Garlic facts

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Growing garlic for good health

By Evan Caldwell

Aug 30, 2006 - 07:39:15 am PDT

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http://www.tdn.com/articles/2006/08/30/this_day/news09.txt

CHEHALIS -- When Mark Sand talks about one of the most widely used

ingredients in American cooking, he doesn't mince words.

" People love garlic, and you can team it up with about every

different variety of food, " the Chehalis farmer said. " About 99

percent of people like garlic. The other one percent are allergic to

it. "

The pungent bulbs aren't just the source of bad breath and vampire

legends. They're packed full of antioxidants and other chemicals

that improve circulation.

Although there are 600 varieties of garlic, only a few make it to

grocery store: The California Early and California Late.

The California variety, also called artichoke garlic, is the most

common commercially grown garlic in the Pacific Northwest and

California because it is easy to grow and can be dehydrated simply,

said Sand, who owns Creek Farm and cohosted the annual Garlic

Fest last weekend.

" All people know are the California garlics, " he said. " Other

garlics are more tasty, but it is hard to get the different types

because it takes more effort to grow. "

Varieties can taste nutty or sweet, bold. spicy or mild. Some cook

better than they bake, and vice versa, Sand said.

Garlic cloves direct from growers can be planted, pointy side up, in

the fall.

Thousands of people come to his organic farm's celebration of the

stinking rose every year to sample, buy and smell garlic. Some also

come hunting for seeds, another word for garlic cloves.

Garlic facts

• When planted, each clove can produce one bulb with up to 20 cloves.

• Garlic is part of the allium genus, which includes 400 varieties,

including

onions and leeks.

• Garlic mellows the longer it is cooked, so garlic added at the end

of cooking

will give a stronger taste than garlic prepared the same way but

added earlier.

• Americans consume 300 million pounds of garlic each year.

• In the United States, 84 percent of domestic garlic is harvested

in

California. Only four other states harvest more than 100 acres of

garlic per

year: Nevada, Oregon, Washington and New York.

• Garlic's sulfur compounds, in addition to Selenium and Vitamins A

and C

containing compounds, make it a potent antioxidant, protecting cell

membranes

and DNA from damage and disease.

Sources: garlicfacts.org, garlic-central.com

Each bulb can contain up to 20 cloves, and each close can be planted

to create a new bulb.

Since many different types of garlic aren't available in the store,

even novice green thumbs pick up a few bulbs to grow their own

plants at home.

But beware: store-bought garlic likely won't grow in your backyard

because most bulbs have been sprayed to prohibit growth, said Terri

Browne Hixson, who co-owns Hood River Garlic, in Hood River, Ore.,

with her husband, .

" Growers should get some good seed stock or, at least, use cloves

from organically grown garlic, " Hixson said.

Both Creek Farm and Hood River Garlic sell products online at

their Web sites, www.ashleycreek.com/ and www.hoodrivergarlic.com/.

" Garlic is just amazing. There are so many health benefits, " Hixson

said.

When garlic is chopped, the enzyme alliinase acts on the chemical

alliin converting it into allicin, a powerful antibiotic and anti-

fungal compound. Garlic aficionados claim garlic can be used for a

wide array of medicinal purposes, such as a remedy for infections,

digestive disorders and fungal infections.

" It helps lower cholesterol, boost the immune system and increase

circulation, Hixson said.

" I even give it to all my pets, " Hixson said. Some people claim

eating it regularly can even help repel mosquitos, she added.

At Hood River Garlic, the Siberian variety -- which has the highest

concentration of allicin -- is the most popular, Hixson said.

But what about the feared garlic breath?

" If you cook it, the smell mellows out, " she said. " Plus, if

everyone eats garlic, you don't have to worry. "