Of Garlic, science and heresay

Today, Modern Western culture makes a distinction between medicine, cuisine, botany and agriculture but for thousands of years the herbalist made no such distinctions.

Garlic, for flavouring foods was grown for pest control for leafy crops, as a companion planting. Harvested, it was peeled and minced with pork and stuffed into animal intestines then hung on hooks beneath the roof of their hut, above their smokey fires. Over the winter with the continuous fire, they were smoked or cured. The result was what we call today, salami. It wasn't restricted to Italian peasants either. All over Europe they have some type of smoke cured sausage with garlic. The same garlic crop was also administered as a remedy for stomach upsets and applied to wounds as an antiseptic and insect repellant. It wasn't medicine, cuisine or intelligent crop husbandry. It was simply called survival.

Ironically it wasn't until the 1980s that mainstream science acknowledged that garlic has any antiseptic qualities. It was 'discovered' that garlic is rich in sulphur compounds that had both anti bacterial and anti fungal properties. (Meanwhile we never stopped buying salami and never stopped to wonder why the meat was magically transformed from fatty pork into long lasting salami and we never died of food poisoning!).

Dried salamis on a smoking rack.

We will never know when ancient man started adding garlic to his repertoire of herbs but we do know it was used in Ancient Egypt, before 2500 BC. It is mentioned in the oldest known writings on the use of herbs in Assyria. Amongst the Ebers Papyrus from Egypt, garlic is mentioned as one of 700 herbs used by the Egyptians. It was introduced to Britian by the Romans both as a medicine and a food preservative.

When the Roman Empire fell, the masters of medicine were the Arabic people. They translated the Greek texts and had the added advantage of trade with then East and thus access to their remedies. for the next 300 years Arab texts were tyranslated into Latin, which had become the common written language of Europe now. The Arabs had perfected the skill of extracting essential oils from herbs, increasing the potency of the herbs in medicine. One of the limitations faced by herbal practitioners was that herbs had to be dried and stored in a cool dry dark place, to be useable during the winter, when little would grow in the snows. Drying herbs reduces their potency. The Arabian technique meant many herbs could be used at their full strength in winter now.

Wise folk were the herbal doctors in most villages in the middle ages but they were viewed with superstition and ran the risk of being proclaimed as a witch. If bought to the attention of the Church, they would be dragged from their home and tortured into a confession of witchcraft or "tested" by the church.

Testing was usually a no-win situation where a person's death during the 'testing', proved their innocence and their survival confirmed they were in league with the devil. Those who confessed to heresy or witchcraft were told that they would be able to find spiritual salvation through confession and were then summarily executed for their crimes against the church. The favoured execution method was a public burning at the stake - the ideal deterrent for anyone thinking of challenging the authority of the church. For a more comprehensive account of these times go to Mimenta.com's account of life in the middle ages in Europe.

Monastaries, as well as being places for religiopus training, were also the medical schools and hospitals of the time. They grew many of their own herbs in "physic" herb gardens.

Illustration of a Monastry herb garden from the Roman De La Rosa (circa 1400)

These were usually walled gardens within the monasteries, similar to what the Romans used. Paths would divide the walled enclosue into small intensively cultivated beds. Today many Eurpoean monastries still have their Roman style Physic Gardens.

The physic garden in a contempory monastry.

But it's so expensive!
True but it is easy to grow and will grow almost anywhere. Only one bulb of garlic can have 20 cloves, each of which will yeild another full bulb.

Garlic is usually associated with the strong pungent odour and few people realise that it is a very different vegetable once roasted. That strong smell almost vanishes and a you have a fantastic appetiser or sread for bruschetta or a rich sauce for that fantastic steak or rissole.

Cuisine

Garlic is an indispenable ingredient of all the great cuisines, including Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Eastern European and Arabian countries.

\Thai cuisine would not be the same without garlic.

It is used with meat, fish, vegetables, spices, herbs, sauces and soups.

Cloves or bulbs should be plump, hard, full and with no discoloured spots which may be bruising or decay. Because garlic is a strong antiseptic, any spots on a clove should be cut off. Adding infected garlic to food can cause food poisoning.

Garlic is best stored in a cool but dry place and has a storage life of up to nine months. This can vary with the variety and storage conditions.

Roasted Garlic - Catering shortcut method
Have you tried garlic roasted?

