The Greek Olympic athletes also ate it before their trials.
The Romans made it food for harvesters and introduced it to Europe during their conquests.
Braids and bunches of garlic were used to protect homes Mediterranean peoples.
Culture
The garlic plant in autumn — from September to November, depending on the region — at the same time as flower bulbs (tulips, crocuses, etc.). We proceed three to four weeks before the ground freezes, late enough to prevent the bulb from starting to grow before winter, and early enough to allow the bulb to take root. As frost does not always arrive when expected, shoots may emerge in autumn: you should not worry about this.
Generally, we only buy garlic bulbs once, since we plant part of our harvest the following fall (make sure the bulbs are healthy).
The bulbs are first separated into cloves, the botanical equivalent of the word “pod” used in cooking. Each clove is planted with the tip upwards, 5-8 cm deep and 12-15 cm apart, in a soil enriched with compost.
After planting the cloves, we cover the soil with a layer of compost 1-2 cm; in addition to stopping soil erosion and slowing down the proliferation of weeds, compost protects cloves and fertilize floor. The yield is thus higher the following year.
When the spiral flower stem forms two curls, we harvest the garlic flower (see below) by cutting the stem at the junction of the leaf.
Water regularly during the growing season, if the rain is not enough, and stop watering two weeks before harvesting the bulb.
The bulbs are harvested between the end of July and mid-August, earlier if the summer is dry and later if it has been well watered. The signal is given when the first leaves (at the bottom) start to turn yellow.
To keep well, the bulbs must be left to dry on a grid or in suspension, in a well-ventilated place, in partial shade. Drying can take between two and three weeks. Cut the stem to 5 cm, as well as the roots, taking care to keep at least four or five layers of dry peel.
Garlic is stored in a cool and dry place between six and eight months, depending on the variety.
Leek moth
Enemy #1 garlic, the leek moth (Acrolepiopsis assectella) lays eggs in foliage on which the larva feeds. To prevent the winged adult from reaching the leaves, never plant garlic in the same place two years in a row and install a anti-insect veil early in spring.
Treatment of attacked plants is done with BTK (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki) or Tricho-Gard® (predatory parasite of ringworm), two approved biological control agents.
The benefits of garlic
Symbol of physical force, we attribute to garlic the medicinal properties following: antiseptic, bactericidal, depurative, diuretic, vermifuge, anticancer, febrifuge, aphrodisiac, hypotensive and more.
Garlic contains 30 mg of vitamin C per 100 g; it is also rich in vitamins B, E and K, as well as calcium, potassium and phosphorus. It also provides a good quantity of trace elements such as magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, selenium and sodium. In addition, garlic contains 84% of protein complete.
The allyl sulfide contained in garlic is a antibiotic of the most powerful.
The garlic flower
To produce larger bulbs, the unblooming flower stem — garlic flower — is cut in order todirect energy from the plant to the bulb instead of reproduction. Not so long ago, this stem was thrown into compost. Today she is highly sought after for its sweet and fragrant flavor!
It is prepared in several ways, including:
- steamed like asparagus
- finely chopped to garnish
- pizzas, soups, salads, quiches, omelettes and tacos
- sautéed in butter as an accompaniment to marinated meat
- grilled on the barbecue, drizzled with olive oil and fleur de sel
The garlic flower harvest over a period of approximately three weeks. She conserve more than a month in the refrigerator, in a perforated plastic bag.
Garlic flowers can also be kept for up to a year. freezer : we chop it and fill ice cube molds with it; then, we add olive oil and put everything in the freezer; When the oil is frozen, place the “ice cubes” in a freezer bag.
Garlic flower pesto: Blend the garlic flower, olive oil and fleur de sel. Flavor with fine herbs of your choice.
