Anyone who has spent time riding or running in the lanes and limestone hills of North Lancashire in early summer will know well the wonderful feeling of exploring a quite road or path though a woodland tree tunnel and discovering a carpet of wild garlic beneath an ancient dry stone wall. Its broad dark green leaves with the white ice crystal flowers that sway above it fill the air with all pervading sweet peppery smell. The sense of plunging into a deep pool of deliciously pungent water is compounded by the plants’s liking for the pond green borders of those dark shady lanes. This powerful but wonderful odour sets nasal sensors and taste buds humming almost like nothing else.

I often stop and stuff handfuls of leaves into the pockets of my cycling jersey or some part of my run attire only to return home steeped in its delightful smell. Once through the door the urge to release its delightful flavour into a salad or curry is strong. Simply chopped and stirred into scrambled organic egg and served with plenty of seasoning on a well cooked croissant is wonderful after a long dawn ride or run in the woods or canal side trails.

Few people seem to stop to gather a few of its sweet yet peppery leaves. Frankly, those cooks who do, I imagine prefer, or feel more comfortable with the pleasant yet far less exciting flavours of parsley or even coriander, let alone its rather, by comparison, crass namesake should be a bit more adventurous. Perhaps it is the fact that it grows uncontrolled by the roadside or even that inured behind glass and metal inside a motor vehicle it is part of a world they don’t inhabit. Perhaps it is right that those who engage their bodies with their own nature and that they live in are privileged to experience this rare delight. There is nothing that gives the sense of being ‘in, with or one with’ nature than being deep in the ‘zone’ and suddenly being immersed in the ‘humm’ of this fantastic plant. And ‘humm’ is an apt term as in these delves the air seems to vibrate with its sweetness.

I suppose that many those who have experienced the joy of this experience, and have the confidence and knowledge to bring these magical leaves home and do them justice at the dinner table might counsel care. That is to only take a few leave from each plant and leave some for those who come after. This said it grows with such abundance that for those who know or bother there is no shortage. This said we should not forget the sorry and cautionary tale of the American bison or the great auk.

Having read this you won’t doubt my love of this mighty leaf or be surprised that on one of my early morning runs this week I took the opportunity to stop and pluck a handful along the way.

This run began as night turned to day along the estuary of our mighty river Lune, green and gloopy as *Kipling’s Limpopo, its banks home to the famous salt marsh sheep and and skeins of waders including the beautiful recent immigrant, the white egret. So small pretty and white but when it opens its bill to speak it has a croak to rival a raven in its harshness. From the estuary the trail tracks left along past a sometimes pungent (not in a good way) path that leads past the water works, through ancient broadleaf woodland and down a steep bank to the canal. Here a sense of cool torpor pervades, water and air seem to meld in murky greenness, the giant trees on its steep banks reflected in the uncannily still water. It is here that the tame heron fishes silently balanced, astonishingly, on a free floating log. It is a slow run – a chatty pace alternating in zone one (super slow) and zone two by kilometres. This is partly because my polarised training plan that includes some four and a half hours a week like this (or walking) and one of insanely hectic effort, demands it. It is also because I am still recovering from breaking my foot in Madeira. I am gently building strength and improving the flection in my toes. It is amazing how hard it is to run slow but it increases the amount of time passing through the garlic groves and permits stopping to enjoy watching the heron find its breakfast.

It is evening before I decide to use the fruits of my foraging. I wonder what to create around it. it should be tasty and summery but with a plenty of good carbohydrates and a reasonable level of protein. This recipe happens to be plantish* but anything with a strong or salty flavour would go well depending on your taste and add a dollop of organic yogurt on top if that is your taste.

Brown rice and buckwheat and chickpea salad with roast veg and wild garlic…

This recipe makes enough for two hungry athletes and is based on brown rice, buckwheat, chickpeas and sweet potato which are high in good quality carbohydrates and fibre but also provide some good proteins especially chickpeas and high levels of micro nutrients including manganese for healing ruined muscles and other injuries. Sweetness comes from peppers and sweet potato, umami from the roasting process and mushrooms and a slight spiciness from cumin seeds and paprika. meanwhile a vinaigrette dressing gives a wonderfully tangy backstory. Great on its own the whole thing is reaches another level by being stirred through with peppery chopped wild garlic and with a garnish on the top.

Ingredients

100g of brown rice 100g buckwheat 100g chickpeas 1 large sweet potato (diced) 1 large red pepper (diced) 1/2 a red onion (cut in chunks) 4 medium mushrooms (diced) Two handfuls of grated carrot A handful of black olives A teaspoon of cumin seeds A teaspoon of paprika 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar 3 tablespoons of olive oil Salt and pepper …… A DESCENT HANDFUL OF WILD GARLIC

Here’s how…. First rinse the rice and place in a pan with the buckwheat and a dash of salt. Now cover with 1/2 inch (1.5cm) of water and boil until the rice is softish but a little nutty (to your taste). Keep an eye on it and add more boiling water if needed. Take off the heat and strain if necessary, then leave to cool. Place sweet potato and pepper in a baking tray with some olive oil and black pepper and put in a hottish oven. Bake for 10 mins or until they begin to soften and add diced mushrooms. Bake for another 10 mins or so (depending on your oven – keep an eye on this too). Grate the carrots and chop wild garlic fairly roughly. Stir all the ingredients, including the spices, together gently with some salt and pepper leaving a handful of wild garlic to go on top. Whisk the tablespoons of oil and vinigar together with salt and pepper and perhaps a little mustard, if you want then, stir into the salad to taste. Finally, spoon it all nicely onto a plate, decorate with left over wild garlic flowers/leaf and its done!

ENJOY!

*Plantish – like vegan or plant-based but the former is a philosophy and the latter too corporate now * “great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees,” from the Elephants Child in The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling