Garlic: Don't let a life saver poison you

As part of this mini series on the roots of autumn, here's a reminder to buy all the garlic you can store from your local farmers' market vendors. Even if it doesn't carry "organic" bragging rights, it's going to be a much safer bet than what you might pick up at the local supermarket.

Maybe you forgot or didn't even know in the first place but among the more shocking food practices of modern day China has been soaking its commercially grown garlic in formaldehyde to make sure it's dazzling bright white, the way we are supposed to imagine perfect garlic should be. And that's on top of the fact that Chinese garlic is being grown in highly toxic soils polluted by industrial chemicals and human waste.  Bulbs that grow under the ground, which is to say fatten in the soil, are 100% likely to absorb whatever poisons are in the soil around it.  In other words, the cheap Chinese garlic so abundant in chain supermarkets could be toxic.

Some supermarkets do post their garlic's country of origin. I've seen Argentina mentioned at Whole Foods but have no idea how to evaluate that product. Gilroy, CA used to be the garlic capital of the USA, producing at least 80% of what we all consumed before the 21st Century. Cheap Chinese product has seriously damaged that area but the farmers still grow good garlic. So when your farmers' market garlic runs out midwinter, at least look for supermarket garlic that says: Country of Origin USA. Chances are it's from Gilroy.

And you do want to eat garlic!  Yes it smells and yes that odor can haunt your breath. That's why it's been called Italian birth control. ;o) But that smell is sulfur and it's on your breath because sulfur doesn't get digested in the stomach. It goes straight to your lungs, which it cleans up just like the wonder drug sulfur is. So it could help prevent colds, maybe even the bronchial ailments of winter and flu. That sulfur also gets pumped into your bloodstream, which is why sweat can smell of garlic. It's cleaning up there too.

Easiest way to enjoy a clove of garlic and spread its wealth is to smash one with the back of a chef's knife or cleaver, peel it and mince it. Add the pieces to a simple but simply perfect salad dressing: 1 part Balsamic vinegar to 3 parts good quality olive oil.

Another super easy way to get garlic working for you is to smash the bulb on the counter to separate the cloves, peel them and strew them among some walnut sized potatoes and peeled baby carrots on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on, sprinkle a pinch of salt and roast everything at 450º for 12 minutes, or until the potatoes, garlic and carrots are crunchy on the outside but soft inside. (Hints: line the sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. You can use a toaster oven baking pan if you're only doing this for 3 people.) Serve as a side dish.

You can really go for it with the famed Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, a roast chicken dish that proves how lusciously sweet garlic can become. You'd never know it was that smelly bulb.

Garlicky Bean Soup
Serves 2 - 3

2 cups cooked white beans
1 1/2 cups reserved bean cooking water*
1/4 cup olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Heat olive oil over gentle heat. Add chopped garlic. Let cook for a few minutes, but do not let it brown. Add the beans, and give a good stir. Add the water, and bring to a simmer. Let cook for about ten minutes, covered.

Take off the heat. Using an immersible blender, blend the soup just a bit. I like to have some whole beans floating around, but also like to give the watery broth a thickness.

Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle into bowls, sprinkle with parsley and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top. If you want to make the dish even more filling, put a piece of toasted rustic bread at the bottom of the bowl. And if you want to add more garlic, rub the toast with a clove of garlic.

*If you are using canned beans, don’t use the water from the can. Instead, use water or else a light broth.