Preservation of shallots reached a new level this year: so far I have only dried and frozen them, this time we will also try them in an oiled version, stored in a jar – on the one hand, because the shallot plantation in our small garden gave it a hard time, and on the other hand, a good recipe seemed like it, which we managed to develop further.
Photographer: Zsuzsa Fincza
In recent weeks, I have been amazed at how many small gardens in Zala – especially on estates in Vrőhegy – grow wild onions. The ants probably didn’t carry the seeds there, like the violets, rather from bulbs, just like a part of my plantation, it got there from the forests, but already decades ago, just a few seeds to be fresh for the greasy bread – then the adaptable little plant populated the area. Anyway, you can order and buy chive rhizomes from well-known nurseries, I just checked: HUF 4,500 for a “package” of 2 pieces, HUF 1,500 for seeds. For example, two years ago I received a small sylnyányi as a gift, planted it in the vine and around the sad strawberry tree – they like the latter suite very much, they look as if the fruit tree, which is otherwise nursing a blackbird’s nest, has been given a garlic-scented wreath.
Photographer: Zsuzsa Fincza
According to the literature, it is easy to grow in rich, moist but well-drained soil and does well in full sun to partial shade. If it spreads invasively with established rhizomes and seeds, it can cover large areas over time, so plant it in a place where its spread will not disturb other plants. It is not prone to diseases, but the bulbs may start to rot in excessively wet soil, and the leaves may become moldy. It grows small rounded bulbs on branching rhizomes, leaves appear at the end of winter, flowers open in spring, seeds ripen in mid-summer – following that the plant “disappears” and goes into a dormant state until the end of the following winter. By the way, it can also be propagated from the seed – it is said to germinate quickly, it can be grown in a greenhouse the first year, the resting bulbs must be transplanted to their permanent place at the end of the summer of the following year (when the green part of the plant disappears).
Photographer: Zsuzsa Fincza
The leaves of the shallot are also used as a moth repellent, the whole plant is said to repel insects and moles. Bears, on the other hand, are not, waking up from their winter sleep with rumbling stomachs, they even dig them out from under the ground – this is where the plant got its scientific name: Allium ursinum, wild garlic, Bear’s in English, or wild garlic. It is a medicinal herb that has been known for a long time for its blood-purifying effect, and is full of antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal healing properties. It reduces harmful cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. It is a useful helper in the fight once morest infectious diseases, thanks to its powerful antimicrobial effect it helps fight infections caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi – it can also be used to speed up recovery following a cold. It speeds up the removal of toxins from the body, relieves stomach and intestinal problems.
Photographer: Zsuzsa Fincza
The problem is that it is only available to us in the spring, as the flowers open, the flavor of the leaves loses its intensity – to compensate, the flower is also edible (but then it does not produce seeds). The easiest way to preserve it is to freeze it per portion – per bouquet (due to the intense smell of garlic) wrapped in a double plastic bag. I, for example, blend it in small boxes or ice cube trays and freeze it naturally; I dry it as a food flavoring, although it supposedly loses its medicinal effect that way. The latest (for me) method: I put the thoroughly washed and dried leaves, slightly chopped with a knife, into a food processor, add olive oil and salt, then blend them to an almost creamy consistency, fill them in small bottles and cover the top with olive oil. In addition to washing the bottles thoroughly, I sterilized them in boiling water and also rinsed them with sodium benzoate water. Finally, I put foilpack foil on the glass, under the metal roof, sprinkled sodium benzoate on it and sealed it like that. After all that, I put them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator – I hope they will last a long time, even though there are no preservatives in them directly.
