Celebrate National Garlic Month

April is National Garlic Month and you can celebrate in two ways: in the garden and in the kitchen.

Launch Gallery

felicitous Garlic Month to You

Garlic is such an important ingredient in my preparation I do n’t know if I could survive without it . I use it for making spaghetti sauce , bring it into salsas , placing it on pizzas and desegregate it into vinaigrette . I hack it , soften it , bake it and never get threadbare of it .

I experience I ’m not the only Captain James Cook who loves garlic , because it ’s been an crucial ingredient for cooks all over the domain for century of years . It ’s also used as a remedy for do by ailments from stomachaches to headaches . Garlic is an bactericide , an antioxidant and a mode to keep vampires at embayment .

Because April is National Garlic Month , it ’s time to celebrateAllium sativumin two way : by planting it and by wipe out it .

An Edible Herb

Garlic is an herb that most of us classify as a vegetable . This aboriginal from Central Asia is a penis of the lily family line and is easy to grow because it ’s so adaptable .

Select seed garlic in one of two strains , either hardneck or softneck . Hardneck garlic varieties , like Rocambole and Purple Stripe , are known for their flavor . Hardneck motley produces a flush stalk prognosticate a scape , which can also be used in preparation . Hardneck is mostly easier to peel and can be stored for 3 - 6 month .

Most James Cook are familiar with softneck mixture , because these are the kind set up in market stock and often used for braiding . Softneck varieties do n’t produce a flower stalk , but are usually more generative than hardneck garlic . They can be stored for up to a year .

Planting and Growing Garlic

Garlic can be planted from fall to other spring , although hardneck varieties opt to be in the primer coat during a cold wintertime .

Garlic grows good in abstruse , fertile well - run out soil . To implant , separate the cloves from each bulb and position pointy end up 1 - 2 inch below the surface of the soil and about 3 - 4 inches apart . Mulch the area and keep the garlic moist .

Garlic will be ready to glean in summertime when the bloom stalks of hardneck garlic stand up straight or when the farewell of softneck Allium sativum begin to turn yellow . Allow garlic to dry for several hebdomad before storing or using in your cooking .

lionise with Baked Garlic

Baked Allium sativum is one of my best-loved appetizers and this recipe is a perfect way to celebrate National Garlic Day on April 19 . If you do n’t have any menage - grow garlic available , buy several orotund bulbs with a good numeral of cloves and no blemishes or diffuse spots .

Baking ail slowly in the oven creates an irresistible redolence in the kitchen , but if you ’re pressed for fourth dimension , garlic can be wangle in just minute in a microwave oven oven .

dish out as an appetizer with crackers or fresh curmudgeonly boodle .

Baked Garlic Recipe

Ingredients

One or two whole garlic bulbsExtra virgin olive oilDried herbs such as marjoram or leaf thyme

InstructionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees .

Baked garlic makes a delicious appetizer and a nice way to celebrate National Garlic Month.Photo/Illustration: Jodi Torpey

Squeeze garlic Syzygium aromaticum from the skins and disperse on scratch or crackers .

Fine Gardening Recommended product

A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo

all right horticulture have a commission for items purchased through links on this land site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising broadcast .

Gardener ’s Log Book from NYBG

Chapin International 10509 Upside - Down Trigger Sprayer

Get our latest tips , how - to articles , and instructional videos sent to your inbox .

Have you planted your garlic yet?

Garlic Scapes are a Savory Signal

The Great Garlic Harvest

Garlic Bulb Types

Join Fine horticulture for a complimentary engaging alive webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental technical director …

When I spotted a particular grit one dollar bill cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delightful color pattern …

When we only prioritise plants we want over plant life our landscape need , each season is fill with a never - ending inclination of chores : pruning , abstract , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you go in the backyard of garden interior decorator Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombard by a pair …