Types of Garlic
There are three types of garlic: Rocambole, elephant, and silverskin. The type you usually see in grocery stores is the silverskin variety. It stores better than the other two types. Elephant garlic is known for its milder taste. Rocambole stores poorly and has an unusual, hot flavor to it.
A Short History of Garlic
Ancient Egyptians can teach us a thing or two about the merits of garlic. They so revered the herb that it was worshipped as a God and sometimes used as currency. Garlic’s history as a healing agent is well-documented. Hippocrates used garlic to treat tumors; Europeans used garlic to fend off the plague, and the British used garlic to treat wounds whenever their supply of sulfur was depleted. It’s now known that garlic contains 80 sulfur compounds, one of its secrets for success as a health food.
Unlike other nationalities, Americans were slow to recognize the Godly qualities of garlic. It wasn’t until 1940 that garlic debuted nationwide as an ingredient in main dishes. It was instant love. Today, garlic is a key ingredient in recipes across America and has been taken its place as a highly valued health food.
Health Benefits of Garlic
A health food is only as healthy as the nutritional. A nutrient is defined as any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue. The general idea of this definition is that nutrients are good for you. Garlic is full of nutrients’. Garlic is rich in Vitamins A, VC, B1, B2, and BC, and contains high quantities of minerals like calcium, iron, and potassium. The result of this combination of vitamins and minerals makes garlic a highly prized health food that many Americans use every day as part of a healthy diet routine.
Studies have shown that garlic is an effective natural treatment for diseases like cancer, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, hypertension, and many others. Garlic consumption has even been shown to improve brain function.
The compounds in garlic play a large part in its reputation as a health food. Here are a few of its most important compounds and their function.
– Sallylcystein- Shown to decrease degeneration in the frontal lobes of the brain. This finding is from Chinese research.
– Allicin- When given to rats, this compound increased lifespan by six months. Allicin was also found to combine with Vitamin B1 to increase the production of insulin.
– s-allylcysteine- Prevents cancer causing agents from attaching to breast cells
If this isn’t enough to convince you to make garlic a part of your diet, it has more to offer you. It’s an antibacterial agent, too. If you hate every microbe that gives you a world-stopping virus, garlic can help fight them away.
How to grow garlic
A single garlic plant takes approximately eight months to mature. Climate conditions and soil temperature are factors in the success of your harvest, so it pays to learn all you can about how to grow garlic. This is only a brief description of the growing process.
In moderately warm weather, Garlic’s ideal planting time is autumn through winter. In moderate areas, you should plant after the first frosts of autumn. Garlic grows best when it’s sunbathing. Make sure to find a sunny place in your garden to ensure the best possible harvest.
First things first: set up your soil conditions. You will need well-drained soil with a PH above 6.0. It’s best to loosen the soil with a rake before beginning the planting process. Once your soil is properly prepared, select the fattest seed cloves you have in your collection and plant them in upright rows, with the root end down. They need to be about an inch under the soil, and planted four inches apart.
To grow the best possible garlic, make sure that you have a good draining soil, purchase clean seed stock, and use bulbs that will grow best in the area you live in. You can harvest your plants when the foliage has died. Garlic should be stored in a dry place at a temperature of about 50 F.
The best part of growing garlic is the harvest. Once your bulbs are stored in your home, you can enjoy the many health benefits of this wonderful herb. It is extremely rewarding to know that you’ve played an active part in the cultivation of your future well-being.