Hi plant lovers🍃🌳
Today I would like to show you the recipe for Wild Garlic Pesto .
We visited some friends in Central Balkan Mountains some weeks ago for a May Dance Celebration.
The forest is predominat by beech trees , moist atmosphere and wild garlic (Allium ursinum) growing all over the forest.
Unfortunately we didnt take pictures of the harvest in the forest.
Wild Garlic has a poison alike plant, call Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) ,which it is said to affect the muscles of the heart.
Its easy to confuse them because of their similar leaves.
The smell is a clue in the identification.
While wild garlic has a strong fragance like onion or garlic, getting stronger when rub, the Lily of the Valley lack that smell.
Once the flowers blossom the difference is also clear.
When we were in the forest, gypsies were also collecting, all the family gather together, harvesting a lot of wild garlic and making their van full for sell in the local market.
We helped them to carry some of their bags, how heavy there were... After we sat down together and chat about life.
Once back at home, I started clean the wild garlic with water, separate the flowers, remove some old leave and slightly cut it.
I mix it with some olive oil and used the mixer for create a nice press (pesto) consistence.
I was preparing some clean jars and put the pesto inside pressing down everytime I add some more.
When the jar is almost full, I added a layer of oil for better preserving.
The flowers with their stem that I separate previously I used them in the tomato sauce I cooked that day.
I also tried the flowers before just slightly cook in water, delicious!
Pictures of the final product in our farm shop.
The jar on the right with light green colour, I add roasted sunflower seeds but after a couple of day got fermented already so just with oil I could keep the jars longer.
So pleasant the taste of the Wild Garlic Pesto with our Homemade Sourdough bread, coming soon the recipe....
Hope you enjoy this journey throught the abundance of the forest.
Thank for the food, its healing us🌲
Jay Ma