Bear garlic pesto (spread)? A healthy recipe for spring cleansing

Difficulty: low Preparation: 25 minutesPortions: approximately 20 servings

After a spring walk, you can create a pleasant atmosphere in your home not only with a bouquet of spring plants. Bear garlic is one of the first messengers of spring. With it, you will not only bring a pleasant smell into your home, but also health.

Bear garlic is a herb that is said to be sought after by bears after hibernation.
The reason for this is its positive effect on the digestive system and overall vitality.
You may also be interested in this article on boosting immunity.

This aromatic herb prefers shady and moist environments. It appears in early spring, sometime around March.

What are the uses and health benefits of bear garlic?
Where is it found and can it be grown?
For information, see this article:
Benefit from the effects of bear garlic. Where is it found, can it be grown?

It usually grows in large quantities and covers large areas, so it can fill the whole forest with its scent.

The smell and taste is unmistakable.
Therefore, if the leaves do not have the typical garlic smell and garlicky spicy taste, do not pick them.

Effects of bear garlic:

• antibacterial, antiviral
• antioxidant effect
• beneficial effect on intestinal microflora
• helps with constipation, flatulence and diarrhoea
• strengthens immunity

Read also our articles on digestive problems:

• The 10 most common reasons for lower abdominal pain
• 5 tips to solve bloating?
• What is the right diet for diarrhoea, constipation or vomiting?

For the best effect of bear garlic, use its leaves raw.

You can add it to salads, for example, or chop it up and add it to ready-made soups or bread, like chives.

If you want to store your bear garlic leaves for a longer period of time, you can freeze them in a microtene bag. However, do not dry the leaves. Drying them loses the aroma and the effects of the leaves.

Bear garlic pesto

Making bear garlic pesto is one way of storing it for longer periods of time. It is quick, simple and easy to prepare.

You will need:

• 100-200 g freshly picked bear garlic (about two large handfuls)
• 50-100 g of nuts of your choice (walnuts, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts)
• 150 ml olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• salt
• pepper for seasoning

How to prepare the bear garlic pesto

Wash the bear garlic thoroughly and dry it with a napkin.
First tear the leaves into smaller pieces and then put them in a blender.

Add the oil, nuts, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Add olive oil as needed to make the leaves easier to blend and the mixture smooth.

For a spicier flavor, you can also add chili pepper to the blender.

Fill the finished mixture into jars, seal with lids and refrigerate. Pesto stored in the refrigerator does not need to be jarred and will keep for up to several months.

You can use this pesto in pasta (spaghetti, etc.), salads or spreads.

Our tip:
Add a little pesto to your gnocchi dough.
This is great with sour cream and browned bacon.

Enjoy!