Welcome, class, to today’s Fresh Pick: GARLIC

Garlic has long been credited with providing and prolonging physical strength and was fed to Egyptian slaves building the giant pyramids. Throughout the centuries, its medicinal claims have included cures for toothaches, consumption, open wounds and evil demons.

A member of the lily family, garlic is a cousin to leeks, chives, onions and shallots. The edible bulb or “head” grows beneath the ground. This bulb is made up of sections called cloves, each encased in its own parchmentlike membrane. Today’s major garlic suppliers include the United States (mainly California, Texas and Louisiana), France, Spain, Italy and Mexico.

There are three major types of garlic available in the United States: the white-skinned, strongly flavored American garlic; the Mexican and Italian garlic, both of which have mauve-colored skins and a somewhat milder flavor; and the Paul Bunyanesque, white-skinned “elephant” garlic (which is not a true garlic, but a relative of the leek), the most mildly flavored of the three. Depending on the variety, cloves of American, Mexican and Italian garlic can range from 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches in length. Elephant garlic (grown mainly in California) has bulbs the size of a small grapefruit, with huge cloves averaging 1 ounce each. It can be purchased through mail order and in some gourmet markets. Green garlic, available occasionally in specialty produce markets, is young garlic before it begins to form cloves. It resembles a baby leek, with a long green top and white bulb, sometimes tinged with pink. The flavor of a baby plant is much softer than that of mature garlic. Fresh garlic is available year-round.

Purchase firm, plump bulbs with dry skins. Avoid heads with soft or shriveled cloves, and those stored in the refrigerated section of the produce department. Store fresh garlic in an open container (away from other foods) in a cool, dark place. Properly stored, unbroken bulbs can be kept up to 8 weeks, though they will begin to dry out toward the end of that time. Once broken from the bulb, individual cloves will keep from 3 to 10 days.

Garlic is usually peeled before use in recipes. Crushing, chopping, pressing or puréeing garlic releases more of its essential oils and provides a sharper, more assertive flavor than slicing or leaving it whole. Garlic is readily available in forms other than fresh*. Dehydrated garlic flakes (sometimes referred to as instant garlic) are slices or bits of garlic that must be reconstituted before using (unless added to a liquid-based dish, such as soup or stew). When dehydrated garlic flakes are ground, the result is garlic powder. Garlic salt is garlic powder blended with salt and a moisture-absorbing agent. Garlic extract and garlic juice are derived from pressed garlic cloves. Though all of these products are convenient, they’re a poor flavor substitute for the less expensive, readily available and easy-to-store fresh garlic.

One unfortunate side effect of garlic is that, because its essential oils permeate the lung tissue, it remains with the body long after it’s been consumed, affecting breath and even skin odor. Chewing chlorophyll tablets or fresh parsley is helpful but, unfortunately, modern-day science has yet to find the perfect antidote for residual garlic odor.

*Do this and die.

For some great recipes, click here or here or try this simple appetizer:

1 bulb garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 baguette, sliced (Italian or French bread)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice off very tip of garlic so that tops of cloves are exposed. Lay entire bulb on aluminum foil; drizzle with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper. Wrap bulb loosely in foil and pop in oven for about 45 minutes or until skin is translucent and bulb is squishy** to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes.

Squeeze cloves from bulb and spread onto baguette slices. The roasting will remove the pungency of the garlic and give the cloves a mellow, nutty flavor, so go ahead and kiss someone you love immediately after eating!

**Squishy [skwish-ee]: a technical culinary term.