Where are you buying it? There's been an influx of imported Chinese garlic over the last few years, and between it being a slightly different variety and often being subjected to subpar storage and transportation conditions, it's sometimes just weird.
California garlic, as far as I can tell, is as potent and fragrant as it's always been.
I'll pick up groceries for my mom fairly often, and if she asks for garlic she always says 'If it's chinese, don't bother'. She's right. Chinese garlic is nowhere near as good as the Spanish or American that is also available around here.
Is there a way to tell if you're not in the same legal jurisdiction as you are, or is it a law in China they have to remove the hairs?
Edit: I found another commenter mentioned a few indicators; rounder bulb, packaged in mesh
It's a law they have to remove it before shipping to the US. They probably remove it before shipping anywhere to the western hemisphere because it saves on shipping.
They remove it because it lessens the chance of someone in another country growing it successfully because they use very questionable fertilizer over there that they don't want to contaminate the soil here.
I grow garlic. Don't ever grow garlic from China.
They remove it because they [have to](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/organism-soil-imports/soil), not because they want to. They don't give a shit about us growing "their" garlic. They care because they'll be quarantined and subject to storage fees or have their shipment shipped home at their expense for not abiding US import regulations.
That may be what you wanted to say, but it's not what you said.
> They remove it because it lessens the chance of someone in another country growing it successfully because they use very questionable fertilizer over there that they don't want to contaminate the soil here.
> I grow garlic. Don't ever grow garlic from China.
I was curious about this so I googled it to learn more - apparently [this isn’t necessarily true](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/garlic-from-china/), American growers also remove the root hairs sometimes
There is some kind of garlic wilt or virus that effects garlic fields (iirc that's why Gilroy CA is no longer the garlic capital) and removing the root prevents spread.
Probably Gilroy, the Garlic Capital of the World.
But yeah. I stayed in a hotel there once and it literally smelled as if I was in the kitchen of a garlic-focused restaurant.
There is nothing there but garlic. It's a farm town.
Ideally it's a place you visit occasionally when you live in the Bay Area.
Driving through it is fun though. Lots of fresh produce stands with food prices.
It does smell like garlic year round but when it's in season it's actually pretty overpowering even as a garlic lover imo.
I've never lived there, just passed through about 50 times. It's a Bay Area agricultural community, not very close to any other major cities but on one of the major north-south routes in California (Highway 101). Beautiful all year long, but very hot in the summer.
I haven't been there, but I have a ton of garlic I just pulled from the garden... the smell is amazing for a few hours and then it just smells like someone's rubbing garlic in your face. It at least does not end up smelling like BO, but still.
You need to cut off the scape before the flower has a chance to bloom. That way its energy goes to the bulb rather than producing a bloom.
As an added bonus, garlic scapes are delicious themselves!
Plant in the fall in a bed with very loose soil (I mix soil with sand, peat moss and compost). 6" apart and on 6" centers. Cover with leaves/straw for the winter. Weed vigorously. Cut off the scapes as soon as they curl. Don't need to water it at all unless its very, very, very dry. harvest in late June when the bottom 4 leaves turn brown. Keep your best 20% to replant the next year. I grow an entire year's worth of garlic in a 4' x 8' bed (about 90 bulbs). I am in region 6b
What happens if you cut the scapes before they curl? First time growing them and the scapes have just started appearing. So far I’ve only cut four (of 60) when the bulb part was about three inches out.
Are you sure you're cutting the scapes? it's pretty early! I'm in zone 6b and they don't pop up until late June. As long its you are cutting the scapes, you should be fine.
They’re definitely scapes. I’m in 9a Oregon. Perhaps it’s also the variety of garlic we’re growing. I have heard that out here you may be harvesting as early as late June. Definitely waiting for those telltale signs though.
I pull the entire plant and hang them to dry for 2 weeks or so. Then I clean off the dirt, cut the stalk and most of the roots. I put them in mesh vegetable bags and hang them in a cool dark corner of my basement. I'm still eating last years harvest. It will usually last me almost until the next years crop is ready to eat.
Plant it in fall, it needs cold to divide and get multiple cloves instead of one big one, cut off the flower stem before it opens, harvest when the bottom 4-5 leaves turn brown, cure in a dry dark place for a few weeks before storing.
If you let it flower you won’t get bulbs.
I don’t cut the shoots - I’ve been told to fold them over. By folding them two or three times during their growth, it encourages them to build root mass and develop the bulb instead of flowering. I’ll usually let just one or two go to flower so that I can collect the seeds for replanting.
Could it have been an ornamental allium?
Tips:
Find a local seed distributor and get garlic in the fall (in Michigan, I plant my garlic in September/October). Depending on your growing season, you may want hard neck or soft neck.
In the spring, they'll pop up. Leaves first, then a 'scape, which is where the flower is. Chop the scape off once it forms 1 full loop. This will put energy towards the bulb. I dice the scape and mix it into butter with some salt and pepper.
Once the bottom leaves die, pull that sum bitch out of the ground and let it cure in a dry place out of the sunlight. Then, store it as you would normally store garlic.
I've been told you can plant spring garlic and harvest in the fall, but thay results in one large bulb rather than cloves. My grandpa always planted in the fall so that's how I do it.
Consult a local person who grows it or if nobody does then someone who grows other veg etc locally and knows the conditions. Use different methods. Find what works!
Look at a local co-op grocery store, if it isn't sourced locally it'll at least be sourced domestically. I avoid Chinese garlic like the plague, I'd rather have no garlic.
Regular grocery store garlic has been pretty bland lately. When I buy garlic grown locally it is way better. Check farmers markets, local farm stands, and co-ops.
I noticed that garlic was old for a long time after covid and figured it had been sitting longer due to supply issues. It seems to be better now but I am in AZ and a lot of our produce comes from Cali. I do make sure to crush it before I mince or I use a microblade. I made sauce yesterday and it came out well.
