Willow and Garlic

  Well it was two weekends ago we opened for the very first full weekend of apples, but it was also another first for the family. Our long pregnant heffer Gillian finally calved and gave birth to the now week old Willow on Saturday September 5th. She is small still but warming to the family. It was a first for me and for most of my family; however everything went well. Gillian has calved many times before so she did most of the work through the birth while we stood by to make sure things went smoothly. So if you stop by the farm it would be worth taking a look at her and seeing the baby stage of what will be essential to the operation of the farm.

  For any of you locavores out there, now is the beginning of garlic season here in Ontario. I received quite a few questions from people this weekend about garlic uses, storage and selection and I hope to share some of my knowledge with you.

One of the least known facts about garlic is that there are many varieties out there; every one with completely different qualities that make them better suited to certain dishes. For example many of you will have been tempted, either as a child or in later years; to taste a raw clove of garlic. Soon enough you were most likely overpowered by spice and an intense burst of flavour and no sooner did it enter your mouth then it was spat out. Well garlic is a funny thing, it adds an unmistakable taste and aroma to foods and is also very healthy for you to eat but many people cannot stand the taste alone. That intense heat and strong flavouring is determined by the variety of garlic and believe it or not the stuff you get in stores is very mild. Our family grows quite a few varieties and we have noticed the difference. The majority of garlic strains tend to be much more strong then their store-bought counterparts but the heat and even flavour of the clove varies by variety.

Probably the hottest garlic we grow is a variety know as Chekoslovakian. The cloves are a deep ruby colour, and are a moderate size, however the whole thing looks rather messy. If you were to eat it raw you would probably feel as though you were dying. The heat resembles that of a super hot chili and the flavour lasts in your mouth for about four days after. Similar to this is the variety Spanish Roja; both of them store well compared to many other cultivars. If you are looking for a more mild taste you might consider varieties such as Magic or Susan Delafield. Both of them lack heat but have an incredible flavour. Magic will keep for about two weeks in a cold cellar while Susan Delafield will keep for up to six months; again it really differs by variety. So please the next time you stop by your local farm or are buying garlic talk to the farmer and learn the variety and its qualities so that you can choose how and when to use it.

I also got a few questions about storage. Some people freeze garlic to last over the winter, this is a rather radical step and will ruin the garlics texture and may effect the taste. My advice to you is to store your garlic in a brown paper bag in a moderately cool, very dry place. Contrary to popular belief drying garlic can actually enhance the flavour and make it better to cook with, while freezing will kill it. So I really hope this is helpful to all of you and hopefully you will get a chance to try some of our or any local farmers garlic soon because it will truly be worth it!

Well until next time everyone,

                Good Eating!