I have garlic grass in the patch where I will be planting tomato plants. Before I weed those and till the soil, I would like to know if garlic grass is edible. It would be a shame to waste it if they are.
A member of the lily family, wild garlic (allium) is a perennial weed that crops up in lawns across suburbia. With three methods of propagation (seeds, bulblets and aerial bulbils), it spreads quickly and can be difficult to control. Its hollow, needle-shaped leaves sprout up as much as 12 inches from the ground and impart a distinct garlic aroma.
Andy Senesac, a weed scientist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead, N.Y., confirms wild garlic indeed is edible. “The unopened flower buds also are tasty,” he adds, warning, however, that the cloves can have a bit of a “nasty aftertaste.”
Confusion with poisonous look-alikes, however, is a real concern. Bear’s garlic resembles lily-of-the-valley, and mistaking it for garlic can be lethal.
There are plenty of safe, nutritious greens growing in your backyard. Just be very careful in identifying them, and before consuming any of them, be sure they haven’t been exposed to chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and rinse thoroughly.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
