Wild garlic is already here

But crocus isn’t, though. Well, it is, but it’s still hiding underground in the form of a bulb. In order to avoid any mix-ups later, during the gathering season, here’s a short recap: it might be a good idea to store this information in a suitable safe spot where hackers cannot get to it. Since there is apparently a whole number of hackers in our heads, and since many of us seem to have a Swiss cheese memory, I recommend you store it on-site – in nature. Take a look and you’ll see and remember it: wild garlic leaves only have one stem. It sports the form of a spear and is rather soft to the touch. Its upper side is shiny, while its underside is not. If we detach the leaf from the ground, the only thing left in our hand will be the stem. If the leaves are especially young, we won’t even be able to see the stem since it will be almost completely covered by the ground. In this case, we’ll only be left with a single awkwardly detached leaf. Its fragrance is specific for wild garlic: it smells a bit like garlic but is far more vibrant and ethereal. In short, its fragrance is so strong that it lingers long after we’ve ground a leaf or two between our fingers. Of course, everything else we touch afterwards that is not wild garlic also smells like it.

The young leaves of autumn crocus, for example, that will soon start appearing among the leaves of wild garlic, have no stem: instead, several leaves are wrapped around one another and grow directly from the ground. They are both narrower and darker than wild garlic leaves, and are usually yellowish next to the ground. The same goes for false hellebore (Veratrum) which also likes to grow next to wild garlic: there is no stem, just several extremely ridged leaves, wrapped around one another and growing directly from the ground. As far as the lily of the valley is concerned, it only grows in the company of wild garlic in exceptional cases; its leaves, however, are extremely similar to those of wild garlic but are harder and their underside is shiny, while their upper side is not. The leaves are also not petiolated. Usually, two leaves (or one, on rare occasions) are joined together at the top of a stem which is a couple centimetres long. Obviously, none of these plants smell like wild garlic.

You are therefore granted unlimited access to all information you need; all you have to do is enable the connection. On the screen, you cannot see their true form since the data are best kept where the plants are also found – in nature. In their most natural form.

Once we have access to this information and know how to use it, we can create many well-known or less popular delicacies using wild garlic. One of them is wild garlic hummus: mix chopped-up wild garlic leaves with hummus, and add a little bit of olive oil and salt. Mix again. You can also try grated apples with raisins and wild garlic: mix apples with lemon juice, and add a suitable quantity of raisins and just the right amount of chopped-up wild garlic leaves. If you wish to accentuate the sweetness of the dish, add a tiny pinch of salt.

Enjoy your wild meal, take good advantage of your connection, and have a tasty data storage session!