Garlic Mustard
(Alliaria petiolata)
A great plant to get to know when you start foraging, easily identifiable because of the garlic smell when you crush its leaves.
First year growth
Second year growth
First year growth
First year growth
Fun facts
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Also known as Jack-By-The-Hedge
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Smells like garlic when crushed.
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As you can see from the photos above, the plant looks different in different phases. In the first year it has heart shape basel rosettes (as per the bottom right hand photo), and in the second year it grows up a stalk with delicate white flowers, and the leaves become more pointed.
Uses
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A great edible. You can add it to salads, or make a wild green pesto from it.
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The flowers are also edible.
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You can also lactoferment it by adding salt - using the same method as per Wild Garlic and documented on the Totally Wild website.
Observations
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This is one of the first plants I learnt to forage. The smell (which is strongest in fresh leaves) gives it an easily identifiable feature which means you can eliminate any doubt (see my blog on Getting into Foraging)