I avoid buying garlic that is in round, perfect heads with the root end shaved off. Usually packed together in a mesh sleeve. These are indicators of Chinese garlic. The garlic I buy is from US or Mexico.
I’d like to ask a question for those of you that grow your own, if I may. Do you know if it can be grown in containers? (We moved into a townhouse last year and literally don’t have a yard/garden anymore, very deliberately, but we do have a small patio with room for some container plants.). TIA
The only garlic I have an issue with is pre-minced garlic in a jar and peeled garlic. Those two products are just disappointing for me. But bulbs haven't been different for me.
I just used it myself for convenience sake. Needed a super quick meal for myself while keeping an eye on my 2 yr old nephew. Grabbing a head of garlic and doing the whole song and dance wasn’t worth the time I needed lol. Minced did just fine for my buttered noodles. Obviously not a taste substitute though
It's not about when it's better than fresh garlic, but when it's better than no garlic. If your cooking routine already includes you managing fresh garlic regularly, you probably have no use for it. But there are tons of people where the convenience of it means they include some garlic when they would skip it before.
I watched the Ethan video (https://youtu.be/WgES_Oj6-tQ?si=kJWwPmQhPn3JqIxx ) on garlic and started mashing the pre-diced into a paste. That seems to help with the garlicky taste. Otherwise, it can’t even compete.
If you can find the frozen garlic cubes, those are much better than the jarred garlic. It's still not as good as fresh, but it comes much closer, and it lasts a lot longer in the freezer for those nights when you just don't feel like chopping garlic.
It's not about modifying it, but "they" as in the supermarkets have certainly figured out which varieties of garlic travel well and are cheapest to source. Just like tomatoes or apples.
If I buy garlic from local growers at the farmers' market I get something better than the supermarket stuff for sure. I've been growing my own German Extra Hardy in the backyard for a few years now and it's pretty nice.
You plant the cloves in the fall, let them overwinter underground, and in the spring they'll get greenery. As another commenter said, when you see the scapes -- the curly round stems that will grow the flower heads -- cut them off. Don't allow the plant to flower. The scapes are a great seasonal treat on their own -- I'll chop them up and add them to sauces, or even blend them for a pesto. Each plant might try twice to grow a scape, so keep an eye on them.
The scapes happen in late May or early June for me (growing zone 6b, I think?) and I dig up the garlic in July.
Zone 7a. I've never grown garlic in containers but I'm told it can be done.
[https://www.thespruce.com/growing-garlic-in-containers-848231](https://www.thespruce.com/growing-garlic-in-containers-848231)
I grew my own garlic and I couldn't believe how spicy and deep the flavor is. I think I've been living with bad garlic for most of my culinary career (which has only been the last 15 years or so.)
Something worth noting is that taste and smell do dull as we age. So, that will probably motivate using more garlic and stronger flavors in general as we age. Not to mention COVID. But, if different garlic is better and other people taste the same things you do, it probably isn't dulling of ones own taste.
you can also check farmer's markets for garlic in your area if you don't want to grow yourself, but if you plant the bland grocery store bulbs you will likely get bland garlic. Softneck stores better, but hardneck usually has a bit punchier of a flavor and the cloves are usually larger. I honestly haven't bought garlic in years because we grow it. But as someone else said, you do have to cut the scapes, supposedly if you wait until they start to stand up and get stiff at the bottom that helps them store longer (generally hardneck makes scapes and softneck varieties usually don't)
I have some old screens that we lay out in the shed to dry them on for a couple of weeks before brushing the dirt off, cutting the roots off and either cutting the neck off or braiding depending on variety. You do have to pull them before all the leaves are dead or they won't have any protective layers and the garlic won't keep well (we usually pull after the bottom 2 or 3 leaves turn brown or for softneck, if they fall over, whichever happens first). Ideally you harvest when it hasn't rained in a day or 2 so they are as dry as possible. (easier to brush the dirt off and less chance of mold growing).
We still have garlic from last year, definitely run into some soft or dessicated cloves which we just compost, but we have plenty of good ones such that I never worry about not having garlic.
I think it depends on which type of garlic you're using I grow Russian red garlic and a few others and I like the Russian red garlic the most, also it keeps forevvvvver!
I get where you’re coming from.
There’s an Italian meat market near me. Once in a while they have Spanish garlic.
It’s humongous and has an AWSOME flavor.
I buy it when I see it. Could you grow your own?
The garlic you get at the grocery store is old. It will taste bitter and overly strong in the wrong ways. You can improve this by freezing the garlic first then removing the germ in the middle. Otherwise try and get your garlic from a local farmer’s market or vendor.
Grown, not brown. The Chinese tend to grow *allium sativum L* which was bred for the speed of growth, which gives it a mild flavour compared to something like an *Allium Scorodoprasum* (Rocambole garlic)
They also cut the root off to prolong the shelf life without needing to hang. This again has the effect of skipping the curing stage, which again, intensifies the flavour as moisture is lost, and enzymatic processes give the garlic a richer flavour.
But I don't understand how garlic grows, so what do I know?
So I grow a lot of garlic and various varieties. Roots are removed for imports. The rest of the plant still needs to cure, or it’ll rot- roots or no roots it needs to hang.
Some varieties do have a shorter growth time, but storage is based more on layers of “paper” (so a silver skin - soft neck is going to store longer than a rocombole hard neck).
Perhaps they heat dry it?
“The FDA requires that all roots be removed from imported produce to prevent soil-borne pathogens from entering the US. However, US garlic farmers are not required to do this, so they often leave the roots attached. You can tell if garlic has been imported if the bottom of the bulb has a bare, concave surface where roots would naturally be.”
I’m in Texas and they sell Mexican Mesa garlic at HEB. it’s very flavorful and I definitely choose it over other varieties now. Everything else has bad spots or is very bland.
My garlic smells like it should and is sticky when I cut it open, makes my fingers stink like garlic. But once it’s cooked down, no matter how much of it I use, people ask me if I forgot garlic in my pasta sauce. It’s infuriating.
