Along the way we kept an eye out for fairy doors! Wild Garlic, otherwise known as Ransoms (Allium ursinum) is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae. It is a wild relative of the onion, native to Europe and Asia, where it grows in moist woodland.
When harvesting, pick long, bright leaves, and make sure that the bulbs remain intact in the ground. You can always tell if it’s Wild Garlic by the strong smell and white flowers. We went very early in the season so I only saw a few flowers opening, but they should be around from now until late May into June.
How to make Wild Garlic Pesto:
Put the leaves, Olive oil, Lemon juice (and a little zest if you like), a pinch of salt and pepper, and parmesan or nutritional yeast if you want in a pestle and mortar. I often make it without cheese or substitute as it still has a fantastic flavour without. Toasted pine nuts are the traditional ingredient in pesto, but you could use walnuts, cashews or whatever you have to hand. I like to go free-style with ingredients and don’t measure anything, but you could of course follow an online recipe.
Crush it all up, and voila!
Adhere to social distancing and government guidelines when going out, and of course make that your limited once a day exercise. A stricter lock down may be shortly enforced, in which case don’t leave your home.
