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Wild garlic grows in abundance during the late winter and spring (Picture: Getty Images)It might be one of the most pungent of vegetables, but there\u2019s no denying the versatility of the humble garlic clove.
\nApril 19 is National Garlic Day, a day to celebrate the vegetable whose origins date back over 6,000 years \u2013 and which is as useful for its medicinal properties (it\u2019s said to help prevent certain cancers as well as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol) as it is in cooking.
\nGarlic is of course widely available in many forms \u2013 from the dried and minced versions you can use to liven up your meals \u2013 through to whole cloves.
\nBut if you favour foraging for your own wild garlic, just when is it in season \u2013 and what do you need to be aware of?
\nWhen is wild garlic in season?
\nAccording to the National Trust, wild garlic grows across the UK from late winter into Spring.
\n You can usually see it popping up around March time, and with flowers emerging from April to June.
\nWild garlic \u2013 also known as ramsons \u2013 differs from the bulbs that we are used to seeing in that it consists of flat leaves and white flowers, both of which can be picked and eaten.<\/p>\n
Wild garlic has distinct leaves and flowers (Picture: Getty Images)It has a much milder taste than conventional garlic \u2013 although care should be taken when picking it to ensure it\u2019s actually garlic, and not the similar looking but poisonous Lily Of The Valley.
\nThe main difference is the smell \u2013 with wild garlic having that distinctive odour \u2013 although wild garlic leaves also grow from the plant base, while Lily Of The Valley will typically have leaves on its stem.
\nHowever the National Trust advises that if you are in any doubt about whether or not it\u2019s garlic, then do not pick and eat it.
\nWhere can you find wild garlic?<\/p>\n
The plants can be found in woodland across the country (Picture: Getty Images)Wild garlic thrives in woodlands around the UK \u2013 damp ground will be especially favourable to the flowers.
\nAlthough it\u2019s not illegal to forage wild garlic in the UK, you should take care only to pick the parts that are above the ground \u2013 your best bet is to cut the leaves and flowers off with a knife.
\nThat\u2019s because wild plants in the UK are protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, which makes it illegal to remove or dig up a plant without the permission of the landowner.<\/p>\n
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