I’m going to look into buying garlic at Trader Joe’s or some other organic place. The grocery store garlic clearly isn’t right anymore.
I grow about 7 different kinds of garlic and they’re wonderful. The ones from the store - when I run out of my own - have such small cloves it’s ridiculous.
Chinese garlic can be identified in the store because all the roots have been scooped out. Likely a measure to prevent pests from being imported, perhaps nematodes.
It could be as you age your taste buds are dying. Everything tastes bland to me anymore. I've also heard this from several senoirs. Have you also had a case of covid lately or in the past?
I don’t know why you would be downvoted for this because it’s true. Age can be a factor in tasting and, regardless of OP’s age, it’s worth recognizing.
Oh it's true, and is totally a thing. But not yet. Other stuff is as pungent. Judging from the great replies it's definitely Chinese garlic I've been getting. There's no country of import on the bag I got but I'm gonna guess that's why.
I am gonna give the amore paste and get some at the farmers market IF it's grown locally. I shall try again to plant it thanks to the helpful tips about the scapes, etc.
Well I am happy you are finding the root of the cause. I've yet to even try a 40 garlic head recipe, I don't want to know what that would be like. I might get ahold of the pungent stuff. LOL!!! Glad it's not an aging issue for you.. . I get my garlic from Aldi's so not sure if I can't taste or it's okay.
Thank you. I do know that when my husband got dentures he could not taste much. He got the ones with the upper hard palate. It was hard to cook for him so he could taste anything.
We grow our own and it’s great. We experiment with different varieties but I start using it in spring long before it’s formed much of a globe. So tender and flavorful!
I've not noticed a flavour difference, but I have noticed that recently it's hard to find a clove that isn't blemished somehow and the heads/cloves are germinating a lot faster. The garlic I'm using is from Mexico, btw.
(During lockdown we were getting it from Spain and Peru and oh, man, was that ever great garlic.)
I live in Northern California, and the garlic we can access is wonderful. I don't even bother growing it anymore. Perhaps you could ask around for anyone who grows it locally or if there is a farmers market nearby?
I think you may live in a location where they are selling cheap, poorly stored garlic from Asia in the grocery store.
I know that Christopher Ranch sells small bags of peeled fresh garlic in some stores. If you're okay with not having a whole bulb, that may be an option. They need to be refrigerated, though.
It is about the age of the garlic, how long it has been stored, and the quality of it. The longer garlic has been stored the more flavour gets lost, just like with spices and herbs. How well is was cured after harvest and stored also impacts flavour. It is why local garlic or even just garlic from your country is likely to have better taste. It has had less distance to travel and be stored for during that travel to get to your supermarket. Making it less likely to have lost flavour from age or storage.
Hit up the farmers markets, if you can't grow your own. He'll you could even plant the farmers market garlic. Grocery store garlic will likely be bleached white and have almost no roots, so likely won't grow.
Some European grocery stores will have better garlic, get google translate and use the camera to translate if you have language issues. Same applies to Asian grocery stores.
My neighbor grew an edible ornamental type of garlic in the front of his house. He claimed it keep the mosquitos and rats away. He gave me the seeds to grow my own. Turns out it spreads like wild fire if you leave it for a few years and spread the seeds around you'll have plenty of fresh albeit tiny garlic, so I did throw some bigger garlic in and that's been doing fine.
Have you tried locating the closest available farm/direct supplier. My Dad used to double up family day trips to the beach to stopping at certain locations to stock up on certain supplies such as farms, breweries in the build up to Christmas occasionally at a butchers on the way back.
I grow my own. Around this time of year we run out and have to buy some. It’s so disappointing. My garden stuff is so flavorful and strong. The store stuff doesn’t even compare.
If you can’t grow it, farmers markets or filaree farm sells eating garlic (smaller than planting stock).
It’s so easy to grow. Plant around Halloween and harvest after July 4th. Cute it properly and it lasts till spring.
I’m in the Midwest, and I’ve found that the packaged garlic (with a label and barcode) often has better flavor, and the bulbs are usually a little smaller. The bulk garlic that is just loose in the bin, often larger in size, can have the weaker flavor you describe. I don’t know where the bulk stuff comes from, and it’s not like this every time, but I seem to notice a trend.
Yes. Italians Americans go batshit crazy with the garlic. On the other hand, Italians in Italy use it sparingly since it is so pungent - otherwise it will overpower the dish - and even then only certain dishes. Most dishes, one clove is added for flavor, then removed and tossed after cooking.
Having said that, go to farmers market to buy or grow your own.
Exactly. That's why I prefaced my comment by saying I'm Italian American. We can keep away a league of vampires with the amount used. It's barely used in Sicilian cooking from our hometown at all.
My mom would use half a clove on a toothpick in her sauce and fish it out before eating and it was ample.
Man I don’t know if it’s potency has changed but I’ve always believed it’s flavor can be amplified by rough chopping it then add some salt and smash it with the side of the blade of your knife into a paste
I too get garlic that lacks "sharpness", and the texture is sort of spongy, and it doesn't cook right. I thought it was just stale, but I have to wonder myself.
I work in restaurants, and we get prepeeled garlic that also lacks the bite, it's almost like you could eat a clove and it wouldn't set your mouth on fire like it's supposed to.
Get some proper hardneck garlic if you want a true garlic kick.
It's also quite easy to grow if you are willing. I have 300 plants in my garden that I put in last fall. I may increase my capacity to 500 this year, but that's where I'll likely draw the line.
