvest garlic you planted yourself

In summer you can harvest your garlic. You can even use the stalks in the kitchen: They are ideal for seasoning all kinds of dishes, and you can use the stalks like spring onions.

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Black Garlic: What’s Behind The “Black Garlic” Trend

Black garlic is touted as the culinary delicacy in some delicatessens. In addition to the unique taste, “Black Garlic” is also said to be extremely healthy. We’ll tell you what’s up.

Black garlic – what is it?

Black garlic is not a separate plant species, but ordinary white garlic (Allium sativum). The bulb gets its black color from a special fermentation process.

To produce black garlic, it is exposed to a temperature of 60 to 80 degrees for several weeks at a high humidity of 80 to 90 percent. This fermentation process is often used in food production and is responsible for turning garlic black.

Incidentally, black garlic has long been popular in Asian cuisine. Now he is penetrating more and more into the European market.

Taste and uses of Black Garlic

Black garlic is mainly advertised because of its extraordinary taste: in terms of taste, it has very little to do with ordinary garlic. Instead, the Black Garlic comes up with sweet and sour nuances of liquorice, balsamic vinegar and plum compote. The consistency is soft, almost jelly-like.

You can use the black garlic in many different ways: it goes well with pasta and rice dishes, dishes with meat and fish, but also various salads. It is also well suited for marinades. Thanks to its unusual appearance, Black Garlic is also a great garnish.

The big advantage: Black garlic does not produce the typical garlic-like bad breath and – unlike fresh garlic – does not have a pungent taste.

Black garlic is so healthy

It seems like a marketing gimmick that the industry wants to sell us the Black Garlic as even more healing. But actually: numerous studies have now researched how and why black garlic is so healthy.

The health-important ingredient allicin is hardly present in black garlic, as it has been converted into antioxidant compounds by fermentation. These include bioactive alkaloids and flavanoids.
The antioxidant effect of black garlic is significantly higher than that of normal garlic.
In addition, black garlic is considered anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-allergic. Black Garlic can also be more effective than its usual form in type 2 diabetes.
Since the fermented garlic also contains fewer fructans, it is also easier on the stomach and intestines.

A culinary delicacy with a poor eco-balance?

Compared to garlic in its usual form, black garlic has a number of advantages: it is easier to digest, can be used in many ways, does not cause bad breath and also has health potential. You should have tried it at least once because of its very special aroma and taste combination alone.

In addition to all the good aspects, we only see the downside of black garlic in its eco-balance: The Black Garlic offered in this country mostly comes from southern Spain, sometimes even from China or Korea – even though garlic is native to us. Due to the long transport routes, you should make sure that you use regional providers if possible.

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Black Garlic: Kiss-Proof Health Bomb

At my harvest, nothing works without garlic (Allium Sativum) – the widespread tuber, which is actually an onion or leek plant, is used in our team on an inflationary basis because of its taste and its extensive powers. When you get a cold it is eaten raw before breakfast, it is almost never missing from lunch and some of us would like to smuggle it into dessert. No wonder we delved deeper into the world of garlic. We made an exciting discovery: “Black Garlic” is the name of our new favorite.

The variant, which is still rarely found on the vegetable shelf, is not a separate garlic genus, but “normal” garlic that has gone through a complex process of refinement. This refinement has properties that are praised in terms of appearance, taste and health and scores with understatement for sensitive noses.

Garlic: Health Benefits and a Small Catch

If for some it is indispensable in the kitchen, for others it is an absolute NO GO – the garlic divides minds.

The health properties of the spice plant are clearly convincing. The so-called toes of the plant from Asia have a proven antibacterial, blood pressure-lowering and blood-thinning effect and are used in many cultures around the world, e.g. B. by the ancient Egyptians or Romans, used as a medicinal plant for a long time. It is also said to have preventive and soothing properties for colon cancer.

While the smell of raw garlic is usually despised, fried or baked it can make you want more. However, when consumed, garlic can put the olfactory buds of the social environment to a severe test, which is why many people wave their hands at an important appointment or at a romantic dinner. Who would want to chase their opponent into the distance with acrid vapors or garlic flags?

The reason for the unpleasant smell: It is precisely the health-promoting, organic sulfur compounds that are produced by the starting material allicin that are responsible for the fact that garlic often leaves a “lasting impression”.

