Posted by Robyn Lee, August 6, 2008 at 6:45 PM
When I attended the Louisa County Agricultural Fair in Louisa, Virginia, last Saturday, I wasn't expecting to be wowed by locally grown produce. The first place winner in the "garlic" category practically gave off a glowing aura of perfection (or maybe that was due to the reflection of the sun's rays, but let's go with divine illumination). I ooh-ed and ah-ed, wondering why I had never seen such pristine garlic before. That's what the loving Louisa farmer will get you.
A new study performed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has found that eating garlic appears to boost the body's supply of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide acts as an antioxidant and transmits cellular signals that relax blood vessels and increase blood flow. Researchers think this may be why a garlic-rich diet appears to prevent some cancers.
Posted by Ed Levine, April 19, 2007 at 6:00 PM
Have you ever seen the Les Blank film, Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers? It is certainly the greatest garlic film ever. If someone you know is into garlic and great documentaries, buy them a DVD of this film now. It's the ultimate Garlic Day present. Here's a clip of it on YouTube.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, April 10, 2007 at 8:57 AM
Barbara Fisher of Tiger & Strawberries has an excellent post this week on fresh garlic, ginger and scallions, the three pillars of Chinese cooking: "It is a rare savory Chinese dish which does not contain at least two and very often three of these pillars of flavor in some form or another. When stir frying, these three intrepid aromatics are usually the very first ingredients to hit the hot wok where they bathe in the sizzling oil, flavoring it intensely, so that the ingredients which follow their lead are kissed by the scent and savor of ginger, garlic and scallion."
She does a great job of explaining both why these ingredients are so important and how to cook with them, so consider this a must-read if you're at all interested in learning how to cook Chinese food.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, February 22, 2007 at 1:49 PM
Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks: "I called my dad yesterday and asked him about his garlic bread. Everyone loves these garlic-studded, golden-crusted masterpieces and he brings baskets brimming with slices to lots of 'events' - office parties, picnics, parades, bingo night (somehow he ended up being a caller?). My dad is a chronic volunteer, so there are lots of opportunities for him to display his garlic bread-making prowess. I've had it a thousand times, but never paid much attention to his technique, so today was the day." Lucky us! Garlic bread is simple to make and easy to take for granted but great garlic bread can make a good meal even better, so make sure and bookmark this recipe.