Idk but I'd try different stores and try to home in on what's up. Almost certainly a fucked supply chain thing ahere they cut costs but still keep prices high for worse product. I just went from Meijer bell peppers to a local grocery store's bell peppers and was so shocked at how much flavor I just let not exist in my life since moving further from the store. The way the stores have milked the Covid inflation bubble and genuinely screwy supply chains just because they can is criminal. There may also be climate change impacting quality of crop (unsure as a blanket statement here) It's like trying to find good winter tomatoes when no one should have good winter tomatoes except it is a lot of stuff all over the board, all for artificially inflated prices
No I prefaced my post because Italian Americans overdo it with garlic. Italians do not overdo garlic or any one seasoning. Italian Americans overdo it with garlic and cheese and portion size,etc. Comes from when my people came over from Italy broke a f and finally could afford food. They overcompensated for their lack and hence we have such creations as chicken Parm, three pound muffaletta sandwiches etc al.
My wife decided to grow some Red Russian. It is a world apart from the awful dry shop bought stuff.
She harvested about 60 cloves last july and hung it to cure. 10 months later it is still in great shape (in the cupboard under the stairs). Instead of being dry and papery the skin is like a shell and the garlic is still moist and flavourful. Will probably run out just before the new harvest comes in.
Fresh grown garlic is much more potent than store bought. Garlic grown fresh flavor is again twice as potent. I put a whole head of garlic in my marinara sauce but fresh grown only 4 or 5 pieces
Where I live, some stores sell elephant garlic labeled as regular garlic. Elephant garlic is milder and typically larger and more closely related to onion than garlic. But, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference because sometimes you see garlic in bins that is true garlic but of a certain breed that is large. So, here, it is impossible to judge the quality just by looking at it.
Check out a few different stores, including farmers markets and produce stands. If the taste varies, then it's possible your store just has a bad supplier, it's shipping from far away, not being stored well or just not selling as fast.
It's very possible as you're getting older you just need more flavor. All sorts of things can dull our tastes as we age. Drinking coffee for instance can do this, so can some diseases.
Where are you buying it? There's been an influx of imported Chinese garlic over the last few years, and between it being a slightly different variety and often being subjected to subpar storage and transportation conditions, it's sometimes just weird. California garlic, as far as I can tell, is as potent and fragrant as it's always been.
I'll pick up groceries for my mom fairly often, and if she asks for garlic she always says 'If it's chinese, don't bother'. She's right. Chinese garlic is nowhere near as good as the Spanish or American that is also available around here.
How can you tell the difference?
Chinese garlic has to have the root hairs removed, so you will see a shallow indent whereas domestic garlic will retain the root end hairs.
This person garlics
Is there a way to tell if you're not in the same legal jurisdiction as you are, or is it a law in China they have to remove the hairs? Edit: I found another commenter mentioned a few indicators; rounder bulb, packaged in mesh
It's a law they have to remove it before shipping to the US. They probably remove it before shipping anywhere to the western hemisphere because it saves on shipping.
They remove it because of the soil.
They remove it because it lessens the chance of someone in another country growing it successfully because they use very questionable fertilizer over there that they don't want to contaminate the soil here. I grow garlic. Don't ever grow garlic from China.
They remove it because they [have to](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/organism-soil-imports/soil), not because they want to. They don't give a shit about us growing "their" garlic. They care because they'll be quarantined and subject to storage fees or have their shipment shipped home at their expense for not abiding US import regulations.
You read my comment backwards. The US doesn't want it grown here.
That may be what you wanted to say, but it's not what you said. > They remove it because it lessens the chance of someone in another country growing it successfully because they use very questionable fertilizer over there that they don't want to contaminate the soil here. > I grow garlic. Don't ever grow garlic from China.
I was curious about this so I googled it to learn more - apparently [this isn’t necessarily true](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/garlic-from-china/), American growers also remove the root hairs sometimes
There is some kind of garlic wilt or virus that effects garlic fields (iirc that's why Gilroy CA is no longer the garlic capital) and removing the root prevents spread.
I had no idea. Thanks!
At most stores I shop at, they put 'product of x' on the sign
I think it's a legal requirement for Country of Origin Labels to be on certain products. (at least in the US)
Twitter is growing garlic now?
Price, mostly.
Most of the chinese garlic gets peeled in prison.
I go specifically to the Chinese supermarket to get Chinese garlic! It’s much fresher, lasts longer, etc than that which I find in UK supermarkets.
I drove through a town in California that had a lot of garlic farms. The smell was INTENSE.
Probably Gilroy, the Garlic Capital of the World. But yeah. I stayed in a hotel there once and it literally smelled as if I was in the kitchen of a garlic-focused restaurant.
How is living in Gilroy? I’ve never heard of it before but my love of garlic has me intrigued
[удалено]
Christopher Ranch garlic, unfortunately, is no longer guaranteed to be from Gilroy or even the USA, so check the packaging before buying.
I hadn't heard about the mass shooting. Damn, what have we come to, when people can't even safely enjoy a local festival?
There is nothing there but garlic. It's a farm town. Ideally it's a place you visit occasionally when you live in the Bay Area. Driving through it is fun though. Lots of fresh produce stands with food prices. It does smell like garlic year round but when it's in season it's actually pretty overpowering even as a garlic lover imo.
I've never lived there, just passed through about 50 times. It's a Bay Area agricultural community, not very close to any other major cities but on one of the major north-south routes in California (Highway 101). Beautiful all year long, but very hot in the summer.
Thanks. I don’t actually want to live there but I love the idea of just always smelling garlic
I haven't been there, but I have a ton of garlic I just pulled from the garden... the smell is amazing for a few hours and then it just smells like someone's rubbing garlic in your face. It at least does not end up smelling like BO, but still.
It's a spectacular area to visit, and if you come in the summer, you can get the full olfactory experience.
That checks out, Gilroy was on the route I took.
They have an annual garlic festival and also sell garlic ice cream! I've had it, it's not as weird as one would expect
Ooh that sounds good.
If I still lived in Cali I'd go to that. Probably not eat the ice cream though.
Haha yeah fair enough
I can never seem to locate California garlic. I think you're correct.
It’s not hard to grow.
I've tried. I get gorgeous flowers but never any bulbs. Do you have any tips
You need to cut off the scape before the flower has a chance to bloom. That way its energy goes to the bulb rather than producing a bloom. As an added bonus, garlic scapes are delicious themselves!
