Pickled field garlic in sherry vinegar
Got field garlic?
I decided to put off my first plant walk of the spring, because of the deep and lingering cold.
The Inwood Field Garlic Walk will now take place on Saturday, March 29th.
If you'd like to join us (join us!) for the walk - with picnic break (hey, it's me: you know I can't walk without a picnic) - please sign up via PayPal, below. Or, if you fancy your chances on the ponies, follow the link to Edible Manhattan where they are offering two free spots ($60 value) to one participant in their "what will you be growing this year?" survey.
Dutchman's breeches - Inwood
Inwood Field Garlic Walk
29 March, 11am - 3pm
Late March and the forest floor in Inwood is still crackly with brown winter leaves. But the spicebush may have woken into citrusy bloom, early violets might have opened, and there may be an owl... There are edible and invasive daylilies here, as well as the notorious yet delicious garlic mustard. It sends out chemicals into the soil that prevent other plants from growing. in terms of conservation, it is awful. In the kitchen, it is yummy.
Invasive field garlic is one of the first plants to appear after winter, and is a versatile kitchen staple for me.
On the walk, learn to spot and identify wild edibles, as well as other native and exotic plants.
This is an interesting and little known part of the city, unless you live in that neighbourhood: On one side, the Spuyten Duyvil, separating Manhattan island from the mainland, and on the other, the mighty Hudson, separating us from Governor Christie.
It's one of my favourite spring walks.
Pack a lunch for a forest picnic. Field garlic snack provided.
Bathroom at start and end of walk.
We meet at 11am sharp at the entrance at Seaman Avenue and Isham, returning there by 3pm or a little earlier. The closest subway is the A to 207th. More details for confirmed walkers closer to the time.
Marie, are you literally talking about the little garlic bulbs with the small (but pretty) white and/or blue flowers? The ones I dig up by the 1000's and throw away? I can pickle those?
ReplyDeleteAt one time in my life, i thought they were beautiful ... and they naturalize so nicely! cultivated them for an entire year ... and then fought them for 15 more. I'll go look in the book.
Hi webb - yes!
DeleteYou could have Allium vineale or field garlic (lots of other regional common names) which has hollow leaves, like chives. The flowers are rather nondescript but purplish. Or perhaps native wild onion (Allium canadense) which has flat leaves, with white flowers. But if they are so prolific it's probably the field garlic.
Ignore the skinniest ones and look for nice tall fat leaves, and pull those plants for pickling and eating. They are very good.
Worth a try! hope I haven't eradicated so many that there are no longer any left to eat! thanks.
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