Wild garlic, otherwise known as ramsons, is one of spring’s great joys. But did you know you can preserve wild garlic in oil so you can enjoy it well after its brief season is over? This post details how to preserve wild garlic in oil and also how to use it.
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I’ve already posted quite a few wild garlic recipes here on Tin and Thyme. If you want to find out how to forage for it, however, head over to my wild garlic pesto post.
How To Preserve Wild Garlic In Oil
Turning wild garlic into an oily paste is the absolute best way to preserve it. It’s fabulous stuff and I use it in almost everything and often substitute it for garlic in recipes.
The key to its long life is salt. This wild garlic oil paste is quite salty, so caution is needed when using it.
You only need three ingredients to preserve this wild garlic in oil: ramsons leaves, oil and salt.
Use a neutral oil such as sunflower oil. This paste is meant to taste of garlic and you don’t want other flavours taking over. This also means you can use the oily paste in all sorts of dishes without imbuing them with flavours that aren’t meant to be there.
In the way of equipment, all you need is some sort of blender or food processor. If you have one, a power blender is best as it emulsifies the oil well and creates a beautifully smooth green paste.
Wild garlic oil keeps for ages in the fridge, at least three months. Just make sure you use clean sterilised jars. Once opened, use within three weeks. You can also freeze it for an even longer life.
It makes a lovely alternative to freezing wild garlic in pesto form, which is the only other method I employ to prolong the life of wild garlic.
How To Preserve Wild Garlic In Oil: Step-by-Step
This recipe for wild garlic in oil has got to be one of the simplest and easiest on Tin and Thyme. Nevertheless, there are a few things worth noting. I’ve broken it down into four simple steps.
Step 1. Wash Leaves
Wash and dry the leaves. It’s important to ensure the leaves don’t carry too much water when you mix them with the oil. Water dilutes the oil and makes the oil more likely to spoil.
The easiest way to dry the leaves is with a salad spinner*. However, you can squeeze the water out with your hands or leave them to drain in a colander for a few minutes, then give them a few good shakes.
Step 2. Chop Leaves
The leaves are less likely to get stuck in your blender or food processor if you chop them up first. Just gather a wodge, place them on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to chop them into three or four pieces.
Step 3. Blend Leaves
Transfer the chopped ramsons leaves to a blender or food processor. Add the oil and salt and blitz.
A power blender is best for this as you want the paste to be as smooth and emulsified as possible. I use my Froothie Evolve. However, if you don’t have one, use whatever you’ve got and try to get it as fine as you can.
Larger quantities work best in a jug blender. If you scale down the recipe and use less than a hundred grams of wild garlic leaves, you’ll need to use a stick blender or mini food processor as there just won’t be enough ingredients for larger machines to work properly.
The smoother it gets the brighter the green. I’ve made smaller quantities with a stick blender and it’s still perfectly useable, but it’s not as smooth or as emulsified and the colour is a darker green. You can see the difference in colour in the photo at the top of this step-by-step section.
Step 4. Fill Jars
Scrape the paste into small clean sterilised jars with lids. Smaller jars are better so that once you open the jars, you’ll have a chance to use the paste before it spoils. I use old mustard jars. This recipe fills two 170g (six ounce) jars.
Store the jars in the fridge. Once opened, use within three weeks.
How To Use Wild Garlic In Oil
Wild garlic isn’t as pungent as traditional garlic cloves, but it still tastes very garlicky. This wild garlic oil paste is really flavoursome and a little goes a long way. It’s also quite salty; there’s one teaspoon of salt to every fifty grams of wild garlic. So it’s not the best thing to eat on its own. Unlike wild garlic pesto, I do not spread this on crackers or my toast.
However, it’s an ideal ingredient to include in many recipes where you can use it as a direct replacement for garlic. I use one level teaspoon per garlic clove. Because of its high salt content, you’ll need to reduce or omit the salt in your chosen recipe.
For recipes where you want the wild garlic to shine, use a bit more. You can see this in action in this vegan recipe for creamy carrot pasta sauce. Just be cautious with it, as it’s very salty.