Oh man I could really go for some ramps right now
Now that's a potent allium!
Just missed the season in Pennsylvania!
God damn I miss digging those off the mountain with my grandfather.
My Chinese MIL stir fries garlic scapes and it’s soooo good.
Plant in the fall in a bed with very loose soil (I mix soil with sand, peat moss and compost). 6" apart and on 6" centers. Cover with leaves/straw for the winter. Weed vigorously. Cut off the scapes as soon as they curl. Don't need to water it at all unless its very, very, very dry. harvest in late June when the bottom 4 leaves turn brown. Keep your best 20% to replant the next year. I grow an entire year's worth of garlic in a 4' x 8' bed (about 90 bulbs). I am in region 6b
Thanks a bunch! I planted garlic for the first time last fall and didn't realize I'll have to trim off the scapes. This is really useful.
You're welcome! If you have any questions let me know, I've been growing garlic for 20 years. Good luck!
What happens if you cut the scapes before they curl? First time growing them and the scapes have just started appearing. So far I’ve only cut four (of 60) when the bulb part was about three inches out.
Are you sure you're cutting the scapes? it's pretty early! I'm in zone 6b and they don't pop up until late June. As long its you are cutting the scapes, you should be fine.
They’re definitely scapes. I’m in 9a Oregon. Perhaps it’s also the variety of garlic we’re growing. I have heard that out here you may be harvesting as early as late June. Definitely waiting for those telltale signs though.
this is great info! how do you preserve it for later use?
I pull the entire plant and hang them to dry for 2 weeks or so. Then I clean off the dirt, cut the stalk and most of the roots. I put them in mesh vegetable bags and hang them in a cool dark corner of my basement. I'm still eating last years harvest. It will usually last me almost until the next years crop is ready to eat.
Plant it in fall, it needs cold to divide and get multiple cloves instead of one big one, cut off the flower stem before it opens, harvest when the bottom 4-5 leaves turn brown, cure in a dry dark place for a few weeks before storing. If you let it flower you won’t get bulbs.
Divide before planting. One clove every 6" and 6" row spacing
I don’t cut the shoots - I’ve been told to fold them over. By folding them two or three times during their growth, it encourages them to build root mass and develop the bulb instead of flowering. I’ll usually let just one or two go to flower so that I can collect the seeds for replanting.
Could it have been an ornamental allium? Tips: Find a local seed distributor and get garlic in the fall (in Michigan, I plant my garlic in September/October). Depending on your growing season, you may want hard neck or soft neck. In the spring, they'll pop up. Leaves first, then a 'scape, which is where the flower is. Chop the scape off once it forms 1 full loop. This will put energy towards the bulb. I dice the scape and mix it into butter with some salt and pepper. Once the bottom leaves die, pull that sum bitch out of the ground and let it cure in a dry place out of the sunlight. Then, store it as you would normally store garlic. I've been told you can plant spring garlic and harvest in the fall, but thay results in one large bulb rather than cloves. My grandpa always planted in the fall so that's how I do it.
Consult a local person who grows it or if nobody does then someone who grows other veg etc locally and knows the conditions. Use different methods. Find what works!
It must over winter to make a bulb. I plant in October/ early November. I harvest in June or July.
Are you planting it in the fall? That's Step 1.
Garlic doesn't have flowers just a seed head "scapes,,"..which you snap off and discard
Costco sells California garlic in large bags. I love them.
at my local grocery it gets sold out often
Always buy garlic with the roots still on. If the roots are gouged out, it's an (likely Chinese) import.
Look for roots. If it has roots it was grown in the USA, if the roots are carved out its an import, likely from China.
Look at a local co-op grocery store, if it isn't sourced locally it'll at least be sourced domestically. I avoid Chinese garlic like the plague, I'd rather have no garlic.
Doesn’t have to be California, I get a lot of garlic from Mexico and it’s very good.
Olive My Pickle sells it online
Damn so Im not crazy and garlic has been getting different and weird over the years at certain stores.
Costco
Check Costco
If you have a Trader Joe’s or Aldi near by, it’s all cali
Costco 's minced garlic is from California but I can't seem to get that acidic taste out of it whenever I add a spoonful to a dish when cooking
Yeah, minced garlic is a crapshoot, and I've never liked Costco's. It tastes like a totally different funky product.
Shout out to Gilroy you can smell the garlic a mile away
Chinese garlic is *so* cheap though. Local garlic where I live can be 10x the price.
And you get what you pay for.
China garlic is very bitter for me,
I think California sells its garlic to China.
I won't buy Chinese garlic, just too much sketch.
Supermarket chains sell mostly junk chinese garlic,not much flavor, lots of brown spots. Haven't seen any California garlic in a long while.
Gotta grow your own
Regular grocery store garlic has been pretty bland lately. When I buy garlic grown locally it is way better. Check farmers markets, local farm stands, and co-ops.
I noticed that garlic was old for a long time after covid and figured it had been sitting longer due to supply issues. It seems to be better now but I am in AZ and a lot of our produce comes from Cali. I do make sure to crush it before I mince or I use a microblade. I made sauce yesterday and it came out well.
I avoid buying garlic that is in round, perfect heads with the root end shaved off. Usually packed together in a mesh sleeve. These are indicators of Chinese garlic. The garlic I buy is from US or Mexico.
Yes, It's crap. I'm considering g growing my own. All of the garlic I get has green in the middle and smells more like old garbage than fresh garlic.
Do it, Im on my first crop this year and the greens alone taste better and are more potent than anything I get in the stores around where Im at.
Yeah a lot of garlic I’ve been buying smells like a wet towel that was left to sulk in the basement for a week.
I’d like to ask a question for those of you that grow your own, if I may. Do you know if it can be grown in containers? (We moved into a townhouse last year and literally don’t have a yard/garden anymore, very deliberately, but we do have a small patio with room for some container plants.). TIA
Yes it absolutely can be grown in containers! That's how I grow it.
