Kiss me if you dare (Garlic)

Member Name: REALTRAVELLER

Product:	Garlic
Date:	09/08/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Healthy

Disadvantages: Too much of it,and nobody will talk to you!

Garlic is the English name for Allium sativum, which belongs to the same family with the onion and leek. Its origin go back to China and these days it is a product you can find easily in each country in Europe.

Garlic has got a quite strong taste when raw, and if it is cooked will become milder in taste. It is easy to have your homegrown garlic, if you have a piece of land, or even if you have a large vase. Just plant one clove (garlic is a bulb made of 15-20 cloves) 10 centimetres below the ground, preferably at the beginning of winter. Garlic needs winter to "mature" and it will sprout in late Feb early March. It needs a moist ground. In late spring you can take the bulb out.

It considered to keep vampires at bay and also most types of pest which may attack other products in your garden. If eaten in large quantities when raw, will probably keep most people, including friends and relatives at bay too!

Its qualities are well known, it helps make the blood more fluis (hence the theory that it keeps vampires at bay) and also helps reducing cholesterole. One clove per day would be enough, but most people, including myself, cannot afford the taste when raw.

On the other side, when cooked, I find it a great help in the kitchen. I cook many of my pasta sauces with garlic (including Bolognese) and I also like to put in any kind of meat I put in the oven and to prepare a dressing for fish.

I like for example to chop garlic very thin and mix it with herbs and olive oil and chili when preparing grilled prawns or even sardines.

When I was living in Spain we used to buy our olive oil in a farm where they sold the oil with different products inside, garlic was one of those. You can also prepare what in Italy call Bruschetta, which is bread with olive oil, smeared garlic and fresh tomatoes. As log as the bread, the tomatoes and the garlic are fresh, this is very tasty.

You should store garlic in a dry place at home

Summary: Healthy