Garlic mustard: garlic seasoning from the woodland edge
Garlic mustard grows on woodland edges, hedges and shady paths and smells clearly of garlic when crushed. Its heart-shaped, toothed leaves season salad, bread and soup – even after the wild garlic season is over. Here you learn the features: heart-shaped toothed leaves, small white flowers with four petals and the smell. And you learn to tell it from poisonous asarabacca and lesser celandine.
- Collecting 10–15 minutes
Expliqué simplement
Garlic mustard grows on woodland edges and by hedges. If you crush a leaf between your fingers, it smells of garlic. That is why you can season bread, salad and soup with it.
Its leaves look like a heart with a toothed edge. In spring it has small white flowers with exactly four petals that look like a cross.
On the forest floor there are also plants with glossy, smooth heart-shaped leaves that are poisonous. Garlic mustard is matt and toothed. Glossy and smooth means: do not pick.
Comment ça marche
Garlic mustard is biennial. In its first year it forms a rosette of roundish leaves on the ground, which often stays green through winter. In the second spring a stem with heart-shaped leaves and white flowers shoots up; then it forms long pods with seeds and dies.
The smell comes from mustard oils: when the leaf is damaged, an enzyme splits certain substances, creating sharp, volatile compounds. The same principle makes mustard, horseradish and cress hot. Because the substances are volatile, garlic mustard loses much of its aroma when cooked.
Four petals in a cross are typical of all plants in the cabbage family. Together with the heart-shaped, toothed leaves and the garlic smell this gives a picture that none of the poisonous forest floor plants has.
Ce qui compte vraiment
Matt and toothed. Garlic mustard leaves feel soft, are light green and have a coarsely toothed edge. That is the most important difference from asarabacca and lesser celandine.
Ideally collect when the plant is flowering. Then you see the four white petals and can recognise the plant reliably. Young leaves from the tip are mildest.
Use it raw, and with warm dishes add it only at the end. A few leaves are enough for a whole meal.
Sécurité : à quoi faire attention
Asarabacca and lesser celandine are poisonous. Asarabacca has dark green, glossy, leathery, kidney-shaped leaves without teeth and smells peppery. Lesser celandine has glossy heart-shaped leaves and yellow star flowers. Both lie rather flat on the ground.
With nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea after eating call the poison line and keep plant remains. With breathing problems or reduced consciousness dial 112 or 144.
Garlic mustard is hot. In large amounts it can irritate the stomach – it is a seasoning, not a vegetable.
Pas à pas
Where garlic mustard grows
You find it in half-shaded, nutrient-rich places: woodland edges, hedges, thickets, parks and shady path edges. In its first year it forms a flat rosette; in its second year an upright stem grows, often knee- to hip-high, which flowers in spring.
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Where garlic mustard grows
You find it in half-shaded, nutrient-rich places: woodland edges, hedges, thickets, parks and shady path edges. In its first year it forms a flat rosette; in its second year an upright stem grows, often knee- to hip-high, which flowers in spring.
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Heart-shaped, toothed leaves
The leaves are heart- to kidney-shaped, light green, matt and coarsely toothed or scalloped at the edge. The lower leaves have long stalks; further up they get smaller, more pointed and more triangular. They feel soft, not leathery.
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Four white petals
From April the stem carries small white flowers at the top with exactly four petals forming a cross. Later long, thin, upright pods form. Four white petals in a cross together with the heart-shaped leaves are a strong feature.
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Smell test
Crush a leaf with clean fingers: it clearly smells of garlic, with a mustard-like sharpness. Without the smell it is not garlic mustard. As with wild garlic: the smell is the final confirmation.
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Rule out asarabacca and lesser celandine
Asarabacca lies flat on the forest floor; its leaves are kidney-shaped, dark green, glossy, leathery and smooth-edged, without teeth. Lesser celandine has glossy, heart-shaped leaves and yellow star flowers in early spring. Both are poisonous. Glossy and smooth-edged means: do not pick.
Yellow flowers or glossy leaves: not a garlic mustard patch.
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Harvest young leaves
Pick young, tender leaves from rosettes or from the tips of the stems. Older leaves turn bitter. Only take a few leaves per plant. Garlic mustard spreads strongly – you do not harm the stand if you harvest in moderation.
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Préparer
Wash thoroughly. Raw and finely cut it seasons bread, salad, herb quark and egg dishes. Cooking makes it lose much of its aroma – add it at the end. The seeds from ripe pods taste hot like mustard and can serve as seasoning.
Erreurs courantes
- Taking glossy, smooth-edged leaves
- Only paying attention to the smell
- Harvesting old, bitter leaves
- Eating too much at once
- Cooking it for long
Aperçu rapide
Matériel
Couteau (lame fixe ou à verrouillage)
Ou des ciseaux
Coupez en éloignant la lame de votre corps.
Les règles sur le port de couteaux varient selon les régions – vérifiez les règles locales.
Sac ou panier de cueillette aéré
Cueillir chaque espèce séparément pour qu'aucune plante inconnue ne se mélange
Pas de sacs en plastique pour longtemps – les plantes vertes transpirent et se gâtent
Poche à eau de qualité alimentaire
For washing
À utiliser uniquement pour l'eau potable, jamais pour des produits chimiques ni du carburant.
Convient pour
- March to June, young leaves; rosettes also in autumn and winter
- Garlic flavour without wild garlic
- Seasoning for simple supplies
Ne convient pas pour
- Glossy, smooth-edged leaves on the forest floor
- Roadsides and dog paths
- Large amounts at once
Prérequis
- Knowing asarabacca and lesser celandine
- Clean hands for the smell test
- Sites with permission
Sécurité
- Garlic mustard is hot like mustard and garlic. It is a seasoning: a few leaves per meal. Large amounts can irritate the stomach.
- Plants close to the ground can be contaminated with soil, droppings and fox tapeworm eggs. Wash thoroughly or cook, and wash your hands afterwards.
Comment ça marche
Garlic mustard belongs to the cabbage family like mustard and cabbage. Its garlic smell comes from mustard oils that form when it is crushed. You recognise it reliably by the combination of heart-shaped, coarsely toothed, matt leaves, small white flowers with exactly four petals in a cross and the smell after crushing.
Avantages
- Garlic flavour over a long period
- Common on woodland edges
- Spreads strongly – moderate harvesting does no harm
- Leaves and seeds usable
Inconvénients
- Hot, only as seasoning
- Older leaves bitter
- Poisonous look-alikes on the forest floor
- Aroma disappears when cooked
Connaissances approfondies
Contexte technique
Garlic mustard was long used in Europe as a seasoning herb for fish and salads. In North America, where it was introduced, it is now considered an invasive species.
Wild plant books recommend it as a good alternative to wild garlic: it is common, easy to recognise by its four white petals and seasons whole meals with a few leaves. As with every wild plant: check several features and leave anything glossy and smooth-edged alone.
Variantes
- Mustard from seeds
- In summer collect ripe, dry pods, knock out the small dark seeds and crush them. With a little vinegar, water and salt this makes a simple, hot seasoning paste.
- Rosettes in winter
- First-year rosettes stay green in mild winters. Then the flowers are missing as a feature – only collect in places where you have seen the plant flowering in spring.
Erreurs courantes
- Taking glossy, smooth-edged leaves
- Only paying attention to the smell
- Harvesting old, bitter leaves
- Eating too much at once
- Cooking it for long
Limites et risques
- Pas une clé de détermination complète
- Valable pour l'Europe centrale
- Aucune promesse de guérison
Alternatives de matériaux
Déduit des propriétés des matériaux : un substitut doit avoir toutes les propriétés requises. Respectez les remarques sur le substitut.
