“Garlic is divine. Few food items can taste so many distinct ways, handled correctly. Misuse of garlic is a crime… Please, treat your garlic with respect… Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screwtop jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don’t deserve to eat garlic.”
~ Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
We love growing and foraging alliums. Ramps, onions, shallots, and garlic are the base for all great culinary endeavors. This time of year our garlic has been harvested and cured and is ready to be shared. We grow approximately 2000 bulbs of garlic which we sell locally in our community. That’s larger than most home gardeners and small compared to other growers specializing in garlic in our area.
There are two main types of garlic, hard and soft neck. Both have their own set of benefits. Soft neck varieties have more cloves, which are smaller in size. They have a longer shelf-life which makes them ideal for large commercial growers servicing grocery stores throughout the country, allowing consumers to have garlic year round.
Hard neck varieties have fewer, but much larger, cloves. Hard neck varieties have complex and varying flavor profiles, but their shelf life is less than that of the soft neck varieties. Hard neck types, well known to garlic aficionados, are common to find at local farm markets and specialty stores.
One of our favorite specialty stores is the Ravine’s Edge Farm. Shop located in the recently renovated Medina Farmers Exchange.
The Exchange Market offers the very best from our local Northeast Ohio farms. The Exchange is open Wednesdays – Saturdays, 10 am – 6 pm and Sundays, 11 am – 4 pm (please respect all COVID-19 guidelines enacted to keep employees and customers safe).
Here is a perfect poolside garlic indulgence for these dog days of summer, our Roasted Garlic Dip.
Roasted Garlic Dip
- Roast 2 whole heads garlic:
- First, trim the bottom of any remaining roots.
- Next, cut the top off – so that you can see the tops of the garlic cloves. This will make it easier to remove the garlic from its skins once cooked.
- Drizzle 1-2 tsp of olive oil over the cloves, allowing the oil to get into the cloves.
- Wrap in aluminum foil and toast in the oven at 400 F for 40-50 minutes until soft and caramelized.
- Allow to cool completely. To remove from the paper skins squeeze from the bottom upward. The garlic will be soft, caramelized and ready to add to your chip dip.
- To make your chip dip:
- Mix 1/2 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) with 1/3 cup mayonnaise and 1 dash of Worcestershire in large bowl.
- Add the roasted garlic, then add salt and pepper to taste.
- Some great optional add ins are bacon, chives, and tomatoes.
- Enjoy!
Yum and easy! Thanks for the recipe!