Ómós Digest #45: Where’s the Wild Garlic?
Ramp, ramson or wild garlic, here's what you need to know.
Before we explore the wonders of wild garlic, I have some exciting news! Next week will be our first guest writer and some of you interested in wine (who isn’t) may already know her. It’s the wonderful sommelier Cathryn Bell. Cathryn reached out a number of weeks ago with a compelling response to this newsletter. I was so taken with her writing, integrity and passion that it felt only natural to ask whether she would like to contribute to the Ómós Digest (the relief when she accepted). Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to share the stage (or newsletter) with somebody as exuberant and passionate as Cathryn. Stay tuned for next week's article in which Cathryn recounts her experiences on entering the wine world.
There’s more to garlic than pesto
It's no secret that wild garlic is widespread in Ireland come spring. It’s one of the first out of the starting blocks when it comes to delicious seasonal offerings. Those with their eyes perpetually on the ground will notice its early emergence in January in the form of delicate shoots - a reminder of how spring arrives earlier each year. By March, those early shoots grow into carpets of green glory, enveloping forest floors, ditches and pathways. Unsuspecting walkers become acutely aware of its presence, courtesy of the unmistakable aroma and all the more recognisable when the plant produces pungent clusters of white flowers in late April/ May.
If the humble blackberry is the gateway berry for foraging novices, wild garlic is its gallant equivalent in the shape of green foliage. I love how aware people have become of wild garlic and each year it seems that more and more eagerly await its emergence. For this period, basil gets the boot, pushed to one side until our palates (and not insignificantly our other halves) can truly take no more pungent allium pesto. Alas, there is much more that can be done with wild garlic than a substitute for basil.
In this newsletter, I've shared not one but two wild garlic related recipes. One for a pretty lush and vividly green sauce I often serve with barbecued lamb and the other for pickled ramson caper buds. I also share with you one of my secret locations, and explain different ways of preserving this early gift from mother nature so you don’t exhaust your tastebuds come April. Let's get into it.