Batty about GARLIC
Sliced, diced or roasted, this kitchen staple is a superfood. It’s also fiendishly easy to grow... unless you’re Dracula
THE Gothic horror novel Dracula terrified readers in the late 19th Century and brought Irish author Bram Stoker international fame. Aside from introducing one of literature’s most monstrous villains, the book helped to elevate garlic from a humble veg to something with enough supernatural powers to repel vampires.
In a memorable scene, Dutch vampire hunter Professor Van Helsing attempts to protect Lucy Westenra from the nocturnal, bloodsucking fiend by rubbing garlic around the windows, fireplace and door frame of her room, and making a garland from white garlic flowers for her to wear at bedtime.
Spoiler alert: Lucy’s mother later removes the ‘horrible, strong smelling flowers’ from her daughter’s neck and opens a window in her room. Alas, her actions unwittingly seal Lucy’s fate and she eventually turns into a vampire. Van Helsing eventually destroys the creature by cutting off the head and stuffing its mouth with garlic.
These days, garlic is treated as a kitchen staple, rather than as an essential weapon in the fight against vampires. Whether sliced, diced, crushed or roasted, its cloves are a key ingredient in a wide range of dishes, including curries, pasta sauces and stews, and are used to perk up salad dressings, oils and dips.
This bulbous vegetable is also considered a superfood by health experts. Garlic contains Vitamin C, manganese and selenium, and eating it helps to protect against heart disease and lowers cholesterol.
The therapeutic effects are down to a compound called allicin, which gives garlic its distinctive taste and smell.
ALTHOUGH garlic is widely available to buy, it’s one of the easiest vegetables to grow from scratch. Simply pop cloves into the ground or pots between now and early December, and they will start to grow when the temperature drops, forming large bulbs that will be ready for harvesting early next summer.
A big advantage of growing your own is that you can try something more exciting than those puny, generic bulbs sold in shops. There are loads of different varieties with bulbs that come in many shapes, colours and sizes, packed with cloves that have a flavour varying from mild to fiery.
Native to central Asia, garlic is closely related to leeks, onions, shallots, chives and several other strong-smelling vegetables. It’s been cultivated for thousands of years and was popular with both the ancient Greeks and Chinese. Archaeologists found clay models of garlic bulbs in an Egyptian tomb dating to 3,200BC. It arrived on our shores with the Romans but didn’t really become popular until after the Second World War, when migrants arrived from places like Italy, the West Indies and India, and broadened our culinary horizons. And when Britons started to take package holidays in sunnier climes, they found they enjoyed dishes laced with garlic.
There are dozens of different garlic varieties, split into two groups – soft necks and hard necks. The first type form bulbs that can be stored for up to 12 months before using, while the latter produces bulbs that don’t keep as well and have fewer cloves – on the plus side, their stronger flavours are preferred by foodies.
Whatever you decide to grow, always start with bulbs that are certified as disease- and virus-free – many garden centres will stock a range, while online specialists will provide a larger choice. Don’t bother using garlic from supermarkets as they are sometimes treated with chemicals to prevent them from sprouting.
Garlic will thrive in a sunny spot with well-drained soil – avoid planting it in soil that holds too much moisture, as cloves are likely to rot over winter. Prepare the ground by turning over with a fork, working in some garden compost or well-rotted manure, and then raking until the texture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Next, carefully split the bulb open and gently separate its cloves, keeping only the largest, healthiest ones. Set each in small holes spaced 8in apart, making sure the pointy tip is just beneath the surface. Firm them in place with your fingertips to prevent birds pulling them up, and water well. Allow 12in between rows. Those who are strapped for space can grow garlic in pots filled with multi-purpose compost – plant three cloves in a 8in pot and ten in a 12in container, spacing out equally. Plant as you would in the ground, water and place the container in a sunny position.
Garlic needs little care. Keep the soil or compost well watered and remove any weeds that pop up. Garlic will be ready to harvest in early summer when the leaves turn yellow. Lift bulbs carefully with a fork and let them dry naturally in the sun for two to four weeks, before storing in a cool, dry place.