Simple Wild Garlic Recipe- Allium vineale Hummus
There’s nothing more satisfying than some good hummus, and this wild Allium vineale hummus is sure to hit the spot! Wild garlic is a delightful edible plant, hidden in plain sight, just waiting for you to discover it and the perfect wild garlic recipe. So here it is- take that wild field garlic and blend it up into some creamy, garlicky, light and flavorful hummus. Dip crackers, carrot sticks, pitas, celery, whatever you like, and enjoy this delightful wild garlic sensation. Read on for some help identifying wild Allium vineale and the recipe!
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Foraging Wild Garlic
When I first learned about wild garlic (sometimes called field garlic), it really reminded me that there are edible plants around you everywhere. Wild garlic, or Allium vineale literally looks like grass to the untrained eye. Small clusters of thin, long shoots grow in and around common grass, but their leaves taste like garlic and under ground small bulbs grow. You could walk by day after day, and never think for a second anything but grass grew there.
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.
When you know what you’re doing, identifying wild garlic is fairly simple. Field garlic grows longer than most grass (12-18 inches tall), and is a darker green. As it gets longer, the ends will often curl and droop. Also, unlike grass, the blades of wild garlic are a thin hallow tube, not a flat strand. The biggest giveaway is it should smell and taste like onion or garlic. You can eat the bulbs, but I prefer to just eat the leaves, snipping them with scissors. In the United States, wild garlic is invasive (which means you can harvest as much as you like, guilt-free).
Allium vineale vs. Allium tricoccum
There can be a little confusion about what exactly “wild garlic” is- my recipe is using Allium vineale, also called field garlic, which is the grass-like, invasive species. It is super common, and highly prolific, the type of wild edible plants I want to encourage others to harvest and consume. There is another plant also sometimes called wild garlic, Allium trococcum, more commonly called ramps. The two look nothing alike, so visually you won’t confuse one for the other. Unlike field garlic, ramps are native, and they’re not as prolific either. In many U.S. states, they’re considered endangered or a species of special concern. This has a lot to do with how ramps reproduce, as they’re finicky about how and when they seed, and can take up to 5 years to reach maturity. Irresponsible foraging of ramps can easily wipe out a patch. Because of that, I personally don’t forage ramps, and I don’t recommend others do either.
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Feeling Garlicky? Try one of these Garlic Recipes
- Spring Garlic Mustard Ramen Noodles
- Vegan Scampi in Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce
- Seasonal Vegan Spinach and Garlic Scape Pesto
- Garlic and Herb Vegan Nettle Breadsticks (Urtica dioica)
- Garlicky Lacto-Fermented Snap Peas Snack
- Wild Garlic Mustard Tartlets
- Spicy Garlic Roasted Chickpeas Snack
Making Wild Garlic Hummus
Homemade hummus is amazing- it’s so much creamier and more delicious than store-bought varieties, and with a good food processor it’s super easy to make. The real key to making your own hummus is to add ingredients slowly, taste, and adjust until you have the most perfect, palate-pleasing blend of flavors. In short, while I gave you the quantities of ingredients I used, you’ll want to think of those more like rough estimates than concrete measurements. Usually I would use a little more tahini than I did here, but because wild garlic is more delicate than garlic bulbs I kept it a little light to not overwhelm the flavor. Once you have all your ingredients assembled, you make wild garlic hummus by adding it all to the food processor, blending, tasting, and blending some more until it’s balanced and creamy.
Simple Wild Garlic Recipe- Allium vineale Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas (about 1 ½ cups), drained
- 20 large wild garlic stems (adjust more or less to taste)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp. tahini
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and add them to your food processor. Rinse off the wild garlic, and remove any dried stems, and place them in the food processor as well. Add the lemon, tahini, olive oil, and nutritional yeast, and process until completely smooth. Add salt to taste, and add a little more of any other ingredients to suit your preferences. Top with a little more olive oil, and serve immediately or chill for later.
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