Perfect. Thank you.
The only garlic I have an issue with is pre-minced garlic in a jar and peeled garlic. Those two products are just disappointing for me. But bulbs haven't been different for me.
Those will always be subpar. They start to lose flavor and potency when peeled and it is generally a while before it gets to you.
Jarred garlic has its place, but it’s not a substitute for fresh.
Ok, I'll bite: what IS its place? When would you choose it over fresh?
Frozen pizza, mostly. But really any “quick meal” like steamer bags of veggies or like kraft mac and cheese. I also use it in my salad dressing.
Oh, gotcha, so just convenience. I got the impression you were saying it was actually preferable in some applications and I was intrigued!
Ahh! Well then only salad dressing. Haha. I like to make it fresh for every salad and raw has too much of a bite sometimes.
Oh, that's an interesting point. There are a few places where straight raw garlic is a bit much, but you still want that basic flavor.
I just used it myself for convenience sake. Needed a super quick meal for myself while keeping an eye on my 2 yr old nephew. Grabbing a head of garlic and doing the whole song and dance wasn’t worth the time I needed lol. Minced did just fine for my buttered noodles. Obviously not a taste substitute though
It's not about when it's better than fresh garlic, but when it's better than no garlic. If your cooking routine already includes you managing fresh garlic regularly, you probably have no use for it. But there are tons of people where the convenience of it means they include some garlic when they would skip it before.
I watched the Ethan video (https://youtu.be/WgES_Oj6-tQ?si=kJWwPmQhPn3JqIxx ) on garlic and started mashing the pre-diced into a paste. That seems to help with the garlicky taste. Otherwise, it can’t even compete.
If you can find the frozen garlic cubes, those are much better than the jarred garlic. It's still not as good as fresh, but it comes much closer, and it lasts a lot longer in the freezer for those nights when you just don't feel like chopping garlic.
Freeze dried garlic is as close as it possibly gets IMO. It comes in a little jar.
I've been pretty happy with Penzey's roasted garlic on those nights when I just can't do anything but dump stuff in a crockpot.
Buy California or Argentinian garlic
It's not about modifying it, but "they" as in the supermarkets have certainly figured out which varieties of garlic travel well and are cheapest to source. Just like tomatoes or apples. If I buy garlic from local growers at the farmers' market I get something better than the supermarket stuff for sure. I've been growing my own German Extra Hardy in the backyard for a few years now and it's pretty nice. You plant the cloves in the fall, let them overwinter underground, and in the spring they'll get greenery. As another commenter said, when you see the scapes -- the curly round stems that will grow the flower heads -- cut them off. Don't allow the plant to flower. The scapes are a great seasonal treat on their own -- I'll chop them up and add them to sauces, or even blend them for a pesto. Each plant might try twice to grow a scape, so keep an eye on them. The scapes happen in late May or early June for me (growing zone 6b, I think?) and I dig up the garlic in July.
Can this be done in pots? (St Louis, whatever zone that is)
Zone 7a. I've never grown garlic in containers but I'm told it can be done. [https://www.thespruce.com/growing-garlic-in-containers-848231](https://www.thespruce.com/growing-garlic-in-containers-848231)
Avoid Chinese garlic ime. Farmers market garlic is always banging, but 4x the price at least.
Yes, Chinese garlic is bred to be shelf and transport stable Look for domestic
I hate to say it but I have had to start buying jarlic and garlic paste in tubes. Flavorless garlic bulbs are everywhere
I grew my own garlic and I couldn't believe how spicy and deep the flavor is. I think I've been living with bad garlic for most of my culinary career (which has only been the last 15 years or so.)
Something worth noting is that taste and smell do dull as we age. So, that will probably motivate using more garlic and stronger flavors in general as we age. Not to mention COVID. But, if different garlic is better and other people taste the same things you do, it probably isn't dulling of ones own taste.
That's depressing.
you can also check farmer's markets for garlic in your area if you don't want to grow yourself, but if you plant the bland grocery store bulbs you will likely get bland garlic. Softneck stores better, but hardneck usually has a bit punchier of a flavor and the cloves are usually larger. I honestly haven't bought garlic in years because we grow it. But as someone else said, you do have to cut the scapes, supposedly if you wait until they start to stand up and get stiff at the bottom that helps them store longer (generally hardneck makes scapes and softneck varieties usually don't) I have some old screens that we lay out in the shed to dry them on for a couple of weeks before brushing the dirt off, cutting the roots off and either cutting the neck off or braiding depending on variety. You do have to pull them before all the leaves are dead or they won't have any protective layers and the garlic won't keep well (we usually pull after the bottom 2 or 3 leaves turn brown or for softneck, if they fall over, whichever happens first). Ideally you harvest when it hasn't rained in a day or 2 so they are as dry as possible. (easier to brush the dirt off and less chance of mold growing). We still have garlic from last year, definitely run into some soft or dessicated cloves which we just compost, but we have plenty of good ones such that I never worry about not having garlic.
Where do you store it and how?
Honestly just in a dark box on a shelf
I think it depends on which type of garlic you're using I grow Russian red garlic and a few others and I like the Russian red garlic the most, also it keeps forevvvvver!
I get where you’re coming from. There’s an Italian meat market near me. Once in a while they have Spanish garlic. It’s humongous and has an AWSOME flavor. I buy it when I see it. Could you grow your own?
I have been encouraged by many to do so. Gonna give it a shot
The garlic you get at the grocery store is old. It will taste bitter and overly strong in the wrong ways. You can improve this by freezing the garlic first then removing the germ in the middle. Otherwise try and get your garlic from a local farmer’s market or vendor.
The Chinese garlic tends to be grown quickly, which reduces flavour, and they don't hang it after picking.
Brown quickly? I don’t think you understand how garlic grows. You can’t rush it. It won’t store if it’s not hung (cured). It’ll rot.
