Question about garlic

This message was edited Monday, Oct 1st 5:12 PM

am not too familiar with ur area. here in California, i plant garlic in the Fall. harvest them between June or July of the following year.

i do not plant elephant garlic as i find the flavor to be very bland. elephant garlic is not a true garlic from what i know.

edited link that no longer exist, replacing with this link http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1259.html


note: link below no longer exist
here is a url to give u an idea roughly on garlic http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/components/7317-planting.html hope that help... ma vie rose


This message was edited Feb 2, 2010 6:18 AM

Hi Honibee'Thank you for jogging my memory' I'm in 5 also and plant garlic in Nov. and harvest around or shortly before the 4th of July'

When we lived and hauled for "the Garlic Capital,Gilroy,Ca.) that's what they told me to do' Hope this helps and enjoy,yum' See ya,Sis'

Honibee,don't worry,it should be ok'

Mavie,
I think the elephant garlic has a very strong garlic taste. I like it very much.

HoniBee,

i guess it is a matter of personal preference. i was raised in the orient, we only use the 'true' form of garlic. i use fresh garlic in all my cooking.

during garlic season, i buy 50 lbs. garlic [on top of my regular harvest], fry them and use all year round as salt substitute, which enhance flavor of dishes. the olive oil i used for frying the garlic, is use for flavoring salad and other dishes too.

did u know green garlic [immature garlic greens] lowers high blood pressure? i grow two sets of garlic path in my garden. one set is for maturing the bulbs. the other set, i use constantly for cooking - they are good with soup, pickled and other dishes, similar to using green onions.

once u try using the 'true' garlic bulb, i doubt if u would use elephant garlic again. like i said, it is a matter of personal preference... ma vie rose

You're so right MaVieRose' So glad you wrote about the garlic and it's benefits for health' We don't use salt either,lol,only garlic(fresh or powder) Also many of us feed our pets garlic(dogs/cats)it keeps the fleas/ticks away and also purifies the blood'

I use other garlic + a lot of garlic powder. Why do you say elephant garlic isn't garlic? It looks just like reg. garlic except larger.

I'm curious too??? Don't understand MaVieRose by your term "true garlic" Please enlighten us'

Sis,

i DO NOT use garlic powder or garlic salt either. i make my own garlic concoction. i do not know what additives are added to those commercial garlic powder. i was taught to cook from scratch all the time. cooking from scratch has its health benefits too, if not cheaper.

i make big batches too. i will share with everyone the process i go thru, it maybe lengthy but u will get the picture. and it IS NOT hard either. this is what i do:

take 50 lbs of garlic, separate the cloves from the bulb. i do this while watching tv. cut off small portion off the root part of the garlic clove. lightly crush [try to keep the clove intact!], each clove to facilitate easy peeling the skin. set aside to finish the entire batch of garlic cloves.

take several sheets of newspaper, about 5 sheets. take a brown grocery bag, spread open the brown bag on top of the layers of newspaper next to where u will fry garlic, but far away from the fire. we don't want to create fire :)!

i use a heavy clad casserole or iron frying pan to fry the garlic. heat the frying vessel till it is hot and fill halfway with olive oil. i prefer to use virgin olive. add enough garlic to fill the vessel, but do not over fill as the oil might have the tendency to overflow if filled all the way. i fry the garlic in several batches. better SAFE than sorry. do not worry, since u are cooking garlic in big batches it will not burn. u have to watch what u are frying. do not even bother answer the phone if u can help it.

once the garlic are browned [not dark or burnt], take fried garlic from the oil and place on the brown paper. be sure not to have the garlic crowd. u want the brown paper and newspaper to absorb all the extra oil. possibly dry the fried garlic over night.

place the fried garlic on clean glass container and put away for future use.

each time i cook, i take a handfull of fried garlic. i use a coffee grinder to make my own garlic powder - i sprinkle the garlic powder on everything i cook before and after cooking.
i use whole fried garlic pieces when i boil or stew meat, chicken. for some reason or the other, the fried garlic disintegrate in cooking process, no one will know there is garlic in the dish --- but for sure, fried garlic enhances flavor of all dishes.

the olive oil i use for frying the garlic, i save to use in salads, or soups... just a drizzle or two. u'd be amaze of the flavor of whatever u fix with garlic flavored olive oil!

people are always intimidated reading recipes, thinking in the process it is difficult. whenever i encounter a new recipe i read it several times to get the greater picture of the steps i need to take in cooking. again, i repeat, this is a very easy recipe. think in ways of how u can enhance ur personal health if not ur entire family!

in the event u do not want to go to this process, u can also take a bulb or two of garlic. take aluminum foil, place the bulb/bulbs of garlic in the center of the foil, drizzle with olive oil. wrap the foil around the garlic like a pouch and bake for 20 mins. cooking time depends on size and # of garlic u will process.

hope my 2 cents worth help some of u to be healthier... ma vie rose

HoniBee & Sis,

please go back to the link i gave above. click on the varieties and scroll down to the page. it is self explanatory. hope that article will clarify the point i try to put across... ma vie rose

One question is that you say you fry the buttons in olive oil,that's what I also do' However,when you say you place the garlic on a glass container and put away for future use,do you mean it is placed in the refrigerator??

I read the link,thanks learned from reading it too'

Sis,

let me see if i understand ur question right. the bottom part of the garlic clove, where the root was --- u discard! the rooted portion is taken off to make it easy peeling off the garlic skin, after u lightly crash the garlic clove. u fry the semi crush garlic cloves.

another point too. u lightly crush the garlic, NOT hard cause u want to retain the oil & natural flavor of the garlic intact, which eventually will flavor the olive oil u fry the garlic in.

using the brown paper bag & newspaper over night, absorbs all the excess oil or any moisture left on the fried garlic.

u can refrigerate or freeze them if u wish, i keep mine in the coolest dark place in the cupboards, tightly covered at room temperature. i do not like using plastic as it will permeate some after taste of the plastic container onto the fried garlic. the 50 lb. fried garlic last in my case for 6 months.

i use 1 pint Mason jar to store fried garlic --- is convenient to use cause the contents are used right away and prevent losing flavor from the rest of the batch of fried garlic.

i hope i have answered ur inquiry. if there are further questions, i will be more than glad to assist. ma vie rose