Allium ursinum

Allium ursinum, known as wild garlic, is a perennial that grows spontaneously in woodlands. It is cultivated for its bulb, leaves, and flower buds, which are used as condiments to enhance dishes. It has large, narrow, shiny green leaves and displays a charming flowering in white umbels from April to June. Sow seeds from July to September and from February to March for a harvest from January to October.

Wild garlic is a European species that grows spontaneously in woodlands. It belongs, like cultivated garlic, to the Amaryllidaceae family. It is perennial and hardy, at least down to -15°C (5°F). It is a bulbous plant, with a spiky habit, growing 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) tall. It has narrow, petiolate leaves at the base of its stem. It flowers from April to June (depending on the region) in spherical white umbels that are slightly yellowish. It is a deciduous plant that completely disappears in winter and reappears in spring.

All parts of the plant are edible: the bulb, the flower buds, and the leaves. It can be cooked as a vegetable, like spinach, or used as a condiment to enhance salads, and soups, etc. Wild garlic can also be used to prepare infusions.

Allium ursinum has numerous virtues: it contains a lot of vitamin C, it is detoxifying, hypotensive, and antiseptic, among other things.

In the garden, wild garlic thrives in shade or partial shade in humiferous soil that is rather moist but well-drained. It can be planted in the vegetable garden as well as in shaded areas of the garden where it forms a beautiful ground cover.

Harvest: it can be harvested over a long period, from January to October. But don't be too greedy, as it reproduces through its bulbs, so it is important to leave some in place to see it multiply.

Storage: the leaves can be preserved by drying them in a dark and dry place.

Gardener's tip: before its characteristic flowering, wild garlic can be mistaken for several highly toxic plants such as lily of the valley, autumn crocus, and arum. Wait a bit or trust your nose: only Allium ursinum gives off a garlicky smell.

Note: Wild garlic is a bulbous plant that goes dormant in late spring. Its green foliage gradually turns yellow and disappears at the end of spring, only to reappear in late winter.