There are so many wonderful ways to use wild garlic. You can eat it raw, pickled or cooked. It goes nicely with pretty much any savoury dish and although it is wonderful when in season there are times when you just want that specific flavour without going through too much trouble. Spice and herb-infused salts are the perfect choice for this and here is how to make them. You can do this with pretty much any herb but here is my wild garlic salt “recipe”.
Wild garlic salt makes a great little party condiment and is very popular at any barbeque. In fact, I was once invited on such short notice to a barbeque that I had absolutely no time to prepare anything. It left me in quite a pinch.. pun intended. All I could think of bringing was this salt since I made it earlier that very same day. You won’t believe it but the salt was THE item everyone fought over.
What’s so great about it is that it’s very easy to make yourself. All you need is wild garlic and coarse salt. It might look fancy but those are the only two ingredients even though it looks like something made in a fancy lab. You can use a food processor but a blender or the good old fashioned pestle and mortar would work just as well for this.
My favourite part of making this is probably forking the herb paste into the salt. It is like mixing wet sand and reminds me so much of building sand castles at the beach. I probably take way too much pleasure out of making this but I am always guilty of finding joy in everyday tasks. Life is too short to not enjoy something like this.
Not only does the green paste add a beautiful colour to the salt but it also adds nutritional value and an unbeatable taste. It looks great on the dinner table and adds a hint of herby garlic taste to any dish. Try adding this salt when you boil pasta instead of white salt or simply add it to dressings or scattered on top of anything you put on the barbeque.
Who wouldn’t want to try this salt, just look at it? It’s resting on the tray like little, crushed emeralds and adds an interesting flavour that is unfamiliar to most people. I haven’t seen this type of salt available for purchase anywhere so if you do come across it please let me know. No matter how much I make of it every year it’s never enough – 3 kg’s (6 lbs) and counting so far this year. I always end up giving a big amount away to curious friends or people that have had it in previous years and loved it. Usually, I am totally out come autumn.
If you want to make this wild garlic salt yourself it’s now or never next year again. Wild garlic grows this time of the year and is best picked before it goes into full bloom. You may find it in stores or on the market but I would not pass on the joy of picking it yourself. Please see my guide on how to pick and identify it here.
Enjoy!
- 1 kg (2 lb) coarse salt
- 100g (2 cups very tightly packed) chopped wild garlic leaves, no stems!
- Wash the wild garlic, pat it dry and remove the stems. Chop it roughly and make sure you are left with 100g ((2 cups very tightly packed) wild garlic leaves.
- Place the wild garlic into a food processor and run it on max speed until you got a rough pesto like consistency. Add about 100g (1/3 cup) of the salt to the wild garlic puree. Do not add more than that. Process at max speed until it forms a creamy paste.
- Pour the remaining salt into a big bowl and add the garlic-salt paste. Take a fork and mix it until it is evenly combined. It will look like damp, green sand.
- Line a roasting tray with baking paper and spread the damp salt evenly on it. Let it dry in the sun for 8 hours or place in the oven for about two hours at 80°C (175°F). Alternatively, you can also use a dehydrator.
- Let it cool down before transferring into an air tight container.
Just made this yesterday. It is awesome! Can I double the amount of wild garlic next time? Will that work?
Yes you can.Follow the same instructions when you do so. It will just be wetter and it will need a longer drying time. Have fun!