Fermented wild garlic allows you to keep your greens ‘fresh’ for many months. However, they are so scrummy that I suspect they won’t last even a few weeks! Nature’s natural probiotics, lactic acid fermented foods have been used by indigenous peoples for millennia. It’s the way we preserved food before the arrival of the refrigerator!
Fermented Wild Garlic Recipe Ingredients
- 1tbsp sea salt
- 1kg plant matter
Fermented Wild Garlic Recipe Method
Fermented Wild Garlic Recipe Step 1: Chop up the cleaned Ramsons, then start massaging the sea salt into the greens. It might take as long as 10 minutes for the salt to start breaking down the plant fibres, thereby releasing liquid. Pound and bash with a rolling pin to release more liquid.
Fermented Wild Garlic Recipe Step 2: Next put a plate over the plant matter, and weigh it down with a jar of water and a heavy weight (e.g. books). Make sure that the plant matter is totally submerged under the liquid. Leave for 24 hours, then…
Fermented Wild Garlic Recipe Step 3: Put the plant matter and liquid into a clip top jar (Kilner jars are good) and press down so the plant matter is again submerged. Next fill a zip lock bag with water and place in the jar to weigh down and keep the plant matter under the liquid. Leave for 2-3 weeks before trying. You can then remove the ziplock bag and clip the lid shut.
This Fermented Wild Garlic Recipe Makes: 1 kg of lacto-fermented ramsons/wild garlic.
Thank you for the recipe! It looks straightforward. I didn’t know you could “dry-salt” wild garlic. I thought I’d have to make up a brine solution. I have a large carrier bag’s worth of foraged ramsons and would like to preserve some as well as have it fresh.
Hello, this sounds delicious. I pickled some wild garlic buds last year and wished I’d done about 10 times as many, they were so good. Just wondering if you have any idea how long this fermented garlic will keep sealed in a jar but stored at room temperature? Thanks
Brian – I have some fermented ones in my garage that have been there over a year. The amount of salt used will determine how long it will last. As will the water content of your wild garlic.
Is there not a danger of botulism from the zero oxygen environment?
Paul, you might want to read Debunking Botulism article here.
So useful, thank you! (the recipe AND the botulism link). Quick Q: I suppose that fermenting should work well with not so young and tender wild garlic. Do you agree? I have a huge patch and with the hot weather over easter this and many other plants have fast forwarded.
The only thing you have to watch out for with older leaves is they can become a bit fibrous depending on how old they are. Preflowering leaves are best.
I’m making this right now and it seems to have gone pretty well, however after 5 days in the large jar, the liquid at the top (interface between the water filled bag and the garlic/salt mix) has turned a sort of tan brown colour – the rest of the stuff below is still dark green.
Is this normal?
Yes, this is normal. Assuming it doesn’t smell ‘off’ and makes you want to wretch. Just remove the ‘brown’ top surface, and the rest should be fine.
Brilliant tip about the bag and water, genius!
I read somewhere that wild garlic is the best ferment going, can’t wait for them to come along. In the meantime I’m gonna try sea beet, and wild mustard, both of which are growing prolifically near me.
This looks exciting! What would you eat it with?
Everything!!
How do you eat it?
By mouth ? I put a spoonful in soups/stews…with cheese on toast…I treat it like any other pickle…
I spoon it onto everything. Eat it like a pickle.
What’s the best way to clean it? Does it need to stay dry?