When winter is over, all creatures begin to look for food.

As the days grow longer and warmer, there's more time to go outside of the nest and find some edibles... but just what exactly is available so early in the year? Let's look at three edible leafy green plants that you can use in your own cooking.

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is one of the most commonly found introduced species in Ontario. It grows quickly, produces plentiful amount of seed and is considered a weed so overharvesting it is not a concern. Originally brought over in the 1800s as a garnish, it has escaped cultivation in backyard gardens and become a common herbaceous plant found in our forests, often blanketing the understory in spring. Identify it by crushing the leaf between your fingers, it should have a garlic odour.

The leaves and flowers have a peppery, pungent taste and are often used chopped up as salad greens, steamed or fried and eaten with other vegetables or meat, or ground up and used as a pesto sauce. The seeds, produced in heavy quantities every fall are also sometimes used as a seasoning on their own. As a very prolific leafy green vegetable, you will be able to identify this plant year-round since it often retains its green leaves underneath the snow. If you aren't satisfied with the amount of garlic mustard growing nearby, there is another plant that you might find if you're lucky.

Wild onion (Allium tricoccum) also known as ramps or wild leek, is a perennial plant with broad green leaves and a dark red stem that leads to a white bulb underground. Don't be fooled by the name, the leaves of the plant and the bulbs have an intense spicy garlic taste. Like most wild foods, it has a flavor that may be too strong for someone that isn't used to them, so should be used in small quantities and cooked well to remove some pungency. If you eat it uncooked, prepare to have a garlic taste in your mouth for hours.

Often the leafy part alone is what is harvested, it's recommended to leave the bulb in the ground so that the patch can regenerate and since it's a slow-growing plant, take only what you plan to eat. The bulbs and leaves should be washed, cleaned and then fried with bacon or sweet potato for maximum taste.

In keeping with the garlic theme, this final specimen (Allium canadense) also known as Canada onion, Canadian garlic or wild garlic is a perfect fit. This can be found in fall or even the spring afterwards when it's fully dried out through the winter. The edible part of the plant is the garlic bulblets at the top (themselves able to grow a new plant) and the bulb at the base. It has a onion-y odour and a strong garlic taste, for such a small bulb.

It's easy to collect a lot of these and store them. I use a small plastic container with holes poked in the lid to allow good airflow. These tiny mini-garlics can be used in a stir-fry or baked, just beware that they tend to pop when cooked fast. These plants grow in patches so spend a little time in the area and look around.

If you're out foraging this spring, bring someone knowledgeable with you to be certain what you're eating is edible. I recommend getting a guidebook on edible plants and using your sense of smell to help identify these common yet pungent wild vegetables. Happy hunting!

All photos were taken by myself and free to re-use for any purpose.