Garlic

Garlic, formally known as Allium sativum L, is one of the ancient herbal and cooking items grown. It is in the same family as onions, and has long been used the health medicinal benefits of garlic that include treatment of colds, boosting immunity, fighting off bacterial infections, repelling insects and helping with increasing blood circulation, blood sugar regulation in pregnancy and decreasing cholesterol and blood pressure. Garlic health benefits are also being researched in fighting cancer and assisting diabetics in controlling blood sugar.

Garlic is also used in thousands of recipes. Growing garlic at home is easy, it is a bulb like plant, similar in appearance to an onion. While garlic is not typically a potted plant, it can easily be grown in larger containers or in small gardens. When mature the bulbs are pulled from the ground, cleaned and stored in a garlic keeper, a ceramic, ventilated jar that keeps air circulating around the garlic bulbs.

One of the oldest culinary preparations for garlic is a simple roasted garlic spread. The method of how to roast garlic is very easy, all that is needed is a small, shallow oven safe dish, one or more garlic bulbs, a good quality olive oil and some aluminum foil. Cut off the top of the garlic bulb (where the leaves would have been) about ¼ to ½ inch down, so that all of the garlic cloves are exposed in cross section. Drizzle a small amount of good quality virgin olive oil across the top of the cut bulb, allowing it to run down into the bulb itself. One to two teaspoons of olive oil per bulb is all that is needed. Place the garlic cut side up in the shallow dish, cover with aluminum foil and slowly back in a 250 degree oven for one to two hours, or until the bulbs are very soft to the touch. Let the bulbs cool until they can be safely handled, then simply invert and squeeze firmly, the roasted garlic will pop out. Store covered in olive oil in the fridge.

Roasted garlic can be used in a simple garlic mashed potatoes recipe, simply add one or more cloves of the roasted garlic to the potatoes and mash as usual. The rich roast garlic will give a wonderful sweet and savory flavor. Garlic mashed potatoes are wonderful with roast beef, steak or pork dishes.

There are many festivals that celebrate this versatile herb, an the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California is one of the largest. They have garlic products for sale such as pickled garlic, garlic press devices, garlic sauce and almost anything else you could imagine. Every year they have a garlic cook-off that provides visitors with new ideas for using garlic, including garlic bread, garlic in desserts and even garlic beverages.