The pungent odour of garlic is greatly reduced when roasted and the caramalised result yields a slightly sweet vegetable, unlike any other roasted varieties. Here we'll use the Yunan recipe (single bulb) or the Russian Giant variety (for the clove variety, see our Roasted Garlic Recipe in the Recipes section. Simply peel the cloves or bulb (in Yunan Pearl's case quarter the bulb) and add to your roast when you add the other vegetables. You can also serve as a separate roast vegetable by placing peeled cloves in a bowl with a little olive oil. Toss the cloves to cover entirely in oil and sprinkle with salt. Lay them on a tray, cover with aluminium foil and bake in a moderate oven for 50 to 60 minutes.. See the Bruschetta recipe in our Recipes section for more suggestions.

Garlic Oil:
Ideal for salads, making garlic bread, roasting meat and in maranades etc.
Get 15 cloves of garlic and blanch for a good minute. Drain, then pound in a mortar until they become a fine paste. Add one and a third cups of olive oil. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth. If you are using this to make garlic bread, halve the quantity of oil and do not strain the mashed cloves out.

Fig 5 Garlic bulb and cloves

1. The common multiple clove variety, shown above in Fig 5, is available nearly all year round
   
   
   

   
   
2. The single clove garlic (also called Pearl garlic or Solo garlic) also exists—it originates in the Yunnan province of China.
   

Growing

If you are only going to grow one crop, then garlic should be near to the top of the list of crops to consider. It takes up very little space, does not require rich soil, is expensive to buy in the supermarket, is delicious and healthy, and is very easy to grow. In addition, when you have tasted your own home-grown garlic, you will never want to eat commercial garlic again.

To grow consistent and good sized bulbs, it can be a challenging crop to get right every season and the weather can have a real influence on the outcome but rest assured you will always end up with far more than you planted. It is great fun to grow and in most seasons you will be rewarded with fine fresh garlic, free of some of the chemical treatments that is present on some imported products.

Preparing the soil

In cooler climates, plant in winter, although some growers like to plant earlier to get some growth before the cold weather sets in, and some go a bit later in early spring. In warmer climates like Northern NSW, plant in March or early April. Dig compost or well aged manure into the soil prior to planting.

Planting
Garlic is often imported, which means it was grown in a very different climate. If you plant this you may be disappointed. It is best to order some from a local seed supplier however if you know the garlic was grown locally then prepare it for planting by breaking the garlic bulbs into cloves.
Plant each clove a few centimeters below surface in well draining raised beds. Space them 8-10 cm apart with the pointy end facing up. Ensure ground is often moist (especially in spring).
Give the plants some fertilizer, 2 or 3 times throughout the growing season. Some young shoots can be cut off for a garnish. Some people even harvest young garlic and eat the 'green' garlic leaves and all - sort of like spring onions.

Harvesting
Garlic can be harvested at various stages of growth. The young shoots make a great addition to summer salads and taste only slightly of garlic. The flowering varieties send up a tall stalk with a white to pale mauve flower. The stalk is also a delicacy Heres some growing inside on a windowsill in a small flat in Canada. The owners used the greens to add to a salad. When the weather warmed up they planted them all in a container on their landing outside and had a crop of garlic bulbs as well.

Garlic cloves growing in stubbies on the windowsill.

Reduce water at end of Spring (4 weeks prior to harvesting).
Harvest garlic in summer, when plants turn 90% yellowy brown. Ease bulbs out with a fork, careful not to damage bulbs. If good weather. let them dry in the sun for a few days.

Hang to dry for 4 weeks in a warm place with good ventilation. You can plait the long stalks to form a rope of bulbs, an ideal way to store your garlic

Store in a cool airy place. This will prevent the bulbs from rotting. Bulbs will comfortably keep for 9 months.

Varieties:

Most garlic varieties are named after their place of origin. Like onions, there are early, mid and late season varieties available. Give careful consideration to which variety suits your climate. Queensland varieties suit hot climates. NSW grown varieties suit damp humid climates and NZ varieties like wet cool climates.

Yunan or Pearl varieties are native to China and resemble a small white and purple onion with a much harder skin. The bulb is a sngle large garlic with no cloves. Ideal for catering where a large quantity is required with minimum peeling. It can be a problem at home because only a quarter of the bulb is required for most dishes and the remaining three quarters on the bulb will funigate the fridge. Simply store the rest in a plastic bag in the fridge and it will keep for up to two weeks.