The “little black one” is always convincing

Knobi fans have reason to be happy thanks to the “black garlic”: After the conversion through the so-called “Maillard reaction”, the black bulb does not produce stubborn vapors or odors and shines in this area with restraint – rating: kissable.

The chemical reaction that occurs when the garlic is stored for four to six weeks under heat (55-65°C) is also beneficial for the other senses: the garlic shines elegantly in a dark robe and surprises with subtle, sweetish notes of liquorice and balsamic vinegar -, preserved plum, fig and caramel notes – a taste adventure for every palate. Sugars and amino acids are responsible for this, which produce yellow-brown to black nitrogenous compounds during the long fermentation process, similar to fried onions. Another plus point: According to scientific knowledge, black garlic has a higher antioxidant content than white garlic and is recommended for oxidative stress, such as during the menopause.

The purchase price, which at first glance is a bit high, is due to the complex finishing process, which is practiced worldwide above all by the Koreans and South Americans.

Already knew?

Some people experience digestive problems after eating regular garlic.
Steffi’s tip: Before processing, take out the strand in the middle of the toe if it is green and pronounced, this has proven to be helpful 😉
In order for it to develop its full health effect, the cell walls of conventional garlic have to be destroyed. It is advisable to “bump” or press and then take a ten-minute rest before processing. Incidentally, garlic does not like high and long heat.
As with almost all foods, most of the nutrients are ingested in their raw form – this is much easier to absorb with black garlic than with white garlic.

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Cooking Tips

Preserve Wild Garlic and Freeze

Here you will find instructions for freezing and preserving wild garlic. Wild garlic can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen to prepare tasty dishes. But you have to preserve the delicious wild vegetables because they are not available all year round.

Cool wild garlic and preserve it

Wild garlic stays fresh in the fridge for about 2 days, after which it begins to lose its aromatic freshness. By the way, did you know that you can easily freeze wild garlic? So you can extend its availability to the whole year.

Ferment wild garlic

Fermentation is a typical way of storing food in Japan and Korea. In order to preserve wild garlic, it is fermented. The taste then changes to something sour, as the lactic acid bacteria decompose the wild garlic and convert it into acid. Vegetables preserved by fermentation are a tasty change of taste and have a very health-promoting effect on your body. Be sure to use gloves for the preparation if you don’t like green hands. You will need salt, empty screw-top jars, labels to write on, and a tray or plate. Fermenting only works in a dark place at 18-20 °Celsius.

  • First, clean the wild garlic by carefully shaking out the leaves.
  • Add 0.5 to 1 g salt per 100 g and put the wild garlic in a bowl.
  • Knead everything well with your hands for a while.
  • Fill the softly kneaded wild garlic into a clean glass.
  • Leave 2 cm under the lid after you push it in.
  • Seal the jar and label it with self-written labels.
  • For two weeks you put it on a plate in a dark place at 18-20 degrees.
  • Now the wild garlic is ready to eat. It has a shelf life of one year in a cool, dark place.
  • Wild garlic deep-frozen

You can buy frozen wild garlic from many companies. But to go collect it yourself or to harvest it in your own garden is an experience. Hopefully, you have found a suitable method for preserving wild garlic in our compilation and can now season many delicious dishes with your own wild garlic. By the way: Even the flowers are edible and have a very aromatic taste!

Freezing wild garlic

Another way to preserve wild garlic is to freeze it. You need fresh wild garlic, water, broth, or olive oil. When it comes to wild garlic, you should note that it has not yet bloomed. This method works best if you’d like to take small portions for daily meals. By the way, did you know that wild garlic doesn’t smell as strong as garlic? You can grab it and still not smell like garlic from your mouth.

  • Then pluck off the leaves first.
  • Next, the wild garlic must be carefully washed.
  • Then you should finely chop the leaves.
  • Fill them in airtight plastic containers or in portions in ice cube trays.
  • You can fill the small compartments of the ice cube tray with water, broth, or olive oil.

Freeze wild garlic differently

There are several ways to freeze wild garlic. They differ with regard to the type of use when later cooking with wild garlic. For example, you can freeze the wild garlic ready-made as pesto, herb butter, or spice stock cubes. You need clean containers with lids. Depending on the type of preparation, you also need butter, oil, or broth. We have put together preparation for pesto, a preparation for herb butter, and a preparation of the spice stock cubes for you.

