Can't believe I won an XBOX360 in the weekly competition thing - something new to review!
Can't believe I won an XBOX360 in the weekly competition thing - something new to review!
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Garlic (sometimes known as 'Stinking Rose' or 'Poor Mans Treacle' has long been used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It was certainly in use around 3000bc, as the six bulbs of garlic found in the tomb of Ramses proves, while the Charaka Samhita, a Sanskrit medical text dating from 2000 bc also contains references to the use of garlic for medicinal purposes.
A Buddhist text from the 4th century ad , the Navanitaka, also makes mention of garlic as a herbal medicine, although it is worth noting that for a long time the Buddhists were among a number of religions which forbade their followers from entering a temple after consuming garlic.
Garlic today has many fans in the UK , possibly something to do with the increasing popularity of foreign food here. Italian food, for example is often teeming with garlic, as in Indian and middle eastern food, and some Chinese dishes.
However, it hasn't always been so popular. For instance, Cervantes (the author of Don Quixote) said "Do not eat garlic or onions; for their smell will reveal that you are a peasant."
However, I personally tend to agree with the wise words of Louis Diat who stated "Without garlic I simply would not care to live."
So, what IS Garlic -------------------------
Well, if you've never heard of garlic, I'd be very surprised. Garlic is a member of the Allium family of plants, a group which also includes onions and leeks. It's not known for sure where garlic originates from, as it's been present in many cultures throughout history. Many people believe it originated from Asia, but it is also to be found growing wild in some parts of the Mediterranean.
Garlic is bulb like in shape, with a white papery covering. With the covering removed, the bulb is split into smaller cloves, each of which can be planted to grow into
a whole head. With a little care, you can take just one bulb of garlic and planted properly, it will produce many more bulbs of garlic for you. It's cheap and easy to do, so is in ideal first project for anyone with an interest in home growing their own produce.
Different kinds of Garlic ---------------------------------
The most commonly available brand of garlic in supermarkets is "allium sativum" which falls into two sub categories, soft necked and hard necked garlic. Soft necked is more readily available on supermarket shelves, simply because it is easier to plant and cultivate by mechanical means. Soft neck garlic also last for longer, and is distinctive by white papery skin and many small cloves.
Hard necked garlic usually has fewer but larger cloves, and have less of the papery white outer wrapper, making them more problematic to grow and giving them a much shorter shelf life. Hard necked garlic is also known for producing 'flowers' which is something of a misnomer as the 'flowers' are actually tiny bulbs of garlic themselves. These small bulbs drain nutrients from the planted bulb, so if you're growing hard necked garlic, it's worth cutting these off in order to protect your harvest.
Elephant garlic is much larger then either of these two varieties, and a bulb can weigh anything up to a pound, with a single clove sometimes growing as large as a whole bulb of ordinary garlic. Elephant has a sweeter, less garlicky taste than the allium sativum varieties, so is ideal for those who prefer a milder taste.
How and when to plant Garlic -----------------------------------------
Growing your own garlic is extraordinarily simple, so even if you're no green fingers it is well worth giving it a try. Don't be fooled into thinking that garlic won't grow in the cold weather in england, in fact, garlic is very hardy indeed and thrives even in Scotland, as evidenced by the owners of the site http://www.reallygarlicky.co.uk/flashindex.html who make a living selling their award winning hard necked garlic.
Pick a spot in your garden that gets a good amount of sun, and make sure the soil is not overly prone to waterlog, as poor drainage and excess moisture may cause the garlic to rot. If drainage in your garden is poor, digging some sand into the soil may help. A little blood and bone fertilizer is also a great idea to nourish the soil.
There is no need to buy special bulbs for planting. Simply go to your supermarket, pick out a firm, large bulb with no signs of going off , and then carefully peel the outer skin from the bulb. Separate the cloves, leaving the skin on, and then select large, unblemished cloves to be planted. The best time for planting is generally known to be October/november time, although some people prefer to leave it until the spring.
Turn the soil thoroughly to about eight inches in depth, and then push the individual cloves into the soil in an upright position about an inch below the soil surface . Space the cloves at least four inches apart (tighter spacing will not stop them growing, but the bulbs will be smaller.)
