Garlic is from the species, Allium Sativum and has two primary subspecies - hardneck garlic, Allium Sativum variety Ophioscorodon, and softneck garlic Allium Sativum variety Sativum. Hardneck garlics were the original garlics while softneck garlics were developed or cultivated over the centuries by growers from the original hardnecks through a process of selective breeding.

Garlic is closely related to the chives, onions, leeks and shallots.

Garlic is found in just about every cuisine, but its plays a more prominent role in Central and South American, Chinese, Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisines. While we know that nothing compares to fresh garlic that doesn't mean that dehydrated garlic shouldn't play a vital role in your kitchen. In fact since the 1990's garlic consumption in the US is up over 1,000% to more than 3.5 lbs. consumed by each person per year, and of all that consumed garlic, more than 75% of it is in the dehydrated form.

History of Garlic

Food historians believe that garlic is most likely indigenous to Central Asia as this is the only location where it has flourished growing wild. Wild garlic, Allium longicuspis, has been cultivated for thousands of years and has been carefully bred into today's current hardneck and softneck varieties.  

Garlic is one of the earliest known horticultural crops with ancient Egyptian and Indian civilizations referencing garlic as far back as 3000 BC. The Egyptians may have been one of the first to use garlic in the daily diet as it was given to the heavy laborers who built the great pyramids (2589-2504 BC). Garlic was believed to preserve and even increase their strength. It is not known if garlic was consumed by the more affluent Egyptians but perfectly preserved garlic cloves were found in the excavation of King Tutankhamen’s tomb.

The use of garlic as a food and as a medicinal agent in China dates back to at least 2000 BC, where it was eaten daily and often paired with raw meat.

Archeological digs of ancient Greek temples from 1400-1800 BC have also uncovered garlic cloves. Like the Egyptians, the Greek also believed that garlic preserved strength and increased work capacity. Garlic was added to the Greek military's diet and given to soldiers on their way to battle.
 
Garlic has been use medicinally in India since the first written medical texts (1000-500 BC) and garlic is mentioned extensively in Auryvedic, Tibbi and Unani medical systems. Hippocrates (460-435 BC), who some historians refer to as the father of Medicine, used garlic to treat pulmonary issues, as a cleansing agent and for abdominal growths.

Roman soldiers and sailors are known to have consumed garlic and it has been found listed in ancient ship manifests from that time period. Roman Medicine was heavily influenced by Pliny the Elder (23-79AD), a Greek physician who wrote the five-volume Historica Naturalis (the original encyclopedia of natural history) in which he listed more than 20 uses of garlic treating a variety of health issues.

Garlic was introduced into North America by European settlers from the colonial period although it was more often used medicinally than for culinary purposes. It wasn't until the mid1800s that garlic gained more widespread use in cooking. This culinary shift was probably due to the popularity of several French cookbooks of the time. Garlic’s use in America was still confined to working class neighborhoods and in ethnic dishes. Garlic didn't gain widespread acceptance in the US until the 1940's.

Garlic Cultivation

China is the world's largest producer of garlic, and in 2013 (the last reporting year) accounted for just over 79% of the world's production. The United States comes in as only the 10th largest producer (at only .7% that’s right less than 1% of the global total). Garlic thrives in well-drained soils with lots of sun. The ideal climate zones are 4-9.

Because China is the world’s leading producer of garlic, if they’re hit with a catastrophic weather event it can have a substantial global impact. Such an event occurred in 2016, when an early frost devastated that season’s crop (a 20% drop from 2015 yields). This has caused a ripple effect that will be felt for several years. This shortage in China means rising prices and lower available supplies of garlic, both organic and conventionally grown. This has made US based food manufactures scramble and look to buy garlic from every available source to offset the shortfall. This frenzy has also meant that commodity market speculators have jumped into the mix and are also putting additional pricing pressure on the garlic market.

To further compound this market shortage, garlic is grown in two year cycles where the seed garlic has already been planted for the 2017 growing season (planted back in 2015) and any additional garlic seed planted in 2016 won’t impact the market until 2018.  

