March is characterized by early bloomers and the first spice plants that you can harvest in the German forests or in your bed. A springtime classic is wild garlic, which, due to its distinctive aroma, should not be missing from any kitchen. The leek plant is ideal for herbal mixtures or fresh in numerous dishes, but is difficult to dry. However, you can maximize the shelf life of wild garlic by freezing it.
freezing
Why freeze?
Wild garlic is a classic culinary herb and has been used by humans for centuries. Allium ursinum develops its greatest aroma freshly after harvest and should therefore be processed immediately or within a few days, but this is not always possible due to the quantity collected. In general, the sooner you freeze wild garlic, the longer it will last. Unlike other herbs, wild garlic cannot be dried because it loses its aroma far too quickly and only tastes weak in the end. For this reason, freezing is the best way to improve the shelf life of the herb.
Notice: When harvesting, or at the latest when preparing to freeze the wild garlic, please make sure not to confuse it with other poisonous plants such as lily of the valley or autumn crocus. Rub the leaves between your fingers to be on the safe side, because the wild garlic gives off its characteristic garlic aroma.
Ice cubes with herbs
preparation
Before you can process and freeze the leaves, you must first prepare them. This is especially true when harvesting from forest stands, as it can happen that the plants are marked by roaming wild animals, especially foxes. Since the animals often carry the so-called fox tapeworm, its eggs, which end up on the plants through excreta, especially urine, can be eaten by you and your family. As a precaution, do the following to prevent this from happening.
- convey the collected leaves into a colander
- wash all the leaves thoroughly with hot water
- being careful not to crush the leaves or rub them too hard
- then dry carefully
This procedure will help wash off tapeworm eggs, which cannot tolerate the hot water. After that, you can take care of the next steps to preserve your harvest. Please note that only the fresh leaves can be frozen effectively. If these have been lying around for too long, it is no longer worth freezing them, as they lose some of their flavor even during storage in the freezer. So freeze your wild garlic harvest as soon as possible.
Tip: So that you can reduce the risk of infection by the fox tapeworm even more, although washing is sufficient for this, you should collect your Allium ursinum away from paths and deer crossings. The animals follow the existing paths to quickly check their territory.
Wild garlic in the garden bed
Freeze
After preparing the wild garlic, you can proceed to freezing the leaves. Since wild garlic should be processed very quickly, there are a variety of freezing methods that make the spice durable and enable it to be used again quickly. Increase the shelf life of the sensitive spice with the following methods.
- freeze dry
- ice cubes
- puree
- butter
An advantage of the methods is the gentle processing of the spice leaves, which retain most of their aroma. This makes later use easier, as the individual leaves do not really lose their aroma even over a period of several months, it only weakens slightly.
Freeze dry
If you choose this method, use the classic variant to freeze large quantities of wild garlic quickly and easily. It is particularly important to prepare the leaves thoroughly and then dry them off so that there are no drops of water inside the container, otherwise the leaves could become mushy or stick together. The following storage media are suitable for freezing wild garlic leaves.
- Freezer or vacuum bags (the latter releases less flavor into the freezer)
- mason jars
- freezer container
After you have decided on one of the storage options, you should check again whether your collected leaves are dry. Then fill either the freezer bags or the other containers with the wild garlic. You don't have to pay attention to a special order or spacing, just put the sheets in. It is not advisable to cut the wild garlic into small pieces for this method, as it would lose its aroma too quickly. Then seal the container or bag. There should not be too much air in the freezer bag. The durability of this method extends into the winter.
Wild garlic with a distinctive aroma
Tip: If you have collected the wild garlic blossoms as well as the leaves, you can freeze them in the same way. However, a freezer bag is not recommended here, it is better to use a special plastic freezer container.
ice cubes
Freezing in the form of ice cubes is a popular method for actually all kitchen herbs that can be quickly added to a dish in a handy form. For example, while fresh, frozen leaves are better for marinating meat or fish, the wild garlic cubes are suitable for sauces, soups and generally for steaming dishes. In addition, you can do without the thorough drying of the leaves, as they are finely chopped and frozen after washing.
Proceed as follows:
- select one or more ice cube molds
- prepare a clean knife or chopping knife
- cut the wild garlic as small as possible
- the smaller the pieces, the more flavor the ice cubes contain
- fill each ice cube mold with wild garlic and water in a ratio of 2:1
- seal the cubes with a freezer bag
- special care should be taken not to spill the mixture
Herbs in ice cube molds
The ice cubes can be kept for several months and can be easily removed from the mold and used in the pan or pot without hesitation. A big advantage of this method is not only the long shelf life of the wild garlic, but also the fact that the spice does not give off its aroma to the other dishes in the freezer. As a result, the ice cubes retain up to 90 percent of their fresh taste, which is particularly tasty.
puree
A beneficial alternative to ice cubes is to make wild garlic puree. While the classic wild garlic pesto is typically not frozen, the puree can easily be stored in the freezer after production. The puree is also very easy to make and can be produced in large quantities, which is ideal for later use.
Make the puree as follows:
- put the leaves (about a bunch) in a bowl with 200 - 300 ml unflavored oil
- Add 2-3 pinches of salt (can be omitted to taste)
- Now puree with a hand blender or stand mixer
- Be sure to blend the mixture completely so there aren't any large chunks
- now put the puree in a freezer bowl to freeze
- put them in the freezer
sweet potatoes
With this variant, the wild garlic can be kept for up to a year and can be reused without any problems. Only the portioning is a bit difficult because the mass freezes. Smaller bowls can be used here or ice cube molds can also be used.
butter
A wild garlic butter is a unique treat with a lot of natural aroma. This is very easy to make and has a shelf life of up to about a year in the freezer.
This is made as follows:
- mix crushed unflavored butter and wild garlic in a ratio of 3:1
- the butter must be at room temperature
- the wild garlic should be cut as finely as possible
- Mix in the herb evenly with a fork
- then wrap them in film rolls or fill them in freezer containers or glasses
- a porcelain bowl with a matching lid would be ideal
Butter for making herb butter
If you want to use the butter immediately, you can also store it in the fridge. The shelf life here is two to three weeks, so it is recommended for small portions over the spring. Otherwise, you can always take some of the butter out of the freezer and use it. Since butter takes a long time to thaw, the coveted wild garlic flavors remain in the butter.