Last week I received a care package of garlic from a small farm in New Hampshire. The package contained about a dozen heads of beautiful garlic as well as a bottle of vinegar infused with maple and garlic and some dried herbs from the farm.

“Gaaahlic” as Chef Emeril likes to say is a favored ingredient here at Homebase, we always have it on hand.

Garlic is part of the allium family, a close relative of onions, chives and shallots. Garlic has been cultivated world wide for thousands of years and according to what I have read it is difficult to pin point its country of origin, perhaps Siberia or Central Asia.

Historically, garlic has been used both as a seasoning and for medicinal purposes. It seems to me that garlic should be classified with some of the other superfoods. It is a fundamental ingredient in many Asian, Italian, Latin American, and the Middle East. Most commonly only the bulb is used but the flowers and the young greens from garlic are edible as well. Garlic flowers closely resemble chive blossoms and make a beautiful garnish. I like to add them to Leek and Potato Soup or Creamy Garlic Soup. I doubt you will ever see garlic scapes(the young green stem of a hard neck garlic) in your local grocery store but if you are at your local farmer’s market and happen to see them, by all means pick them up. They are tender and delicious and milder than the actual clove. You can use them in a stir fry, omelets and even to make a pesto like sauce. They are elusive though and make only a brief appearance generally in the spring.

Here, I make a quick disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a nutritionist- I am a chef. But it is said that garlic has medicinal properties. It is said that garlic has anti-microbial properties and during the Middle Ages it was used to ward off the plague. Today, it is thought that regular garlic consumption is beneficial to the heart by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Garlic is a good source of vitamin B6, C and selenium and magnesium and has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. If for some reason you cannot stand the taste of garlic but would like to reap its benefits most health food stores sell it in the form of a concentrated capsule in the vitamin section.

Lucky for me, I love garlic. I use it regularly in the kitchen. I planted it in my fall garden with big expectations for garlic scapes and garlic flowers this spring. I am so excited to use the garlic sent in this care package. It is quite beautiful and looks a bit different from the garlic I am accustomed to getting at my local grocery store. Thank you Ms. Grasso from Abbey Farm in New Hampshire for the lovely gift.

Filed Under: Food Talk, Food-Related Random