  • For the preparation with butter: Simply stir the chopped wild garlic into the butter with a spoon, using plenty of wild garlic. Then pour the mixture into the prepared glasses. You can even freeze the glasses.
  • However, it is best to only fill the jars three-quarters full, as the liquid inside expands below 4 °C. If there is still enough space in the glass, it will not burst in the refrigerator compartment. Wild garlic butter tastes particularly good with freshly grilled meat, fish, or vegetables.
  • For the preparation with oil: Puree the wild garlic with a little olive oil. Then simply pour it into a glass as usual. This way of preparing wild garlic is particularly suitable for preparing spaghetti with pesto. Pesto with wild garlic is a tasty change from tomato pesto or basil pesto.
  • For the preparation with broth: With this preparation, you should puree the wild garlic with as little liquid as possible. Then freeze the wild garlic. This way of preparing wild garlic is particularly suitable for seasoning soups or sauces. You can use them like bouillon cubes. To freeze a cube shape, use an ice cube tray to freeze.
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Cooking Tips

Tips for Cooking Garlic in the Kitchen

Some love it, others can’t stand it. Cooking with garlic adds flavor to your dish. Garlic is also healthy and has a healing effect on the body. Therefore, you should use this tuber more often for cooking.

The garlic bulb

The garlic bulb is grown all over the world and has been used for centuries. Because as early as the Middle Ages, people used it to treat broken bones and freckles. The miracle tuber consists of a main onion and many other small onions, the garlic cloves. These are great for cooking. They are a popular ingredient in Mediterranean dishes.

Cooking with garlic in the kitchen

The tuber comes in a variety of forms for the kitchen. You can use them raw, dried, or powdered. Pickled tubers are also delicious. To cook garlic, use the cloves and chop or crush them and add them to a dish. It goes well with almost any meat, fish, or vegetable dish. You can also round off salads, sauces, or dips with the miracle tuber. Thus, using garlic in cooking is a good home remedy for aging healthily and living longer.

Is Garlic Healthy?

Garlic is an effective remedy for many ailments. Because it has an antibacterial, immune system strengthening, and disinfecting effect. Responsible for this is the highly effective contained allicin, which is produced by pressing the toes. According to this, garlic is healthy and you can use it for various healing purposes. It works against arteriosclerosis, as a home remedy for constipation, a remedy for diarrhea, or gastrointestinal complaints.

Mild or intense taste for cooking garlic?

If you just want to add a light garlic flavor to your dish, add it to the pan or pot at the beginning. If you like a strong garlic flavor, it’s best to add it towards the end of the cooking time. Also, note which home remedies you can use to get rid of the unpleasant smell of garlic.

How to store garlic properly

Storing food properly leads to longer shelf life. Therefore, you should also store garlic properly. Since fresh garlic is still germinable, it is best to store it in a dry, cool, and dark place. With other variants, storage is less of a problem.

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Eating Garlic Raw is the Healthiest Way

Eating garlic raw is worthwhile – the healthy components of the tuber are better preserved. In this article you will find out why this is and which preparation methods are recommended for garlic.

Garlic adds flavor to many warm dishes, but it can also be eaten raw. The aroma of the fresh cloves is significantly sharper and more intense than that of fried garlic and therefore does not appeal to everyone. For people who generally appreciate the taste, it is worth eating garlic raw: the tuber has healthy components that are better preserved.

Why is garlic healthy?

Science has been studying the health benefits of garlic for a long time. The exact interaction of the ingredients has still not been clearly clarified to this day. Garlic, for example, is said to protect the vessels and thus prevent cardiovascular diseases – according to the Apotheken-Umschau, however, there is still no clear evidence of this. Garlic is also repeatedly attributed an antimicrobial and blood sugar-lowering effect.

Scientists often attribute these effects to the ingredient allicin, a cleavage product of the amino acid alliin. When garlic is crushed, the enzyme alliinase is formed and combines with alliin to form alicin. Among other things, this also creates the characteristic smell.

However, garlic also contains the secondary plant substance saponin, which is said to have a cholesterol-lowering effect. However, this effect can only develop from a quantity of four grams per day, reports the NDR. To do this, you would need to eat a large clove of raw garlic per day.

Is it Healthier to Eat Garlic Raw?

