DISCLAIMER – yada, yada. Nothing in this post should be used to treat a medical condition.
Allium sativum, garlic. Garlic has been used for centuries as a medicine, a cooking herb, a seasoning, an amulet in medieval times to ward the plague and vampires. It has been used to fight infections. In WWI garlic juice was used to stop bacteria growing in wounds. It has been used to treat high cholesterol, athletes foot, high blood pressure, blood clots and some cancers. Gilroy, CA is famous for its garlic festival.

Garlic is divided into two subspecies, hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic evolved from the wild varieties of garlic while softneck evolved from the domesticated hardneck kind. Some people believe that the hardneck hasmore flavor but the softneck is more popular since it is easier to grow commercially. The braided garlic strands you see in shops are the softneck kind. There are many types of garlic but unfortunately most stores only have the Silverskin type and most of that is grown in China. I have great luck growing garlic here in Oklahoma using Red Toch, Mild French, Silver White and Ajo Rojo. I love Ajo Rojo! It is a very hot but sweet tasting Creole cultivar, somewhat hard to kfind. Definately good eating!
A short word about “Elephant Garlic”. It is not a true garlic. It is actually a leek.

Here is one of my favorite garlic recipes.

Garlic Mayonnaise

3 large cloves fresh Garlic, peeled and minced
6 tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 whole Eggs, beaten (Be certain to use eggs from a clean source you trust since they will be raw)
1/2 teaspoons ground White Pepper
1 1/2 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

In a blender, mix garlic and lemon juice. Add eggs and pepper and mix at high speed. Scrap down the sidess of blender frequently. Add oil, a drop at a time while blender is going. Once you have a nice emulsion, add EVOO in a stream. The emulsion should be smooth and not broken. Refrigerate until well chilled. Stir before using.