If you want to refine dishes with herbs you have harvested yourself, you should be well versed. A mix-up can quickly have serious consequences. Especially common in the spring of Confusion of the wild plant wild garlic with the highly poisonous Autumn crocus reported, which is widespread in Europe and known as an ornamental plant. But you can also confuse the delicious wild garlic with the lily of the valley.

When is wild garlic in season?

Wild garlic is in season from the beginning of March to mid-May – once the plant starts to bloom, it no longer tastes good. If you want to be sure of picking the right plant, you should trust your nose. In contrast to lily of the valley and autumn crocus, wild garlic smells strongly of garlic. Because of its strong smell of garlic, wild garlic is also known as witch’s onion.

According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), it is sufficient for the smell test to rub a piece of the plant leaf between your fingers. If the typical garlic-like smell does not escape, the plant should rather be left standing. However, the BfR warns that the smell test also has pitfalls: If the smell of previously tested plants sticks to your fingers, this can give a false sense of security.

For comparison: lilies of the valley exude a rather sweet scent and autumn crocuses smell bitter and tart.

Wild garlic: Appearance is what counts

Bear’s garlic is similar to the autumn crocus, but if you look closely, you should also see a difference here. The autumn crocus grows stemless from a thick-leaved rosette on the ground – lilies of the valley have two or three stems that wrap around one another. Wild garlic, on the other hand, has a clearly recognizable stalk.

The leaves of the wild garlic taper downwards – the leaves of the autumn crocus form a quite straight end. A closer look at the sheet is also worthwhile. If the leaf is shiny on both sides, it’s not wild garlic. Because the underside of a wild garlic leaf is always matt. The leaves of the autumn crocus, for example, shine on both sides.

In contrast to the leaves of the autumn crocus, the leaves of wild garlic are also very sensitive and much softer. They therefore also quickly curl up on the outer edges. The firmer leaves of the autumn crocus, on the other hand, grow more upright and are reminiscent of tulip leaves.

Pick wild garlic: Play it safe

If you want to pick wild garlic but discover buds on the plant, you can definitely leave them there. Because wild garlic only starts to bear buds from around mid-May, but then it is usually already fibrous and no longer tastes good anyway. Those who do not pick plants with buds can also reduce the risk of confusion with the lily of the valley, which also has buds. Buds of lily of the valley are spherical – wild garlic has rather elongated buds.

In general, when picking vegetables or herbs, if you are not sure whether they are safe to eat, you should leave the greens where they are. Autumn crocus leaves can be deadly if eaten. The wild garlic from the weekly market tastes better.