- Sac ou panier de cueillette aéré
- Casserole en métal (acier inoxydable, aluminium, titane) (Chaud – risque de brûlure.), Bouteille en acier inoxydable à simple paroi (Ne chauffez que des bouteilles à simple paroi, sans peinture ni plastique ; retirez le bouchon avant de chauffer.), Bouteille isotherme à double paroi (Ne jamais chauffer directement.), Bouteille en PET (transparente, 2 litres max.) (Ne pas chauffer ni placer dans un feu.), Bidon d'eau de qualité alimentaire (Utilisez uniquement des récipients qui n'ont jamais contenu de produits chimiques ni de carburant.), Boîte de conservation hermétique, adaptée au contact alimentaire (Ne remplir que lorsqu'elle est propre et complètement sèche ; n'utilisez jamais de récipients ayant contenu des produits chimiques.), Bidon ou sac à eau pliable (Protéger des objets pointus.), Verre doseur, Poche à eau de qualité alimentaire (À utiliser uniquement pour l'eau potable, jamais pour des produits chimiques ni du carburant.), Bocal ou pot de fermentation (Utilisez uniquement des récipients alimentaires en verre, en grès émaillé adapté au contact alimentaire ou en plastique alimentaire – pas de récipients en métal pour les aliments acides.), Sachets alimentaires refermables (N'utilisez que des sachets destinés aux aliments ; ne les utilisez pas avec de l'eau bouillante, sauf si le fabricant l'autorise expressément.), Récipient de cueillette rigide (boîte, panier ou gobelet) (Une espèce par récipient – ne jamais y mélanger quelque chose d'inconnu)
- Poche à eau de qualité alimentaire
- Bouteille en acier inoxydable à simple paroi (Ne chauffez que des bouteilles à simple paroi, sans peinture ni plastique ; retirez le bouchon avant de chauffer.), Bouteille isotherme à double paroi (Ne jamais chauffer directement.), Bouteille en PET (transparente, 2 litres max.) (Ne pas chauffer ni placer dans un feu.), Bidon d'eau de qualité alimentaire (Utilisez uniquement des récipients qui n'ont jamais contenu de produits chimiques ni de carburant.), Boîte de conservation hermétique, adaptée au contact alimentaire (Ne remplir que lorsqu'elle est propre et complètement sèche ; n'utilisez jamais de récipients ayant contenu des produits chimiques.), Bidon ou sac à eau pliable (Protéger des objets pointus.), Bocal ou pot de fermentation (Utilisez uniquement des récipients alimentaires en verre, en grès émaillé adapté au contact alimentaire ou en plastique alimentaire – pas de récipients en métal pour les aliments acides.), Sachets alimentaires refermables (N'utilisez que des sachets destinés aux aliments ; ne les utilisez pas avec de l'eau bouillante, sauf si le fabricant l'autorise expressément.)
Les résultats proviennent exclusivement d'entrées structurées. Aucune instruction improvisée n'est générée.
Sources (5)
- Ray Mears und Gordon Hillman, Hodder & Stoughton (2007): Wild Food · Garlic mustard as a spicy wild plant on woodland edges and hedges
- Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) (2017): Risiko Pflanze – Einschätzung und Hinweise · Poisonous plants in woods and gardens, including lesser celandine and asarabacca
- Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR): Giftpflanzen: Wie kann man sich schützen und was ist bei einer Vergiftung zu tun? (Fragen und Antworten) · Confusion of edible with poisonous wild plants; what to do in case of poisoning
- Robert Koch-Institut: RKI-Ratgeber Echinokokkose · Transmission du ténia du renard par des œufs avalés ; lavage, cuisson, lavage des mains
- Gesundheitsportal Österreich (gesundheit.gv.at), Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz: Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ) · Centre d'information toxicologique en Autriche (VIZ), joignable jour et nuit ; en cas de danger immédiat 112 ou 144