ALLIUM SATIVUMTHE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS imbued garlic and onions with divinity and took their oaths on them. In Numbers 11:15, we read that the Israelites, wandering in the desert after their escape from Egypt, fondly recalled the garlic they had eaten there. Among the other treasures in King Tutan-khamen’s tomb were heads of garlic. The wild progenitors of garlic were native to south-central Asia and the central Asian steppes. It’s likely the plant made its way west to the Middle East and the Mediterranean on the caravans that plied the Silk Road in deep antiquity. Certainly garlic seems to have remained unchanged since the days of ancient Egypt, probably because it is propagated vegetatively by planting cloves rather than sexually through seeds.
THE ORGANIC FACTOR
You would think that garlic, with its pungency and antibacterial properties, would be the last crop to need heavy applications of agricultural chemicals. But in California—where much of the country’s commercial garlic is grown—the crop is drenched with 25 tons of chemicals a year, much of it to fumigate the soil against root-destroying worms known as nematodes.
It makes sense, therefore, to find a local source for organic garlic, either at a farmers’ market, roadside stand, or your own backyard. Because it’s easy to grow, many organic truck farmers and market gardeners grow it. You can also find it fresh from online suppliers.
NUTRITION
Allicin is a major factor in the considerable health benefits of garlic. It thins the blood, is important in preventing heart attack and stroke, dissolves blood clots, raises the level of good (HDL) cholesterol, lowers the level of bad (LDL) cholesterol, lowers triglycerides (fats in the blood), lowers blood pressure, and protects against colon cancer. It also kills or stuns bacteria, fungus (especially yeast), internal parasites, protozoa, and some insects.
TYPES
The white-skinned garlic you find at most supermarkets, and sometimes see braided into long strands, are usually California Early and California Late types. They’re what’s called “soft-neck” varieties, and they usually have white or silver skins. When the heads of soft-neck types are harvested and the leaves dry out, they are pliable and easy to braid. Hard-neck varieties, which tend to have darker red or purple striped skins, are generally more pungent and when their tops dry, they are stiff and difficult to braid. But the hard-neck varieties are also hardier and can be grown in the northern states, and their flavors are more varied than the soft-neck types. If you find a source for organic garlic who knows the names of the varieties he or she sells, you’ve found a true garlic aficionado.
Besides these true garlics, a number of other plants are often lumped in with garlic.
SEASONALITY
Although garlic is in the stores all year around, it definitely has a season of peak quality—and that’s summer. Garlic is day-length sensitive, as are many members of the onion family. That means that the heads swell and grow to size until the sun turns south after the summer solstice, at which time they ripen. Most garlic, being hardy and able to withstand winter’s frozen months, is planted in the fall as single cloves from the head. Each clove will make a new head next year. The small garlic plants overwinter and start growing again when the soil warms up in the spring. Along about mid-May, you may start seeing fresh, young heads of garlic at the farmers’ markets. These are easy-to-peel, immature heads of mild flavor and are quite nice sliced and added to salads, baked on a pizza, and added to soups.
By the end of June the heads have reached their full size and slowly ripen, their outer layers becoming the papery husks we’re familiar with.
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