Yeah … it took me a while to get my garlic setup … at first I bought grocery store commercial garlic but then noticed that much of the time, it’s really cheap Chinese garlic. I’m not totally against Chinese products … the thing that gets me is that I really have to wonder how I can buy such cheap produce when it has to be shipped to me half way round the world in Canada! Not to mention that this cheap Chinese garlic is usually not that potent or tasty.

At first a few gardener friends gave me samples of their home grown garlic and man … when you grow your own garlic and tend to the soil and keep it well tended all year, it produces really potent, tasty and strong garlic. I can chew Chinese garlic and get a good taste of garlic and not be bothered by it much … I did the same to a friend of mine’s home grown garlic years ago and nearly choked on a piece because it was like fire in my mouth.

If you ever get the chance in the mid summer, find a local grow op or farmers market when they get their first crop of garlic. It will be a bit expensive but the garlic that time of year is like gold and it will be worth it. They even sell the long green stems of the garlic called SCAPES and you use them in cooking like green onion. And the home grown garlic is potent. You can literally just just one clove at a time per recipe, compared to trying to use an entire head to get that garlic taste.

Happy cooking to you as well!