Wild garlic in the Kahleby forest. 2024

“Wild garlic in the Kahleby forest”: I first reported on this topic in May 2015:

Anyone who visits the forest near the Kahleby church east of Schleswig in May will experience a rare phenomenon: as far as the eye can see, wild garlic covers the clearings in the woods near the Füsinger Au with a dense carpet of flowers - unusual for Schleswig in this lush concentration. Holstein.

https://holger-ruedel.de/baerlauch-im-wald-von-kahleby/

Great interest in wild garlic in Kahleby

To my surprise, this rather short article developed into one of the most-followed articles among the now more than 400 publications on my blog pages. Inspired by a reader from southern Schleswig-Holstein who recently asked me about the condition of the wild garlic forest in preparation for his Kahleby photo excursion, I have now set off there myself - for the first time since my visit in 2015.

Admittedly, I was a little worried because a resident of Kahleby had told me about the misbehavior of some visitors to the wild garlic forest: ripped out plants, trampled carpets of flowers and left rubbish behind. I was relieved when I reached the scene: everything looked well-kept and almost untouched. Only on the paths leading through the forest could I see deep tracks that were obviously the result of agricultural or forestry activities.

Interesting facts about wild garlic

First of all: wild garlic is healthy and contains more vitamin C than an orange. Just 50 grams cover 75% of your daily requirement. Other components can relieve the liver and support metabolism. The active ingredient allicin in wild garlic has an anti-inflammatory effect and acts as a natural antibiotic.

However, the wild garlic season is short and usually begins in April. Depending on the weather, the first tender leaves of “forest garlic” appear as early as March. The plant begins to bloom around May, but then noticeably loses its flavor.

Basically, according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, wild plants such as wild garlic may only be collected in small quantities for personal use, i.e. only a handful. Wild garlic leaves are not allowed to be picked in nature reserves.

Warning signs in the wild garlic forest in Kahleby

When I visited Kahleby in May 2024, I saw signs that had not yet been put up in 2015: warnings about falling dead wood and about picking potentially poisonous plants. Both warnings are right, especially the reference to health risks when eating harvested leaves.

Because wild garlic is easily confused with lily of the valley, autumn crocus and arum, which are very poisonous. Lily of the valley causes nausea and vomiting. Autumn crocus and arum contain colchicine - eating just one leaf can be fatal. Particularly treacherous: wild garlic often grows in the immediate vicinity of its dangerous doppelgängers.

My advice is therefore: Please just look at the beauty of the wild garlic forest in Kahleby and capture it in the picture, but leave this rare natural area worth protecting untouched!