All About Garlic: The Wonder Vegetable!

I’m sure many of you reading this post have heard of garlic or munched on a recipe that included it at some point in your life. A common ingredient in things like spaghetti sauce, pasta dishes, and salad dressings, this spicy and aromatic little vegetable from the onion family packs quite a punch flavor-wise! And while garlic is often considered to be a foil to many a first date, it has some amazing health benefits, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, blood pressure-lowering and cardiovascular wellness-promoting mechanisms.

Medicinally, garlic has been in use for over 5,000 years.  It is related to other plants such as onions, shallots, chives, and leeks, and many of its health benefits come from a sulphur-based compound called allicin. A great way to reap the most benefits while using fresh garlic is to chop it or crush it, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes so that the air exposure can trigger certain enzymes in the plant to boost the health-promoting compound activity.

A good way to start incorporating more garlic into your recipes might include adding a few chopped cloves to a vegetable stir-fry, sauteed’ meats, seafood, and veggies, or adding it to store-bought or homemade sauces for an extra kick. The possibilities are endless!

And it’s not just the cloves that are full of power, garlic scapes & green garlic also boast the same health benefits. If you picked up any from the EarthDance folks at the Ferguson Farmers Market, get cookin’!