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Garlic Mustard is a common wild herb in Britain and Ireland. Its leaves exude a garlicky smell when bruised or chopped, although the plant is unrelated to garlic.
Scientific Name
Family
Brassicaceae
Botanical Description
Garlic mustard has straight, stems (hairy at the base) with large green and toothy leaves, sometimes described as heart-shaped. The flowers are small and white with cross-shaped petals.
Status
Biennial. Native.
Habitat and Distribution
Deciduous woodland, cultivated land, hedgerows, wasteland.
Parts Used for Food
Leaf, stems, flowers, seeds, root.
Harvest Time
March, April, July, August, September.
Food Uses
The release of a garlic smell and taste when the leaves are crushed led to the use of garlic mustard as an alternative to true garlic. Thus it can be said to have the same uses as garlic in food preparation and cooking. The wild herb also makes an excellent savoury salad green, sauce and potherb. Seeds used as a pepper substitute. The root has wasabi notes, and the flavour ranges from ‘very hot’ to ‘sweet with mild heat’ depending on location and region.
Nutritional Profile
As a member of the mustard family, which includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, mustard and watercress, garlic mustard could be among those vegetables which if eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet might help to prevent cancer.
It shares cancer-preventing chemicals isothiocyanates, from the mustard family, and allyl sulfides, from the garlic family.
Garlic Mustard Recipes
- Garlic mustard and blue cheese pasta
- Garlic mustard and cow parsley sauce
- Garlic mustard and three cornered leek vichysoisse
Herbal Medicine Uses of Garlic Mustard
Garlic mustard has been used as an antiseptic herb for treating leg ulcers, bruises and sores, coughs and colds, clearing a stuffy head, to encourage sweating and even as a cure for colic and kidney stones.
In Somerset, England, the fresh green leaves were rubbed on feet to relieve the cramp.
Other Uses
A yellow dye might also be obtained from the whole plant.
Safety Note
Garlic mustard is apparently “palatable to livestock”, which suggests another means to manage its spread on the borders of fields and woodlands. An unfortunate side effect of this, however, is that it might lend a disagreeable flavour to cows’ milk and an unpleasant taste to poultry meat.
References
Duke, J. A. (1992) Handbook of edible weeds. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Gerard, J. (1994) Gerard’s herbal: the history of plants. Nachdruck. Marcus Woodward (ed.). London: Senate, an imprint of Studio Editions Ltd.
Hatfield, G. (2008) Hatfield’s herbal: the secret history of British plants. London: Penguin.
Mac Coitir, N. & Langrishe, G. (2015) Ireland’s wild plants: myths, legends and folklore.
Quattrocchi, U. (2012) CRC world dictionary of medicinal and poisonous plants: common names, scientific names, eponyms, synonyms, and etymology (5 Volume Set). Boca Raton: CRC press.
these recipes look delicious and I think the whole article is really interesting – thank you for all the work you have done
Thank you for sharing I am new to the world of herbs. I am starting a notebook of all the herbs I studying . I am currently taking a immersion course with Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine.
Can this be a help to the coronavirus? Just a thought reading the medical uses
I had the same thought and question.
Hi Kevin – Firstly, no-one knows what can help prevent COVID-19 (apart from the usual advice). However, there are people who have experience working with other types of coronavirus. I put together a COVID-19 resources page here.
I have just discovered this in the woodland area of our park. Chopped leaves and flowers and added to rice at the end of cooking gave the rice a mild garlic flavour.
I have planted some next to my ramson but have since read that it is an invasive plant in the US, so is it in advisable to have in a garden in London or is it an addition to a desirable wild flower collection.
It can take over pretty quickly, apparently.
Hello
I’ve just made some garlic mustard and nettle pesto! It tastes pretty good, can’t wait to try it on some pasta later.
As well as the leaves and stem, I also collected the roots to try to make a horseradish style sauce.. however all the roots I collected are really woody and have no strong taste.
Is there a particular time to pick the roots when they are more likely to be soft and have stronger flavour?
Thanks
Paul
Hi Paul – Roots are best collected when the new growth appears in Autumn.
Why can’t we harvest it in May and June?
Leaves nice added to drained pasta, with some pesto. Quite bitter, kids not taken with it but fine for me! Stalks were super tough and chewy though – the softer top end might have been alright but I chopped all up together so blended them after short boil and used the sieved juice in the sauce. Not sure what they brought to the taste party… It is not that prolific here, so careful not to take too much as important food for the Orange-tip Butterfly apparently.
At this point, where I am, the second year plants are just starting to open their white flowers on some plants while others are still in bud. I have used upper leaves and upper stem tips. Are lower leaves useable or too bitter? I ahve been cooking leaves before eating and blanching leaves before making pesto.
I have read that the young, first year leaves have a high concentration of cyanide. This is dispelled on chopping or cooking of the leaves.
So do broccoli, cabbage, kale and other Brassica members.
I think I just came across some yesterday, a friend introduced it to me as jack in the hedge… is this the same?
Hi Robin
I have been passionate about our relationship with the natural world around us for as long as I can remember.I am holding an exhibition in Alkrington,where I live to try and promote natural healing/ foraging,it’s an uphill struggle!!
Do you have any advice or resources that could help
Thanks
Jackie
Hi Robin
I have been passionate about our relationship with the natural world around us for as long as I can remember.I am holding an exhibition in Alkrington,where I live to try and promote natural healing/ foraging,
Do you have any advice or resources that could help
Thanks
Jackie
You could point folks to my site (eatweeds.co.uk) as there is a ton of information on here.