I’ve used it to make vegan wild garlic scones. I use my vegan wholemeal scones recipe, replace the protein powder with spelt flour, omit the salt and sugar and add in one tablespoon of wild garlic oil paste. They are gorgeous and a lovely green colour to boot.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does Wild Garlic Oil Keep?
If you make your wild garlic oil into a paste, as described in the recipe card below, unopened jars will keep in the fridge for at least three months. Make sure you use clean sterilised jars and once opened, use within three weeks.
To keep it even longer, you can freeze it (see below).
Can You Freeze Wild Garlic?
If you turn your wild garlic into this oily paste, you can easily freeze it. Use freezer-safe containers and leave a two to three centimetre gap at the top. Liquid expands as it freezes and you don’t want your containers to crack.
Just pop the filled containers into the freezer and they will be good for a year. Leave the container to thaw when you need it, then keep it in the fridge where it should be ok for up to three weeks.
Can You Get Botulism From Wild Garlic In Oil?
Any wild leaves as well as wild garlic and actual garlic cloves can be susceptible to botulism. Botulism* is a rare, but serious disease which attacks the body’s nerves and can cause death. It comes from the Clostridium botulinum bacteria which isn’t itself harmful, but can cause toxins which are. (* NHS)
Oil creates an environment with no oxygen. This is an ideal place for the bacteria to grow and produce the botulism toxin. It’s hard to detect as you cannot taste or smell it.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make wild garlic oil, but you do need to be aware of the risks and make your own decision as to whether to make it or not.
Salt inhibits the growth of botulism and this is why I add salt to my wild garlic oil. There are a few additional precautions you can take.
- Clean the leaves well and use them whilst they’re fresh.
- Keep your wild garlic oil in the fridge and once opened use within three weeks. Do not store it at room temperature.
- Cooking the wild garlic oil for at least five minutes at a temperature of 85 °C (185℉)* or more, will destroy the botulism toxins. (* World Health Organisation)
- When in doubt, throw it out.
Other Wild Garlic Recipes You Might Like
- Beetroot muffins with walnuts, goat’s cheese & wild garlic
- Green flatbreads with wild garlic & nettles
- Hedgerow pesto
- Wild garlic tofu patties
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this wild garlic oil paste, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more preserving recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Wild Garlic Oil Paste: PIN IT.
Wild Garlic Oil Paste – The Recipe
Wild Garlic Oil Paste
Equipment
- salad spinner (affiliate link) optional
Ingredients
- 150 g wild garlic leaves
- 150 ml sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)
- 3 tsp fine sea salt (18g)
Instructions
- Wash and dry the garlic leaves. The easiest way to dry the leaves is to use a salad spinner. You can also squeeze the water out with your hands or give the several hefty shakes in a colander.150 g wild garlic leaves
- Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blitz. A good blender is best for this as you want the paste to be as smooth and emulsified as possible, but use whatever you’ve got and get it as fine as you can. If you scale down the recipe and use less than 100g wild garlic leaves, you’ll need to use a stick blender or mini food processor.150 ml sunflower oil, 3 tsp fine sea salt
- Scrape the paste into small clean sterilised jars with lids. Smaller jars are better so that once you open them, you'll have a chance to use the paste before it spoils.
- Store in the fridge unopened and it will last at least three months. Once opened, use within three weeks.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for wild garlic oil paste with #CookBlogShare, which is hosted by Curly’s Cooking this week.
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Wayne Easton says
Wild Garlic is just coming into season now here in my patch of Aberdeenshire. I was picking some earlier at the ‘wee Den’ Normally I make it into Pesto, but I’ve scunnered myself off it. I ate it with a spoon. That said I love it in a sannie with cheese,in soup, or with crackers with cheese. I’ll give your recipe for the oil/salt WG paste a go. A few honey jars worth in the freezer sounds ideal. Alas as ye know the taste lingers. Oddly I’ve seens’ having icecream after that tastes of WG, & it’s not unpleasant.
