The easiest way to preserve wild garlic is to blend the leaves with salt and oil to make an amazing condiment perfect for many different dishes.
Learn how to preserve wild garlic so that you can enjoy it all through the year until the next season. This method is the simplest way of preserving wild garlic; it makes a versatile paste that conserves the genuine taste of the plant and allows you to continue cooking with ramsons long after the season is over.
This is THE METHOD when it comes to preserving wild garlic. You can make an incredible wild garlic pesto, wild garlic salt, wild garlic oil, or you can freeze it. All great ways of conserving the plant, all simple and all delicious.
But making the paste is the most straightforward one, the one that will allow you to use the plant in any recipe you’d like. You can use the paste to make herb butter, or other bread spreads, pesto or other sauces, add it to different kinds of dishes, and so on.
And if you would like to try another amazing herb paste, have a look at this Parsley Paste, it's addictive and just as fun to use as the bear’s garlic paste.
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Recipe ingredients
Wild garlic: Freshly picked, very clean leaves. Read What to Do with Wild Garlic for more information on safely picking and cleaning ramsons. The amount of ramsons you use is up to you, it depends on how much you picked or bought. Do a bit of math and adjust the needed salt and oil accordingly.
As always, when foraging, be 100% sure that you are picking the right plant and that what you pick is safe to eat.
Salt: I use fine sea salt. It is important to use as much salt as indicated because it is the salt that preserves the plant.
Oil: I use a neutral-tasting oil like canola or mild sunflower oil. I would not use olive oil for this recipe, but if you do that, choose a very mild sort as well.
How to preserve wild garlic?
- Clean the leaves thoroughly, I clean one at a time, under rather hot running water. Dry them well.
- Chop them roughly; the food processor will deal with them better if they are pre-chopped.
- Place them in the food processor and pulse until mashed.
- Add salt and oil and process until rather smooth.
Tip
If you make a small amount of paste, it is probably better to use an immersion mixer or a smaller food processor to make the puree.
My large food processor (a Thermomix) is better with larger amounts. If I use it for small quantities, all I do is scrape its walls every 20 seconds or so. I use it because I usually make the double amount of paste.
How to use the paste?
When using it, be careful with adding more salt to the dish, the paste is very salty. The same goes for the garlic that the recipe might require. If using the paste, reduce or leave out the garlic in the recipe.
- You can add it to soups, stews, sauces, or goulash—in fact, to most dishes.
- Use for making salad dressings, either with oil and vinegar or with yogurt.
- Make a quick pesto for pasta. Mix some paste with freshly grated parmesan, pine nuts (or sunflower seeds, almonds), and blend well. Add olive oil to reach the desired consistency.
- For another quick pasta sauce, mix the paste with some heavy cream.
- Mix with cream cheese and serve with pasta or over baked potatoes.
- Make bread spreads or dips. Mix with cream cheese, sour cream, or other milk products.
- Mix with soft butter to get the most delicious compound butter. Use to taste. As the paste is garlicky, salty, and herby, you will not need any other ingredients.
- Add to mashed potatoes or cooked rice for a quick, flavorful side dish.
- Use to marinate meat. Mix it with a little more oil to make it runnier, and rub the meat with the mixture.
- Mix with eggs to make scrambled eggs or omelets.
How to store?
The paste keeps very well in the fridge for at least 6 months. Once you’ve opened a jar, keep the rim clean and try to use it within 4 weeks. You can keep it in the freezer for even longer, at least 1 year. I found a jar that’s been frozen for 3 years; the paste was still good.
Preserved Wild Garlic (as Paste)
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 250 g wild garlic 9 oz, Note 1
- 30 g fine sea salt 0.6 oz/ 5 teaspoons
- 200 ml vegetable oil 7 fl. oz/ scant 1 cup, Note 2
Instructions
- Clean the leaves thoroughly, one at a time, under rather hot running water. Dry them well. Chop them roughly.250 g wild garlic/ 9 oz
- Blend with the salt and oil until rather smooth, scraping the walls of the food processor if necessary.30 g fine sea salt/ 5 teaspoons + 200 ml vegetable oil/ scant 1 cup
- Transfer to small jars.
Notes
- Amounts: If you only make a small amount, it is preferable to blend the mixture with an immersion blender. For larger quantities, use the food processor. Experience has taught me that large food processors don’t manage small amounts of ingredients very well.
- Oil: I used mild sunflower oil or canola oil.
Alison says
Spent yesterday afternoon collecting wild garlic leave and last night following your preservation recipe. Turns out to be actually inedible due to the massive salt content. Sad waste of time and oil.
Adina says
It is meant to be this way, I am sure I mentioned it. It is a condiment that is meant to be used sparingly like salt with garlic flavour, I use it instead of salt in most recipes. I hope you didn't throw it away. Salt is what preserveds it, if you used less you could not keep it for long, no preserving. Did you read the part about how to use it? It should be added to other dishes like soup, dressings, compound butter, etc. And then you should use less salt or no salt at all in that recipe. Try it, it is really good.
Toneee says
Great tips!