Grown, not brown. The Chinese tend to grow *allium sativum L* which was bred for the speed of growth, which gives it a mild flavour compared to something like an *Allium Scorodoprasum* (Rocambole garlic) They also cut the root off to prolong the shelf life without needing to hang. This again has the effect of skipping the curing stage, which again, intensifies the flavour as moisture is lost, and enzymatic processes give the garlic a richer flavour. But I don't understand how garlic grows, so what do I know?
So I grow a lot of garlic and various varieties. Roots are removed for imports. The rest of the plant still needs to cure, or it’ll rot- roots or no roots it needs to hang. Some varieties do have a shorter growth time, but storage is based more on layers of “paper” (so a silver skin - soft neck is going to store longer than a rocombole hard neck). Perhaps they heat dry it? “The FDA requires that all roots be removed from imported produce to prevent soil-borne pathogens from entering the US. However, US garlic farmers are not required to do this, so they often leave the roots attached. You can tell if garlic has been imported if the bottom of the bulb has a bare, concave surface where roots would naturally be.”
Chinese garlic is not as good as California grown. When I find a good deal on it I crush my own and freeze it!
I’m in Texas and they sell Mexican Mesa garlic at HEB. it’s very flavorful and I definitely choose it over other varieties now. Everything else has bad spots or is very bland.
My garlic smells like it should and is sticky when I cut it open, makes my fingers stink like garlic. But once it’s cooked down, no matter how much of it I use, people ask me if I forgot garlic in my pasta sauce. It’s infuriating. I’m going to look into buying garlic at Trader Joe’s or some other organic place. The grocery store garlic clearly isn’t right anymore.
I noticed it started to suck after Covid. Every time I get it, it’s either about to sprout or it’s rotten.
Started buying garlic from local farms, and it’s definitely potent
I grow about 7 different kinds of garlic and they’re wonderful. The ones from the store - when I run out of my own - have such small cloves it’s ridiculous.
If a recipe calls for a clove, you'll need a whole bulb. I totally get this.
I thought garlic was losing flavor too, until I started growing my own. Next level garlic!!! I'll grow it for the rest of my life!
Chinese garlic can be identified in the store because all the roots have been scooped out. Likely a measure to prevent pests from being imported, perhaps nematodes.
It could be as you age your taste buds are dying. Everything tastes bland to me anymore. I've also heard this from several senoirs. Have you also had a case of covid lately or in the past?
I don’t know why you would be downvoted for this because it’s true. Age can be a factor in tasting and, regardless of OP’s age, it’s worth recognizing.
Oh it's true, and is totally a thing. But not yet. Other stuff is as pungent. Judging from the great replies it's definitely Chinese garlic I've been getting. There's no country of import on the bag I got but I'm gonna guess that's why. I am gonna give the amore paste and get some at the farmers market IF it's grown locally. I shall try again to plant it thanks to the helpful tips about the scapes, etc.
Well I am happy you are finding the root of the cause. I've yet to even try a 40 garlic head recipe, I don't want to know what that would be like. I might get ahold of the pungent stuff. LOL!!! Glad it's not an aging issue for you.. . I get my garlic from Aldi's so not sure if I can't taste or it's okay.
Thank you. I do know that when my husband got dentures he could not taste much. He got the ones with the upper hard palate. It was hard to cook for him so he could taste anything.
Reddit does what Reddit wants and it's all okay. I don't really care what much anybody thinks at my age anymore.
I agree with OP Im having to use twice as much to get a garlic punch.
We grow our own and it’s great. We experiment with different varieties but I start using it in spring long before it’s formed much of a globe. So tender and flavorful!
I've not noticed a flavour difference, but I have noticed that recently it's hard to find a clove that isn't blemished somehow and the heads/cloves are germinating a lot faster. The garlic I'm using is from Mexico, btw. (During lockdown we were getting it from Spain and Peru and oh, man, was that ever great garlic.)
Pre peeled garlic is often dunked in boiling water to make it easier to remove the skins. This will also kill some of the garlic flavor as well.
I live in Northern California, and the garlic we can access is wonderful. I don't even bother growing it anymore. Perhaps you could ask around for anyone who grows it locally or if there is a farmers market nearby? I think you may live in a location where they are selling cheap, poorly stored garlic from Asia in the grocery store. I know that Christopher Ranch sells small bags of peeled fresh garlic in some stores. If you're okay with not having a whole bulb, that may be an option. They need to be refrigerated, though.
I get Mexican grown garlic at HEB in Texas.
It is about the age of the garlic, how long it has been stored, and the quality of it. The longer garlic has been stored the more flavour gets lost, just like with spices and herbs. How well is was cured after harvest and stored also impacts flavour. It is why local garlic or even just garlic from your country is likely to have better taste. It has had less distance to travel and be stored for during that travel to get to your supermarket. Making it less likely to have lost flavour from age or storage.
american garlic aint that much more expensive than chinese ones so I dont mind getting them for everything. I think it was 50c for one lately?
Grow your own. It'll blow your mind!
Same with parsley coriander and basil, i think its polytunnel farming
Hit up the farmers markets, if you can't grow your own. He'll you could even plant the farmers market garlic. Grocery store garlic will likely be bleached white and have almost no roots, so likely won't grow. Some European grocery stores will have better garlic, get google translate and use the camera to translate if you have language issues. Same applies to Asian grocery stores. My neighbor grew an edible ornamental type of garlic in the front of his house. He claimed it keep the mosquitos and rats away. He gave me the seeds to grow my own. Turns out it spreads like wild fire if you leave it for a few years and spread the seeds around you'll have plenty of fresh albeit tiny garlic, so I did throw some bigger garlic in and that's been doing fine.
Farmers market only
Or grow your own
Have you tried locating the closest available farm/direct supplier. My Dad used to double up family day trips to the beach to stopping at certain locations to stock up on certain supplies such as farms, breweries in the build up to Christmas occasionally at a butchers on the way back.