Allicin quickly loses its effectiveness after cutting or pressing. It is therefore advisable to consume the garlic as soon as possible afterwards in order to be able to benefit from this effect. A study from 2020 was able to detect allicin in the blood and excretions of test subjects after they had consumed pressed raw garlic.

In general, the nutrient and vitamin content of vegetables often decreases when they are boiled or roasted. Therefore, other types of vegetables are also healthier if you eat them raw.

Another study published in 2015 examined different garlic preparation methods and found the highest allicin content in (minced) raw garlic. The authors of the study, on the other hand, recommend stir-frying as the most gentle warm form of preparation.

If you don’t want to eat garlic raw, you can also mix pureed cloves with oil to make a garlic paste and gently cook them at 70 degrees. According to the NDR, some sulfur compounds are destroyed in the process – but the taste is milder and there are still enough healthy ingredients left.

You can use raw garlic in dips and spreads such as homemade tzatziki, homemade vegan aioli, skordalia or garlic butter.

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Wild Garlic Oil: A Recipe to Make Yourself

You can make delicious wild garlic oil yourself from fresh wild garlic – you can find it in many shady places from March. In the following text you will find a recipe for wild garlic oil and ideas for its use.

From mid-March to early May you can find wild garlic in numerous parks and forests. The typical smell makes you want spring and invites you to extensive wild garlic harvest. You can conjure up many delicious dishes from the ingredient, such as wild garlic pesto or wild garlic soup. Wild garlic oil is another way of processing wild vegetables and preserving them at the same time.

Make wild garlic oil yourself: recipe

You need these ingredients:

100 g wild garlic (about a handful)
500 ml vegetable oil (olive oil, for example, works particularly well)
You also need a screw-top jar with a capacity of 500 milliliters or alternatively a sealable glass bottle with a wide opening. To filter the wild garlic oil you need a sieve and a large bowl.

The preparation takes about 20 minutes. The oil then has to steep for two to three weeks.

How to make wild garlic oil yourself:

Wash the wild garlic and gently pat dry. Make sure the wild garlic is dry before using it further. Otherwise it can easily rot and spoil the oil.
Roughly chop the wild garlic with a sharp knife and fill it into the glass jar.
Now fill the glass with the oil. The wild garlic should be completely covered with oil and not float on the surface. If necessary, you can swirl the jar a little to cover leaves on the surface. Do this carefully and do not shake the oil.
Seal the jar or bottle and store the wild garlic oil in a cool, dark place for two to three weeks.

After two to three weeks, the wild garlic oil has infused well and has taken on the taste of wild garlic. Get a bowl and a colander ready.

Pour the oil and wild garlic leaves into a sieve and catch the oil in the bowl.
Squeeze the wild garlic leaves well so that as little of the wild garlic oil as possible is lost.
Now you can fill the finished wild garlic oil back into a sealable glass bottle.
Wild garlic oil will keep for about a year in a dark, cool place.

How to use wild garlic oil

Wild garlic oil is particularly diverse:

Wild garlic oil is a good alternative to homemade garlic oil because it tastes similar but smells less intense.
The homemade oil is a tasty ingredient for (vegan) dips or salad dressing recipes.
You can also use wild garlic oil when grilling. For example, you can marinate tofu or vegetables or drizzle it over grilled bread.
Spaghetti, wild garlic oil, salt and pepper result in a delicious and quickly prepared meal. If you like spicy food, refine it with some dried chili.
Otherwise, you can use the wild garlic oil to season hearty stir-fries, vegetables or sauces.
Gift tip: fill the wild garlic oil in a pretty bottle, design a suitable label – you already have a souvenir for barbecue evenings or a small gift for your loved ones.

Important: Harvest only a few leaves per plant to allow it to regenerate. (More tips: wild garlic season: when wild garlic grows – tips for harvesting) You should also recognize wild garlic and not confuse it with the poisonous lily of the valley!

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Wild Garlic Salt: Recipe for Herbal Salt with Fresh Wild Garlic

Making wild garlic salt is a great way to preserve fresh wild garlic leaves. So you can enjoy the taste all year round. We explain what you should consider.

The wild garlic season starts in mid-March and you can harvest wild garlic leaves for homemade wild garlic salt. Wild garlic not only offers a wonderful, regional variety in the kitchen, but is also very healthy. The leaves contain valuable essential oils, as well as vitamin C and minerals such as iron, manganese and magnesium.

