HEJGRO
Wild Garlic Pesto
- Award Winning Wild Garlic Pesto -
Our Wild Garlic Pesto has been a perennial favourite since I started Hejgro. Packed full of vitamins and minerals, a jar of Wild Garlic Pesto packs a punch as a super-tasty, foraged and vegan superfood.
Wild Garlic
Wild Garlic, also known as Ramsons, Bear Garlic, or Allium Ursinum - if you want to get fancy about it - is a member of the onion family. Its large, flat leaves start to appear aboveground from February, the plant flowers in April and May and finally goes to seed in June.
All parts of wild garlic are edible. The singular garlic bulb is rarely dug up to eat since leaves are and are actually the most commonly used part in cooking. You can cook the stems and the flower buds too - I especially love these in a Stir Fry. Add wild garlic flowers to salads or use them as a garnish. You can even eat the seed heads - they make an amazing pickle.
This delightful plant tastes of garlic, of course, but is not sharp on the tongue. Wild garlic is softer in flavour and has almost a sweet taste to it. More recipe ideas include stirring a scoop into soup, spreading some on sandwich bread, using it as a veggie dip or an addition to roasted veg, and adding it to butter for a fresh take on your side of garlic bread.
Is Wild Garlic Good For You?
There are many healing qualities to wild garlic, which have led to its popularity as a medicinal herb. Wild garlic has strong anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties, it can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and is filled with antioxidants. People use wild garlic as part of treatment for a range of cardiovascular diseases and as a tonic for the digestive system. It rebalances the bacterial flora in the gut and helps alleviate a range of digestive problems. There are also studies done which suggest wild garlic can play a part in cancer treatment and prevention.
Due to the presence of sulphur-based compounds in wild garlic, it is also used as an antibacterial and antiviral agent. During the First and Second World Wars, bulb garlic was used to sterilise wounds. Wild garlic contains four and a half times more sulphur compounds than bulb garlic.
Nutritionally, this superford is rich in potassium and calcium. It contains substantial amounts of phosphorus, magnesium and sodium, as well as vitamin C and folate. Don’t just eat your greens, eat your wild garlic too!