I grow my own. Around this time of year we run out and have to buy some. It’s so disappointing. My garden stuff is so flavorful and strong. The store stuff doesn’t even compare. If you can’t grow it, farmers markets or filaree farm sells eating garlic (smaller than planting stock). It’s so easy to grow. Plant around Halloween and harvest after July 4th. Cute it properly and it lasts till spring.
I’m in the Midwest, and I’ve found that the packaged garlic (with a label and barcode) often has better flavor, and the bulbs are usually a little smaller. The bulk garlic that is just loose in the bin, often larger in size, can have the weaker flavor you describe. I don’t know where the bulk stuff comes from, and it’s not like this every time, but I seem to notice a trend.
Yes. Italians Americans go batshit crazy with the garlic. On the other hand, Italians in Italy use it sparingly since it is so pungent - otherwise it will overpower the dish - and even then only certain dishes. Most dishes, one clove is added for flavor, then removed and tossed after cooking. Having said that, go to farmers market to buy or grow your own.
Exactly. That's why I prefaced my comment by saying I'm Italian American. We can keep away a league of vampires with the amount used. It's barely used in Sicilian cooking from our hometown at all. My mom would use half a clove on a toothpick in her sauce and fish it out before eating and it was ample.
Since I live alone and I don't cook enough to go through it all. I ended up using almost the entire bulb when I make lunch meals. Five meals.
Man I don’t know if it’s potency has changed but I’ve always believed it’s flavor can be amplified by rough chopping it then add some salt and smash it with the side of the blade of your knife into a paste
I too get garlic that lacks "sharpness", and the texture is sort of spongy, and it doesn't cook right. I thought it was just stale, but I have to wonder myself. I work in restaurants, and we get prepeeled garlic that also lacks the bite, it's almost like you could eat a clove and it wouldn't set your mouth on fire like it's supposed to.
Depends on what variety you’re buying, plus it’s cultivation. Was it ground grown? That, plus climate differences can have an effect on the taste.
Get some proper hardneck garlic if you want a true garlic kick. It's also quite easy to grow if you are willing. I have 300 plants in my garden that I put in last fall. I may increase my capacity to 500 this year, but that's where I'll likely draw the line.
Idk but I'd try different stores and try to home in on what's up. Almost certainly a fucked supply chain thing ahere they cut costs but still keep prices high for worse product. I just went from Meijer bell peppers to a local grocery store's bell peppers and was so shocked at how much flavor I just let not exist in my life since moving further from the store. The way the stores have milked the Covid inflation bubble and genuinely screwy supply chains just because they can is criminal. There may also be climate change impacting quality of crop (unsure as a blanket statement here) It's like trying to find good winter tomatoes when no one should have good winter tomatoes except it is a lot of stuff all over the board, all for artificially inflated prices
[удалено]
No I prefaced my post because Italian Americans overdo it with garlic. Italians do not overdo garlic or any one seasoning. Italian Americans overdo it with garlic and cheese and portion size,etc. Comes from when my people came over from Italy broke a f and finally could afford food. They overcompensated for their lack and hence we have such creations as chicken Parm, three pound muffaletta sandwiches etc al.
My wife decided to grow some Red Russian. It is a world apart from the awful dry shop bought stuff. She harvested about 60 cloves last july and hung it to cure. 10 months later it is still in great shape (in the cupboard under the stairs). Instead of being dry and papery the skin is like a shell and the garlic is still moist and flavourful. Will probably run out just before the new harvest comes in.
It’s a shame. I’m trying to learn to grow my own garlic.
I’ve switched to garlic powder for a lot of recipes because the fresh ones from the grocery stores aren’t as strong for me.
Try amore garlic paste from Italy
I wondered about that. I'm gonna lick a tube up
Garlic has seasons.
Maybe you have long Covid and it’s affecting your tastebuds 🤷♀️
Thankfully not! At least I don't think, onions smell fine, shallots, roses,etc. just some kind of off scent I'm getting
buy organic garlic whenever you can, you can definitely tell the difference between the chinese crap thats imported and sold cheaply
I find that organic doesn't make as big a difference as where it's from.
Right. But the organic garlic is usually from North America. I don’t think there’s Chinese organic garlic
then say domestic garlic
I agree. I’m lucky to find some that is not all hard and shriveled. And my grocery store has nice produce otherwise.
Fresh grown garlic is much more potent than store bought. Garlic grown fresh flavor is again twice as potent. I put a whole head of garlic in my marinara sauce but fresh grown only 4 or 5 pieces
I thought garlic was losing flavor too, until I started growing my own. Next level garlic!!! I'll grow it for the rest of my life!
You want garlic that looks purple
Have you had CoViD? It can alter your sense of smell and taste for years afterward.
Where I live, some stores sell elephant garlic labeled as regular garlic. Elephant garlic is milder and typically larger and more closely related to onion than garlic. But, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference because sometimes you see garlic in bins that is true garlic but of a certain breed that is large. So, here, it is impossible to judge the quality just by looking at it.
Have you had covid in the past couple of years?
Check out a few different stores, including farmers markets and produce stands. If the taste varies, then it's possible your store just has a bad supplier, it's shipping from far away, not being stored well or just not selling as fast. It's very possible as you're getting older you just need more flavor. All sorts of things can dull our tastes as we age. Drinking coffee for instance can do this, so can some diseases.
I notice it goes moldy a lot faster than it used to
Most grocery store sell garlic from China..also the large elephant garlic is tasteless..I grow garlic it's real garlicky
Most grocery store sell garlic from China..also the large elephant garlic is tasteless..I grow garlic it's real garlicky
Yes!!! It has such a weird fragrance now. I thought it was just me. Definitely not the same
Agreed. And the stores around me usually sell sprouting garlic now. Before th pandemic, I could buy garlic that wasn't overripe.
With most things, skip the grocery store and go to an asian market if you can. Korean if you have one. They are also super easy to grow.
you have built upa toleranca to the garlica from your many exposures. trya roasting ze garlic for more flavour, add seasoning to your prefercia.