In addition to the classic wild garlic pesto, there are countless other recipes with wild garlic. We’ll show you a simple recipe for wild garlic salt so that you don’t have to do without the fine, spicy taste of the wild garlic leaves for the rest of the year.

Wild garlic salt: Two simple ingredients

You only need two ingredients for the basic recipe:

250 g table salt or other salt
100 g fresh wild garlic
Since dried wild garlic leaves quickly lose their taste, it is best to process them immediately after collecting them. Optionally, you can refine the wild garlic salt with a little spiciness. White pepper or chilli are particularly suitable for this.

You also need:

a mortar or a blender
Screw-top jars for filling

Recipe for wild garlic salt

The preparation of wild garlic salt is very simple:

Wash the wild garlic thoroughly.
Dry the leaves well or place them in a salad spinner.
Then remove the stems and cut the leaves into strips.
Grind the strips in your mortar or use a chopping knife to cut them into a homogeneous mass.
Mix the salt with the wild garlic paste.
Spread the mixture on a baking sheet.
It is best to dry the moist salt in the sun. This is the best way to preserve the taste of the wild garlic. This takes about eight hours. (In bad weather, you can alternatively dry the wild garlic salt in the oven at around 50 degrees. Check regularly whether it is already dry and stir it with a spoon so that it dries evenly. It should be ready in about four hours.)
You can fill your wild garlic salt directly into a spice mill or grind it finely again before filling it into screw-top jars.


You can simply sprinkle wild garlic salt on buttered bread or use it for cooking. From scrambled eggs, to salads or pan-fried vegetables – wild garlic is always a good choice, even if garlic would also be a good choice.

Storage: Wild garlic salt should be stored in a dark and dry place. The wild garlic is well preserved by the salt and lasts for at least a year.

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Wild Garlic Recipes: 5 Simple Ideas for Cooking in Spring

From March, wild garlic will sprout from the ground here. Many are familiar with wild garlic, but are wondering: what can you do with wild garlic? We show delicious wild garlic recipes and have tips on how best to prepare wild garlic.

Wild garlic is also called “wild garlic”, but you harvest the leaves and not the bulbs. As soon as the first rays of sunshine tickle the forest floor in March, the green, garlic-scented leaves sprout out of the ground. And with the start of the wild garlic season, it is also time for sophisticated wild garlic recipes.

5 simple wild garlic recipes

Three important tips first:

If you want to collect wild garlic yourself, you should be careful what you pick. Read this in advance: Recognizing wild garlic and not confusing it with poisonous plants.
Most of the aroma is in the leaves as long as the wild garlic is not in bloom. Depending on the region and the weather, wild garlic dishes only taste good until the end of April, or the end of May at the latest.
If you want to eat dishes with wild garlic outside of the wild garlic season, the wild vegetables can be preserved well, preferably frozen. Read more: Freezing wild garlic and preserving it – this is how it works.

Cook wild garlic – the basics

Wild garlic replaces garlic, onion greens or chives in the kitchen in spring. It contains the most flavor when it is not heated and eaten raw. That is why many wild garlic recipes use it cold or only lukewarm in herb butter, cream cheese or pesto.

If you want to use the wild vegetables for hot dishes, such as a soup, be careful not to heat them for too long in order to preserve as much of the aroma as possible.

Preservation tips:

With a long-lasting wild garlic paste as a basis, you can also enjoy the delicious wild garlic aroma in pesto, soups, sauces and for seasoning in other seasons. More on this in the basic recipe for wild garlic paste.
If you dry it, it loses a lot of its flavor and that would be a shame. Better to freeze then.
By the way: The garlic aroma is less persistent than that of “real” garlic, so you don’t have to worry about a “garlic flag”.

Basic recipe for wild garlic paste

Oil and salt preserve the wild garlic and its aroma for several months if you keep the paste tightly sealed and in a cool, dark place.

For a small jar you will need:

150 g wild garlic leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
This wild garlic recipe is vegan and is ideal for preserving wild garlic for a long time.

Important: With all ingredients, we advise you to pay attention to organic quality if possible. The EU organic seal is a good guide, the cultivation associations Naturland, Bioland and Demeter have even stricter ecological criteria.

