I stepped into the squelchy woodland knowing there would be hundreds of wild garlic leaves just waiting to be picked and consumed or made into delicious recipes. I was right! After a few metres I could smell the wonderful fresh aroma of the plant. Wild garlic, that is. Sprouting in March and flowering in April to May, it is unmistakable due to its strong garlic scent.
Then I saw it. It looked a bit like a rug, carpeting the earthly floor in a green blanket. Did you know wild garlic is a symbol of strength and courage? Whenever I eat wild garlic, I feel stronger, like I can do almost anything.
I began putting it in my foraging bag, although I couldn’t wait and started nibbling at the corner of one leaf, like a mouse would do with cheese. When I tasted it, I immediately knew it was game over for the wild garlic. I devoured it in mere seconds, savouring every last inch. Excited that it had only just started sprouting, I gobbled up a second piece. And a third. And a fourth. Finally, when I felt more garlic than girl, I trudged back through the mud and back home to plan what to make with my haul.
It is extremely exciting for me to see wild garlic because I think it is one of the first signs of spring and that makes me feel elated. Spring is just around the corner.
Alice, eight
• Read today’s other YCD piece, by Eilidh, 13: ‘What was barking in the woods at night?’
• Young Country Diary runs every 4th Saturday of the month. To submit a springtime piece, use the form here
