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
Spiegato in modo semplice
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.
Come funziona
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.
Ciò che conta davvero
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.
Sicurezza: a cosa devi fare attenzione
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.
Passo dopo passo
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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Preparare
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.
Errori comuni
- Taking glossy, smooth-edged leaves
- Only paying attention to the smell
- Harvesting old, bitter leaves
- Eating too much at once
- Cooking it for long
Panoramica rapida
Materiale
Coltello (a lama fissa o con blocco della lama)
Oppure delle forbici
Taglia lontano dal corpo.
Le regole sul trasporto dei coltelli variano da regione a regione – controlla le regole del posto.
Sacchetto o cesto da raccolta ben aerato
Raccogliere ogni specie separatamente, così nulla di sconosciuto si mescola
Niente sacchetti di plastica per tempi lunghi: la verdura suda e si guasta
Sacca per l'acqua per alimenti
For washing
Usare solo per l'acqua potabile, mai per sostanze chimiche o combustibili.
Adatto a
- March to June, young leaves; rosettes also in autumn and winter
- Garlic flavour without wild garlic
- Seasoning for simple supplies
Non adatto a
- Glossy, smooth-edged leaves on the forest floor
- Roadsides and dog paths
- Large amounts at once
Prerequisiti
- Knowing asarabacca and lesser celandine
- Clean hands for the smell test
- Sites with permission
Sicurezza
- 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.
Come funziona
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.
Vantaggi
- Garlic flavour over a long period
- Common on woodland edges
- Spreads strongly – moderate harvesting does no harm
- Leaves and seeds usable
Svantaggi
- Hot, only as seasoning
- Older leaves bitter
- Poisonous look-alikes on the forest floor
- Aroma disappears when cooked
Approfondimento
Contesto tecnico
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.
Varianti
- 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.
Errori comuni
- Taking glossy, smooth-edged leaves
- Only paying attention to the smell
- Harvesting old, bitter leaves
- Eating too much at once
- Cooking it for long
Limiti e rischi
- Non è una chiave di determinazione completa
- Vale per l'Europa centrale
- Nessuna promessa di guarigione
Alternative di materiali
Ricavate dalle proprietà dei materiali: un sostituto deve avere tutte le proprietà rilevanti. Tieni conto delle note sul sostituto.
- Sacchetto o cesto da raccolta ben aerato
- Pentola di metallo (acciaio inox, alluminio, titanio) (Calda: pericolo di ustioni.), Bottiglia in acciaio inox a parete singola (Scalda solo bottiglie a parete singola, senza vernice o plastica; togli il tappo prima di scaldare.), Bottiglia isolata a doppia parete (Non scaldare mai direttamente.), Bottiglia in PET (trasparente, max 2 litri) (Non scaldare e non mettere sul fuoco.), Tanica per acqua adatta agli alimenti (Usa solo contenitori che non hanno mai contenuto sostanze chimiche o carburante.), Contenitore per alimenti ermetico e adatto al contatto con il cibo (Riempi solo quando è pulito e completamente asciutto; non usare mai contenitori che prima contenevano prodotti chimici.), Contenitore o sacca d'acqua pieghevole (Proteggere da oggetti appuntiti.), Brocca graduata, Sacca per l'acqua per alimenti (Usare solo per l'acqua potabile, mai per sostanze chimiche o combustibili.), Barattolo o vaso per fermentazione (Usa solo contenitori adatti agli alimenti, in vetro, in gres smaltato idoneo al contatto con gli alimenti o in plastica per alimenti – niente contenitori di metallo per alimenti acidi.), Sacchetti per alimenti richiudibili (Usa solo sacchetti adatti agli alimenti; non usarli con acqua bollente, a meno che il produttore non lo consenta esplicitamente.), Contenitore rigido per la raccolta (scatola, cesto o tazza) (Una specie per contenitore – non mescolare mai nulla di sconosciuto)
- Sacca per l'acqua per alimenti
- Bottiglia in acciaio inox a parete singola (Scalda solo bottiglie a parete singola, senza vernice o plastica; togli il tappo prima di scaldare.), Bottiglia isolata a doppia parete (Non scaldare mai direttamente.), Bottiglia in PET (trasparente, max 2 litri) (Non scaldare e non mettere sul fuoco.), Tanica per acqua adatta agli alimenti (Usa solo contenitori che non hanno mai contenuto sostanze chimiche o carburante.), Contenitore per alimenti ermetico e adatto al contatto con il cibo (Riempi solo quando è pulito e completamente asciutto; non usare mai contenitori che prima contenevano prodotti chimici.), Contenitore o sacca d'acqua pieghevole (Proteggere da oggetti appuntiti.), Barattolo o vaso per fermentazione (Usa solo contenitori adatti agli alimenti, in vetro, in gres smaltato idoneo al contatto con gli alimenti o in plastica per alimenti – niente contenitori di metallo per alimenti acidi.), Sacchetti per alimenti richiudibili (Usa solo sacchetti adatti agli alimenti; non usarli con acqua bollente, a meno che il produttore non lo consenta esplicitamente.)
I risultati provengono esclusivamente da voci strutturate. Non vengono generate istruzioni improvvisate.
Fonti (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 · Trasmissione della tenia della volpe attraverso uova ingerite; lavare, riscaldare, lavarsi le mani
- Gesundheitsportal Österreich (gesundheit.gv.at), Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz: Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ) · Centro antiveleni in Austria (VIZ), attivo 24 ore su 24; in caso di pericolo acuto 112 o 144