March has brought welcome glimpses of the sun and enough dry weather to allow us to mow off crop remains, spread some compost, and even start preparing the best-drained fields for early crops. For once I am glad of our steep, south-facing fields that drain so much faster than the deeper, more fertile soils in the valley. As last year’s crops approach their end, the first wild garlic is bursting through the leaf litter on the forest floor. Like bluebells, primroses, dog’s mercury, and lords-and-ladies (the latter two are both poisonous) which all jostle for dominance, enough light must be captured to flower, seed, or recharge bulbs in 10 short weeks, before the trees above develop a full canopy depriving the forest floor of light.
We started picking last week, in the same wood running down to the River Dart where I first picked with my sons, 20 years ago. At the time, imports from Southern Europe were of questionable quality, making these locally foraged leaves an invaluable and highly nutritious supplement that helped us through the hungry gap – between the end of last year’s crops and the first picking of the new season, when we’ll have spring-planted lettuce and greens galore.
Initially, I was concerned that our foraging might suppress future growth, but we seldom take more than 10% – leaving the bulbs undisturbed and avoiding most of the flowerheads. After two decades, I am pleased that we appear to have had no impact and contend that wild garlic is the most sustainable crop in your veg box – indeed it has paid for us to maintain the woods and even plant new ones, providing a modest income to the local farmers whose woods we forage from. My dream, if I live to see it, is to supply you with wild garlic grown under the hazels I have planted – to be “pestled” into pesto, perhaps with our cold-pressed olive oil, being bottled this week in Andalucía by our long-time producer, Pepe.
After a few wild garlic omelettes and pesto-laced soups, my culinary discovery this year is combining it into a spelt risotto using a light veg stock; not as creamy as using rice, but a nuttier, richer flavour (try our recipe, overleaf). Having recently met local forager, Trudy Turrell, who shared some of her almost addictive wild garlic kimchi, I’m now a convert. For the next month, you can add wild garlic to your order as an extra (Riverford.co.uk); you may even want to try Trudy’s kimchi recipe at trudyturrellforager.com. I recommend it!
Our News from the Farm posts come from Riverford. They are the digital versions of the printed letters which go out to customers, every week via Riverford’s veg boxes. Guy Singh-Watson’s weekly newsletters connect people to the farm with refreshingly honest accounts of the trials and tribulations of producing organic food, and the occasional rant about farming, ethical and business issues he feels strongly about.
0 Comments