Choclette says
Ooh, now you’ve got me thinking of savoury wild garlic ice cream as a thing. Slightly hard to get my head around, but I’m now intrigued. I look forward to my first wild garlic pesto of the year, but one or two batches is usually enough. I had to look up the word “scunnered” – it’s a good one. I’d go for smaller jars of the garlic oil if you can, as you don’t need a lot of it and once opened it doesn’t keep for more than a few weeks. I have yet to harvest any this year – better get onto it.
Wayne Easton says
This was as far as I remember home churned icecream. I tend not to make it often as I just eat it. Sugar/milk/evap milk is heady mix to me. I’m a real carbo junkie. I first encountered WG coming home from when I worked at one of the gas terminals at St. Fergus (I ran bikes) nearing Logie Lodges all I smelt was ‘Garlic Sausage’ wafting in a clood from the woods… Absolute heavenly scent. I would grow the WG here if I had the right soil & shade. But ploughed fields besides I’d sooner walk the 1.6 miles to the ‘Wee Den’ at Boyndlie.My Pesto tended not to last. Freezing it crushed is …meh….. salted WG puree frozen has promise. By the way I’m neither a Vegan nor 100% vegetarian. Maybe 80% vegetarian. I don’t like labels…..
Choclette says
Nothing wrong with not liking labels and you don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan to read Tin and Thyme. But 80% sounds pretty good to me. I have lots of easy no-churn ice cream recipes here – made with cream and condensed milk. We grow a little WG in a tub, but it’s only good for grabbing the odd leaf here and there. I don’t want to plant it in the garden as it will just take over.
Wayne Easton says
Oh I know how it spreads. Amazingly easily if the conditions suit. A bit like the Lunaria I planted one year. Now it’s popping up everywhere, but it’s a nice ‘weed’….I might put some WG bulbs in behind the garden shed in autumn. Once I mulch it up. I know where to ‘appropriate’ some bulbs.
Choclette says
Good luck. Hope you end up with a nice carpet.
Chloe says
I think I’d use this on everything! Now I just need to find some wild garlic!!!
Choclette says
I am using this in just about everything. It’s fab. You’re quite a bit further north than me, so you might get lucky.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
What a perfect way to preserve a seasonal delight. And what an incredible colour too… My wild garlic is super-ready to harvest, so I will give this a try xx
Choclette says
Go Kate go. We’ve got a tub of it in the garden which is just about ready for picking, but all the wild stuff around here is now past its best.
sherry says
this is what i’ve been doing with parsley and chives for ages. in fact i used to make a paste with olive oil and salt then freeze it but now i just roughly chop the parsley and into the freezer it goes. sooo simple, and it’s like eating fresh parsley almost
Choclette says
Oh that’s interesting. So you just freeze the raw parsley without anything else?
nancy says
what a great idea to saving garlic !! i’m going to try this once my garden produces!
Choclette says
Oh, have you planted some in your garden Nancy? It’s a bit of a thug, so be careful.
Lisa says
We have wild garlic on our cabin property and I have been looking for a way to preserve it. Thank you so much for this idea!
Choclette says
How lovely to have a ready supply of wild garlic. This is my favourite way to keep it and the resulting paste is so useful.
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
One day I will be lucky enough to find some wild garlic. Until then I will just marvel at the fantastic colour of this recipe!
Choclette says
Oh no! It’s so annoying when everyone’s going on about something and you can’t join in. Maybe next year.
angiesrecipes says
I too just made some wild garlic paste :-)) My recipe is slightly different though. I used 1kg of wild garlic, 500 ml of olive oil and 80 g sea salt for it. Yours has a lovely bright green.
Choclette says
Oh how interesting Angie. Your quantities are quite different. I’ve gone for a higher salt content to scare off any potential botulism. And it’s bright green because I used my power blender and I guess because I also used more oil than you.
Lesley says
What a great idea and so simple too. I love wild garlic and any recipe that allows you to use it past the growing season is a real winner.
Choclette says
My thoughts exactly Lesley. It’s wonderful stuff and I’m using it in just about everything at the moment.