Although garlic requires little attention, it will encourage your harvest if you can nourish the soil with a general purpose fertilizer every couple of months or so. This is not absolutely essential, but will greatly improve the quality of your garlic.
It may seem like nothing is happening for some time, but if you plant in October by march you should be seeing the first tentative green shoots poking out of the soil.
When the leaves have turned yellow or brown, your garlic is ready for harvesting. To test this, carefully pull one bulb from the soil, and see how many papery layers there are on the outside of the bulb. If there are three or less, you garlic is perfectly ripe and can be harvested, if there are mote than three layers, bury it again for a couple of weeks till the excess skins turn brown.
After Harvesting ___________
Garlic only has a long shelf life it it is properly dried, so hang in a cool dry place. (If you have an overhead kitchen airer, this would be ideal, but if not, any cool dry place will do) for a week. After this, you can brush off any excess soil, and then store you garlic in a cool dry cupboard away from excess sunlight
Garlic as a natural pesticide ---------------------------------------
Studies by newcastle university found that when plants were sprayed with a mixture of garlic and water, greenfly and aphids began to drop like, well, flies from the stems of the plant.
Similarly, slugs also have bad reactions to garlic. In the same study, it was found that slugs turned away from the smell of garlic, and anyn slugs sprayed with it also died.
So, if you like to grow your food as organically as possible, a solution on crushed garlic and water is very effective in warding off pests.
Medicinal uses Of Garlic ----------------------------------
As well as being used for cooking, garlic also has many medicinal uses. The main medicinal ingredient of garlic is allicin, which is produced when garlic is chopped or crushed.
Coarsely cut raw garlic has been effectively used as an antiseptic in both world wars, proving very effective at stopping wounds becoming infected when applied directly to the wound. When applied directly to the skin, it can also ward off mosquitos.
Eaten in food, or taken as a dietary supplement, research has shown that garlic can effect a small but significant reduction in bad cholesterol, while helping to increase the amount of healthy HDL cholesterol.
It has also been known as an aid to reducing blood clotting, although supplements are more effective. However, it is worth noting that garlic supplements may interfere with the anticoagulant warfarin, and should be avoided if you or on this medication.
A recent Taiwanese study has also found that garlic can actually help protect against certain antibiotic resistent bacteria,most notably Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A link to this particularly interesting new health claim can be found at the bottom of this review. , Bad Breath and Bodily Functions ----------------------------------------------
The worst thing about garlic is the fact that it can leave you with appalling bad breath. There really is little you can do about this, if you like garlic in your cooking. Although you can effectively mask the odour by chewing fresh parsley after eating a garlic laden meal, the garlic will still seep out through your skin.
Garlic can also cause indigestion if eaten in overly large amounts, and add a particularly malodorous twang to your farts!
So, as well as warding off vampires, garlic is a tasty addition to many recipes, and has many health benefits when wither eaten in food or taken as a supplement. Overall, I would recommend trying to grow garlic to any would be gardener, whatever your level of ability, simply because it's so easy, and so cheap to grow.
I've rambled on for far too long now, so I'll leave you with the news that garlic is reportedly an aphrodisiac, a fact which, having a particularly tasty roulé cheese, I'm keen to put to the test.:)
Sites of interest: http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/garlic06.html#des offers particularly interesting information on all kinds of plants and herbs, from a 1900's perspective, including planting information
http://www.garlicworld.co.uk has a whole host of information on anything you could want to know about garlic.
http://www.garlicworld.co.uk/page1.html#mrsa An article detailing the positive effects garlic can have against this killer superbug.
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Great review! A well deserved E. Although everytime I think of or see the letter E on it's own I always think of Mr E from the Eels.
GoodGuyBaz 02.02.2007 13:53
Fab review. Entertaining and containing a lot of facts and information about garlic which i didn't know before. I like garlic, but the others in my house probably wish I didn't eat it!
Baz.
Juliette 08.02.2006 16:16
Excellent review! Thanks for going to such lengths, it was a brilliant read. I'd like to add that if you cut the individual clove of garlic down the length and remove any growing sprout in the centre you will avoid indigestion (learned this during pregnancy!) and I think it helps prevent smelling pongy too!
Advantages: Dried marjoram can be stored for ages in the kitchen cupboard Disadvantages: Sometimes the fresh version can be sold out in the supermarket
planetchelsea 27.03.2009 ·
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