Different Types of Garlic

The big difference between hardneck and softneck garlic is their appearance. Hardneck garlic has a long flowering stem called a scape that grows through the center of the bulb. The number of cloves varies depending on the hardneck cultivar, but is generally between 4-12 cloves per bulb. Softneck cultivars do not typically have a scape, have a larger bulb and typically produce between 8-20 cloves per bulb. Hardneck varieties tend to thrive in regions with more severe winters while softneck varieties prefer significantly milder winters.

Garlic connoisseurs say that hardneck garlics have more complex and rich flavors.

Recent research has found 10 distinct sub-groups of garlic - 5 hardneck, 2 softneck and 3 weak bolting hardnecks that often produce softnecks. The 5 hardnecks are - Porcelain, Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe and Rocambole. The 2 softnecks are Artichoke and Silverskin. The 3 varieties of weak bolting hardnecks are Asiatic, Creole and Turban.

California vs Chinese Garlic

While Gilroy, California has proclaimed itself the garlic capital of the world, in actuality the majority of garlic consumed in the US now comes from China. This isn't a big deal to everyone, but over the years we've heard from more than a few customers who prefer California grown garlic. We couldn't agree more - there have been several studies (scientific taste tests) that have continuously shown that California garlic tastes better than imported garlic.

The National Food Laboratory conducted brix tests in which they found that California garlic is about 42% solid compared to only about 37% for Chinese garlic. What does that mean exactly? This makes California garlic heavier and denser. The lab also measured the odiferous compound in garlic called allicin. Allicin is released when the bulb is crushed and in the study California garlic had over 4,400 ppm [parts per million] of allicin compared to just 3,500 ppm for the Chinese.

While Chinese garlic is certainly less expensive, we've made the decision to only offer California grown Garlic. If you want to see a bit more on our big California Garlic decision you'll see that we've worked hard to replace all of our garlic products with US grown Garlic. So not only do you get better flavor, but you're supporting California farmers as well.

Rising Cost of Garlic

The 2016 Chinese garlic harvest is complete and because of some early frosts in the garlic growing regions of China crop yields are down significantly. This has caused prices of Chinese garlic to more than triple since the 2015 harvest. The first problem is that California garlic growers even in the best of circumstances still only produce 1/1000 as much garlic as China does. To further compound the problem California's 2016 garlic crop is coming in at 15% less yield than projected.

This garlic shortage is expected to last for several crop cycles as the garlic that is grown for seed has already been planted which has already defined the next crop yield (in the best growing conditions).

We are resisting looking at anything other than California grown garlic and have our purchasing staff working closely with our suppliers to ensure that we have an adequate stock.

Cooking with Garlic Powder

Our Garlic Powder is perfect if you have a recipe where garlic flavor, but not texture or bulk are needed. Garlic Powder also lasts for a long time (some folks will say up to 2-3 years although we still prefer to replace it every 6-12 months) and just a little bit will go a long way. Made from pure dehydrated garlic our garlic powder has no preservatives or anti-caking agents.

We also like to use it as a substitute to adding salt to our meals and some of our customers have shared with us that they even keep a small shaker of it on their kitchen table. Because garlic powder tends to cling to damp surfaces it is also excellent for use in homemade marinades, seasoning blends and rubs.  

To achieve full garlic flavor it takes about 20 minutes, but you will be able to pick up the garlic taste in a much shorter amount of time.

Garlic Powder is especially good with just about anything savory.

Garlic Powder works well in combination with most spices and herbs.

Some of our favorite recipes calling for garlic are Almond Crusted Tilapia, Teriyaki Chicken with Sriracha Garlic Sauce, Garbanzo Bean Salad, Crispy Cajun Chicken Wings, Instant Pot Cheesy Ranch Chicken, and Salsa Soup.

Garlic Conversions

For handy garlic conversions use: 1 fresh garlic clove = 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic or 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic flakes.

** This product is certified kosher.

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