Wild Garlic Oil

This blog feels like it’s quickly becoming a collection of recipes for wild garlic every way possible. And so far, every recipe I’ve posted has come from a single foraging trip! Although it may still be a little early in the season to be thinking about ways to extend the life of this wonderful ingredient, I wanted to get ahead of time so we can all plan for when wild garlic is no longer covering our woodland floors.

Wild garlic oil is a fantastic way to preserve the aromatic oils of the plant for months after the season has come to an end. You’ll want to pick up a nice, peppery extra virgin olive oil for this one as you won’t be using it to cook with. Wild garlic, like most delicate greens, doesn’t handle particularly high temperatures (and certainly not the temperatures that oil can reach). But this recipe makes for a show-stopping salad dressing, a wonderful addition to a pizza (after it’s been cooked), or something to drizzle over a side of hummus with smoked sweet paprika. For those of you who eat dairy, it also compliments a tangy yoghurt or goat’s cheese (why not try baking a slice of goats cheese on sourdough with a crack of black pepper, then finish it with a drizzle of wild garlic oil). And best of all, it couldn’t be more simple to make.

Foraging

If you have been following our recipe updates on ingredients that require foraging then you’re probably more than used to what I’m about to say. Feel free to skip this and head straight to the recipe, but it is important to always be aware. Never take more than you need, never pick a protected species, never trespass, and always respect the natural habitat. It’s important to leave enough for everyone as well as not to damage the plants by removing too much. It is good practice to cleanly cut a plant you forage and not tug at it, this way you don’t damage the roots and allow it to recover for the following season.

One of the main attractions in foraging is the wonderful flavours we find in plants and fungi that have grown in their natural habitat and far from the destructive and artificial environments of conventional agriculture. Having said this, harmful chemicals can still find their way into faragable ingredients that grow close to roads. For this reason, I tend to leave anything growing at the side of the road or footpath alone in favour of that which grows in the heart of a habitat.

When it comes to wild garlic, be careful of dangerous lookalikes. Take care not to pick the leaves of Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis). They favour the same conditions and look similar, but Lily of the Valley is a little more upright and doesn’t share the distinct aroma of wild garlic. When flowering, it looks more like a Snowdrop, with small, bell-shaped flowers hanging from a slender stalk. This plant is highly poisonous and can cause anything from digestive issues to irregular heartbeats. Another thing to bare in mind is Ivy. A lot of woodland is covered in Ivy and often wild garlic pushes it’s way up amongst vines of Ivy. It is easy to accidentally pick Ivy that is hiding beneath the leaves of wild garlic, so be careful when washing your haul for any signs of dark green Ivy leaves.

Wild Garlic Oil Recipe
Preserve/Condiment

• 70g of wild garlic, washed

• 200g extra virgin olive oil

• 1 blender

• 1 sieve

Step 1.

Make sure your wash your wild garlic and pop it all in the blender. Add the oil and set it off on a low but constant spin. I left mine going for about 3 or 4 minutes whilst I prepared a muslin cloth to filter the pulp out.

Step 2.

Once the oil is a vibrant green, place a clean tea towel or muslin cloth in a sterilized measuring jug, then place a fine mesh sieve on top of it. This way, the sieve holds the fabric in place and catches the larger pulp that will clog up the fabric. The finer pulp and oil pass through to be squeezed out. Alternatively, you can just use a sieve and weight for the sediment to naturally separate. Finally, pour your sieved oil into a clean jar and store in the fridge. The photos featured in this recipe we taken before the final press.

Step 3.

Save your pulp! There is still a huge amount of flavour left and some great uses for it! Why not try our wild garlic and rye fettuccine recipe with it?

Store it in the fridge for a week or freeze for up to 6 months.