Garlic is important, so its worth knowing about it and seeking special quality. -- More than 200 strains of garlic are grown in the United States, and they fall into five major varieties. Two are softnecks: Silverskin and Artichoke (source of most commercial garlic). And three are hardnecks: Porcelain, Purple Stripe, and Rocambole. To confuse matters, some softnecks, in certain conditions, will produce a hard core. For best flavor, careful farmers coddle their garlic as they separate the bulbs into cloves for replanting, weed aggressively, harvest by hand, hang the bulbs in bundles or cure them on wire racks for three to five weeks, and finally clean the garlic. At Table Mountain Ranch, in Calaveras County, California, which had raised as many as 40 strains before settling on four or five, that last step is completed with toothbrushes. Small-scale farmers never refrigerate garlic as large distributors do, because the cold followed by the warmth of a store triggers sprouting. Different strains, even of softnecks, have surprisingly different flavors. The proportion of sulfur compounds determines the heat and the undercurrents of flavor, from spices, such as black pepper, to vegetal flavors, such as mint. You readily perceive the variations in both raw garlic and whole roasted cloves. The taste is also affected by environment; a colder winter produces higher heat. -- artofeating/tt/garlic.htm
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 20:26:30 +0000
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