The wild garlic season lasts much longer than most people think! Usually, gardeners stop picking once the buds appear, but the leaves are actually still perfectly edible. Plus, other parts of the plant—like the flowers—are delicious and can really stretch out your harvest window.
Harvesting Leaves Starting in March
Depending on how the weather is holding up, you can start foraging for leaves as early as the beginning of March. Those first tender shoots are the absolute best if you want to eat wild garlic raw. The greens are packed with nutrients and taste amazing in spreads or tossed into a fresh salad.
Technically, you can harvest the leaves throughout the entire growing cycle. Even after the flowers and seeds show up, the leaves are still safe to eat. Just keep in mind that they lose a bit of their punchy aroma and get a little tougher. If you’re harvesting late in the season, I’d recommend cooking the leaves rather than eating them raw.
Buds and Blooms from Late April
Around late April or early May, you’ll start seeing the first buds popping up. This kicks off the season for harvesting both the buds and, shortly after, the blossoms. One quick tip: wild garlic flowers and buds don’t stay fresh for long, so you’ll want to use them right after picking.
You can pickle the buds in a vinegar brine (like wild capers!) or use the flowers to make a unique pesto or an infused herbal vinegar.
While the leaf season is long, the window for buds and flowers is pretty short. Once the flowers are pollinated, they turn into seeds, which are also fair game for harvesting! You can pick them while they’re green and use them like “green pepper,” or wait until they’re mature. They have a peppery kick with just a very subtle hint of garlic.
Harvesting Bulbs in the Fall
Believe it or not, you can even eat the bulbs! Theoretically, you could dig them up as soon as the plant dies back in early summer, but remember that wild garlic doesn’t just spread by seed—it also grows through little offset bulbs.
If you dig them up too early, the patch won’t be able to spread as effectively. It’s better to wait until fall when the new offset bulbs are well-established. When you do harvest, only take the larger bulbs and leave the tiny ones in the ground to keep growing for next year.