Wild garlic recipe with dumplings

You can do much more with wild garlic than preparing wild garlic soup or pesto. If you like, you can serve the dumplings with a sauce seasoned with wild garlic paste.

Wild garlic recipe for about 8 dumplings

100 g wild garlic
4 stale rolls
1 onion
2 eggs
150 ml organic milk (alternatively plant milk)
some butter (alternatively margarine) or oil
pepper and salt
Cut the stale rolls into small cubes, about 1×1 cm. Mix milk and eggs and season with pepper and salt. Finely chop the onion and fry in a little butter or oil until translucent. Mix the egg milk and onions into the bun cubes and set aside.

Wash and finely chop 100 g wild garlic leaves. Put on a large saucepan with salted water. Knead the roll mixture with your hands or a hand mixer until all the ingredients are well combined and you can form dumplings. Form eight dumplings, place in the boiling water and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes over a low heat.

You can serve the dumplings however you like, for example sprinkled with grated cheese or with a fruity tomato sauce; with fresh spinach vegetables; with wild garlic sauce; with a crisp salad or colorful vegetable dishes.

Tip: If the rolls were too fresh, it may be necessary to thicken the dumpling mass with a little extra flour or breadcrumbs.

Wild garlic recipe for filled muffins

These muffins are ideal as finger food or as a main course with a salad. If you don’t have muffin tins, you can also put two paper cups inside each other or bake the small cakes in other containers, such as well-greased coffee cups.

Wild garlic recipe for 12 muffins

170 grams of flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
50g Parmesan
75g butter or margarine
2 eggs
250 ml buttermilk
80 grams of cream cheese
1 bunch of wild garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
4 sun-dried tomatoes (in oil or soft tomatoes)
Cut the wild garlic and sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces for the filling. Set aside about half of the wild garlic, mix the other half with oregano, thyme and the dried tomato pieces.

For the dough, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and parmesan. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and eggs, then gradually add the buttermilk and flour mixture. Finally, stir in the second half of wild garlic.

Fill the muffin tins with about a tablespoon of batter, covering the bottom. Using two teaspoons, place the wild garlic filling in the middle. Cover with about 2 tablespoons of dough so that the filling is completely covered.

Bake at 180 °C for about 30-35 minutes until golden and enjoy lukewarm.

Wild garlic recipe for feta cream

Make sure that the cheese used is made from sheep’s and/or goat’s milk and not cow’s milk. The protected designation of origin PDO has existed in the EU since 1997, after which only sheep and goat milk products from Greece are called “Feta”. Cheese made from cow’s milk that looks similar tastes and has a different name. The wild garlic cheese cream tastes wonderful on fresh toast, baguette or flatbread.

Wild garlic recipe for one portion that fills two people

150g feta
1 bunch wild garlic (approx. 100 g)
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
chili flakes
Crumble the feta with your hands and place in a shallow soup plate. Using a fork, fold in the cream cheese and oil until you have a creamy, fine-grained mass. Then mix in the chopped wild garlic leaves and season with chili flakes.

Harvest wild garlic in nature

In some regions (e.g. Brandenburg or Hamburg), wild garlic is listed on the Red List as “endangered”. It is also endangered in Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein. In general, you should be careful not to harvest it in nature reserves, unless the local protection ordinance allows it.

Wild garlic also enjoys a certain degree of protection outside of nature reserves, which prohibits collecting it for more than your own personal use. The wild harvest of wild garlic outside of nature reserves is fine for the occasional wild garlic soup. However, if you want to build up a large supply, you should switch to cultivated wild garlic from the trade or grow wild garlic in the garden yourself.

Grow wild garlic in the garden

Of course, it is also possible to grow wild vegetables, also known as “garlic spinach”, in the garden. It needs a rather shady and moist location, because when it occurs wild in nature, it usually chooses alluvial forests, shady stream edges or moist ravines.

For the seed to germinate, it needs cold, so it needs to be sown in the fall to sprout in the spring. Sometimes the seed takes more than a year to germinate. So be patient and let yourself be surprised in which spring it makes you happy.

If you have already seen the “witch onion” in nature, then you know that it usually occurs there in large “carpets of wild garlic” – and so the wild vegetables will also spread in your garden! If you don’t want that, you should regularly put it in its place by plucking it out – or build a rhizome barrier that prevents it from spreading.

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