The two main categoiries: softneck and hardneck.

• Softneck are the most common garlics grown. They generally don't form a flowerhead and have a longer shelf life (up to 9 months).

• Hardneck varieties form attractive flowerheads (usually a pale mauve) like onions, and generally have less but larger cloves. They will not have as good a shelf life as the softnecks and prefer cooler winters.

An artichoke type resembles an artichoke because cloves are small and overlap each other like an artichoke. There can be up to 4 layers.

There is also the extra large garlic called Elephant or Giant Russian garlic and has a milder flavour but is great for roasting. This type looks like the pearl garlic when it is harvested but when peeled, the round bulb separates into 3 or 4 huge cloves.

Varieties of Garlic

Glenlarge – an early season variety developed in Queensland with a purple tinge
Southern Glen - also a Qld variety suitable for warmer climates
Creole - softneck more suited to hot dry climate
Printanor - mid season softneck of french origin - main variety grown in Australia & New Zealand
Mouliner - mid season with symmetrical bulbs
Simonetti - softneck originating from Republic of Georgia
Californian Early - mid season in temperate climates
Californian Late - small dark pin skinned cloves - late variety for cooler regions - excellent storage
Australian White - also a Californian type, selected in Sth Australia
Rojo del Pais Baza - Spanish heirloom with a small bulb that has big flavour
Italian White - stores well, grown in temperate climates
New Zealand Purple - small high quality bulbs with purple tips
Yunan pearl - a pearl variety (single bulb without cloves) has flowers on high stems. Stems make excellent salad greens.

Garlic – Medicinal uses

For thousands of years, garlic had been used for the treatment and preventcon of disease. So there has to be something there.

Its medicinal value has been understood by herbalists for at least 2000 years. While modern research is confirming this ancient tradition, don't expect to hear much about it from the pharmaceutical companies or their puppets: allopathic doctors (i.e. "conventional medical doctors"). Garlic cannot be patented and exploited as such. They will attempt to find an "active ingredient," derive a drug from it, and patent and promote that. Vitamin and supplement companies, on the other hand, are extolling some of the virtues of garlic and promoting their "deodorized" products. But these products are not nearly as effective as raw garlic. Once again, the best source for proper nutrition comes from food itself.

Garlic contains hundreds of minerals and nutrients. It is very likely that no one ingredient is the "active ingredient." It is very likely that garlic's effectiveness and safety comes from these ingredients working together in concert. And if any particular ingredient should be found more potent than the others, and that ingredient were isolated and made into a medicine, it will probably have powerful negative side effects like virtually every other drug in use today.

From epidemiological studies of cancer in China and Italy to clinical trials in high blood pressure and high cholesterol in the United States, Europe, and Japan, garlic has come under intense scientific scrutiny in the last ten years as a potential "wonder drug." Much of this research has investigated the effects of garlic in cardiovascular disease. This priority of research is probably inspired by the prominence of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, the leading causes of death in the industrialized world.

In 1994, scientists reviewing a collection of previous clinical trials of garlic concluded that it lowers both cholesterol and blood pressure, two important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Notably, normal dietary amounts of garlic did this without any side effects more serious than a garlic odor in a small percentage of participants. Conventional drugs for these diseases cause side effects such as dry mouth, insomnia, drowsiness, depression, and impotence. In a head-to-head trial comparing garlic against the cholesterol-lowering drug bezafibrate, garlic was just as effective. This is good news for the 25 percent of men and women aged twenty-five to fifty-nine in the United States who have high cholesterol levels.

Garlic has been used since the dawn of written history in medicine, and its main uses have remained virtually unchanged, meaning they have been verified by one generation after another. In contemporary systems of traditional medicine, such as Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, modern naturopathic medicine, British herbalism, and others, garlic remains in use as a therapeutic agent. A summary of these uses shows that garlic is like a medicine chest in itself:

• Respiratory conditions: Cold, flu, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis

• Digestive disorders: Stomach ulcer, diarrhea, amoebic dysentery, worms, parasites

• Cardiovascular disease: Atherosclerosis, post-heart attack therapy, post-stroke therapy, claudication

• Skin problems: Acne, boils, eczema, fungal infections, insect bites and stings

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