WILD GARLIC
Wild garlic needs little introduction these days. It has exploded in popularity as it is one of the most familiar and easy to use foraged wild plants. Wild garlic pesto, cheese, salt, butter and every part of the plant is edible (pickled flower buds anyone?).
Whilst all parts of the plant are edible most use is made of the leaves. However, to have a reliable and sustainable harvest you will need a considerable area of plants along with a long-term management plan for your woodland.
Watch our short film – The Secret Life of Wild Garlic (see below for link).
Head over to the WILD GARLIC CASE STUDY in our Sustainability section to find more information on Dewis Gwyllt research work.
We experimented with using the seeds in a pepper mill and this looks to have potential, as a more sustainable way to use the plant. There are also markets for the bulbs for planting in gardens and new woodlands.
CONTACT US if you would like to know more about possible commercial harvesting of wild garlic.
WILD GARLIC
Wild garlic needs little introduction these days. It has exploded in popularity as it is one of the most familiar and easy to use foraged wild plants. Wild garlic pesto, cheese, salt, butter and every part of the plant is edible (pickled flower buds anyone?).
Whilst all parts of the plant are edible most use is made of the leaves. However, to have a reliable and sustainable harvest you will need a considerable area of plants along with a long-term management plan for your woodland.
Watch our short film – The Secret Life of Wild Garlic (see below for link).
Head over to the WILD GARLIC CASE STUDY in our Sustainability section to find more information on Dewis Gwyllt research work.
We experimented with using the seeds in a pepper mill and this looks to have potential, as a more sustainable way to use the plant. There are also markets for the bulbs for planting in gardens and new woodlands.
CONTACT US if you would like to know more about possible commercial harvesting of wild garlic.
CASE STUDY
Based on what is given as ‘good practice’ in foraging (i.e. harvest half the leaves for a continuous supply from any clump) we started looking at the weight of garlic leaves per m² and how quickly it grows back, once harvested.
We quickly came to the realisation that wild garlic does not form clumps as such but grows as very dense patches of individual plants which are made up of just 1 -2 leaves, which grow very slowly and are short-lived. So from seed it might take 4-5 years to produce harvestable leaves and the plant only lives 8-10 years.
This suggests that commercial harvesting should be done by cutting patches in sequence on a 5-6 year cycle. This finding highlights the importance of not taking appearances for granted and to investigate the species population biology. This requires field investigations backed with reviews of academic research as well as foraging practices.
See our instructional film: How to commercially harvest wild garlic.
Follow these links for further information on developing sustainable, non-timber forest product supply chains:
CASE STUDY
Based on what is given as ‘good practice’ in foraging (i.e. harvest half the leaves for a continuous supply from any clump) we started looking at the weight of garlic leaves per m² and how quickly it grows back, once harvested.
We quickly came to the realisation that wild garlic does not form clumps as such but grows as very dense patches of individual plants which are made up of just 1 -2 leaves, which grow very slowly and are short-lived. So from seed it might take 4-5 years to produce harvestable leaves and the plant only lives 8-10 years.
This suggests that commercial harvesting should be done by cutting patches in sequence on a 5-6 year cycle. This finding highlights the importance of not taking appearances for granted and to investigate the species population biology. This requires field investigations backed with reviews of academic research as well as foraging practices.
See our instructional film: How to commercially harvest wild garlic.
Follow these links for further information on developing sustainable, non-timber forest product supply chains:
DEWIS GWYLLT RESOURCES
DEWIS GWYLLT RESOURCES
