Garlic

Greeks called garlic “the stinking rose."

The “poor person’s antibiotic,” garlic was used in Europe as far back as the Middle Ages and in China possibly as far back as the Neolithic period.

Here are five unusual ways to use this incredibly versatile plant:
1. Deter bugs in your garden. Plant garlic cloves as a barrier to control aphids. Push a clove into the soil of your houseplants.
2. Rub raw garlic on an insect bite to relieve the sting or itch.
3. Rub crushed garlic on your skin to deter ticks and mosquitoes.
4. Eat foods heavy in garlic to speed recovery from a cold.
5. Chew garlic for stamina and courage (or so the Greeks and Romans believed).


Garlic Tips and Recipes

• Don’t peel garlic cloves before pressing (to save time and make cleaning the garlic press easier).
• Cut off any green on a garlic clove—it’s bitter.
• Store garlic at room temperature and far away from light, in a container with air holes. Don’t refrigerate.
• If you grow your own garlic, snip a few inches of the green tips and add to salads for subtle flavor. A big foodie happening around here now are these tips, also called scapes.
• To roast garlic, place an entire head on a square of foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap up, and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour, until soft. Oh so yummy on toasted baguettes.