I had my first wild garlic omelette last week, and will be eating it tossed through pasta, in risottos, sandwiches and soups, and on pizzas until my family begs for relief. Every spring in old deciduous woods, the bulbs and seeds of ramsons (the local name for wild garlic) awake and push their shoots up through last year’s leaf litter with the vigour typical of those with a purpose and little time. They have about six weeks to develop leaves and photosynthesise enough energy to allow them to create a slightly larger bulb for next year, or to flower and set seed. As the leaves open in the canopy above, stealing their light, the ramsons
senesce, leaving only their seeds and bulbs to renew the cycle next year.
Foraging satisfies primeval urges, but is generally too slow to make a living. Wild garlic is an exception; due to its short season and incredible vigour, it often covers the forest floor in a thick uniform mat, making picking relatively fast. The only problems are that garlic shares its shady ecological niche with lords-and-ladies (Arum italicum and maculatum) and dog’s mercury (Murcurialis perennis), both poisonous, plus good areas are sometimes rendered unpickable by pigeon poo, and the best woods are often steep and inaccessible.
Ramsons are not only delicious, but highly sustainable; they can yield as much as a field of spinach without the energy-consuming and habitat-destroying plough, whilst the same area simultaneously produces wood, nuts, and valuable wildlife habitat. For many years my children, nephews and their friends have spent the Easter holidays foraging for wild garlic in our woods; rest assured, they are expert at spotting and avoiding those fellow but toxic woodland plants. Later in the season we will gather, dry and thresh the ripe seeds before spreading them in some of the young woodlands planted by my brother. It will probably take at least five years, but my hope is that the wild garlic will establish itself before its toxic competitors, so that one day you will all be eating wild garlic omelettes. In the meantime, there is occasionally enough to put in some of the veg boxes at the peak of the season in April, but mostly it will be available for aficionados to order as an extra on your order.