Garlic

Have you ever wondered how garlic reaches the dinner plate? Whether you’re using garlic in a marinade, grilling whole cloves, preparing a pesto or simply chopping the bulb into its most recognizable form, the journey of garlic begins long before it winds up in your kitchen. Garlic, like most vegetables and herbs, goes through an entire process of production, harvesting, curing and delivery before landing ethically on our dinner plates.

Garlic is a member of the Allium family, also known as the onion family or Alliaceae, with over 600 species found worldwide. Related to onions, shallots, leeks and chives, garlic has been present in cultures around the world for centuries, and is believed to have originated in Central Asia. Now cultivated in the Imerese region of Italy and in the USA’s Gilroy region (ironically known as the garlic capital of the world), garlic is consisted of a bulb, which consists of a number of cloves that are held together by a fibrous skin.

Creating Garlic

Garlic is planted in three stages in order for the bulbs to mature in time for a farmer to harvest. It normally takes garlic from 90-200 days from when it is planted to when it is harvested. Many families have handed down the secrets of their garlic farming techniques over generations, using a combination of organic and biodynamic practices.

Starting in late autumn, farmers will use a ploughing technique called cover planting, which is a shallow furrowing of the soil to introduce small cloves into the wild. After planting, garlic will settle in over the winter and as the climate warms in spring, the leaves of garlic begin to emerge.

The seed heads begin to un-hull as the garlic moves closer to maturity, typically in the early summer months. During the summer months, garlic farmers will prune the garlic to promote the ripening process of the bulb, as well as water and mulch to ensure the soil is properly nourished. Throughout this time, garlic farmers pay close attention to the ecosystem of the garlic plants, ensuring the location is well-suited for garlic production.

Harvesting garlic

Once the garlic is ready for harvesting, the technique can vary greatly from farm to farm and from region to region. In some regions, farmers will pull the garlic from the ground by hand and then lay each plant out in the sun for proper drying. Other farmers will use machinery to harvest their garlic, like combine harvesters.

Once the garlic is pulled from the ground, the bulb is separated from the garlic stems and leaves, leaving the bulb itself and the roots intact. After the bulb is pulled, it is hung in the sun or placed in trays with plenty of fresh air to dry out and lose its moisture. Garlic will dry in roughly two weeks during the summer, but the curing process may take up to two months when done during the cooler months.

Curing Garlic

While the curing process is identical no matter where the garlic is grown, each region uses its own techniques to cure the garlic. In some regions, the farmer will lay out the garlic in the sun for weeks at a time for the bulbs to naturally dry out and cure, but most commonly the bulbs are now cured in a more controlled environment.

At this point, the garlic braid is put together. The garlic braid is when the garlic stems and leaves are bundled together and hung in an orderly fashion, usually in a cool dry shed or garage. Farmers in certain regions of India, like Assam, use the traditional technique of curing the garlic by spreading it out in a single line, covered by long woven strings of the plant’s leaves, grassroots and stalks.

Once garlic has been completely cured, the bulbs are ready for shipping. Garlic can be sent in many ways, but the most common is by air or sea freight. Bulbs that have been properly cured and stored can last between six to twelve months in a cool and dark environment.

Preparing and Serving Garlic

After reaching their destination, the garlic bulbs are later packaged and stored in a cool, dark place until they are ready to use. In the kitchen, garlic is widely used for flavor and spice and is one of the most ubiquitous and widely used kitchen ingredients across cultures. Garlic has been used by practically every cuisine, in all forms of dishes-whether it be in a marinade, a sweet or savory topping or a main ingredient - it hangs around in culinary history, showing no signs of fading.

Whether you’re using garlic in a grilled vegetable dish or experimenting with a vegan garlic Alfredo sauce, you now understand the complexity of how garlic is grown, harvested, cured and prepared before reaching your dinner table. Cooking with quality garlic will not only help your dish come alive, but it will also make you feel a tad better knowing that healthy practices were involved in its production.