A few years ago my fiancé decided to try his green thumb on garlic. I grew up with a garden but my parents never grew garlic. I had never seen my mother use even one garlic clove since my dad found it did not agree with him. Garlic in our garden? We had a lot to learn, but it has been very rewarding and a lot of fun.

You may not realize it but garlic grows really well in Mississippi. It is a winter crop and we plant ours between October and January—though usually closer to October. It can tolerate very cold temperatures, and it did magnificently last winter when Jackson experienced lows in the teens.

A couple of years ago I found The Complete Book of Garlic by Ted Jordan Meredith. With the growing advice from Meredith, our garlic crop increased greatly in quality. This is a book that could be used by a very experienced garlic grower or a complete novice. Though there is copious and dense information, it is not too difficult to parse out the information needed for your situation. You will also find the most beautiful photographs and drawings of the garlic plant.

2010 Summer Garlic Harvest

Besides information on cultivation and varieties of garlic, Meredith also explains the natural history of garlic and its culinary uses over time. Particularly interesting to me were the chapters on therapeutic benefits and the preservation of allicin—the key component with all of the health benefits (lower cholesterol, a natural antibiotic, aphrodisiac qualities).

So we have become better growers but we have also broadened our cooking experience. Perhaps the most exciting experience was making roasted garlic soup. I used ten, yes ten bulbs, of garlic in one small pot of soup. It was divine, but thank goodness we were eating this alone at home. As you cook with garlic, you will learn more about the taste of garlic and will adjust how much fresh garlic you like to use.

The recipe I used is from Emeril Lagasse’s new cookbook Farm to Fork. I have to warn you about the soup. You may experience an array of sensations.

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