Native to central Asia, garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world and has been grown for over 5000 years. Ancient Egyptians seem to have been the first to cultivate this plant that played an important role in their culture.

Garlic appears to be a miracle food. It contains the compound allicin which has anti-bacterial effects and helps reduce unhealthy fats and cholesterol. A range of research studies confirm these cholesterol reducing properties.

In addition, garlic is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C and a good source of selenium.

A study published in Preventive Medicine shows that garlic inhibits coronary artery calcification, a process that serves as a marker for plaque formation since the body lays down calcium in areas that have been damaged.

Garlic also contains an antioxidant that reduces blood clotting as well as other chemicals which help against cancer. Garlic is best eaten raw or baked whole in the oven. If frying garlic do not allow to go brown.

Calories in Garlic:
1 clove = 3 calories

Anti-Inflammatory, Antibacterial and Antiviral Activity

Garlic, like onions, contains compounds that inhibit lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase, (the enzymes that generate inflammatory prostaglandins and thromboxanes), thus markedly reducing inflammation. These anti-inflammatory compounds along with the vitamin C in garlic, especially fresh garlic, make it useful for helping to protect against severe attacks in some cases of asthma and may also help reduce the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

This is a variation on many Mediterranean conserves and preserves we make here at our farm. This is a dish not for the fainthearted!!!

Ingredients:

6 cups sugar
3 cups water
1+ Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon powdered mastic (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a pan and boil then simmer until thick. 20-30 mins.

Peel cloves of garlic keeping them solid. We grow all our garlic at our small organic farm here in Oregon.

The sizes of the cloves can vary but we try to use large sizes mixed with mediums.
You can use softneck or hardneck garlics but use one type for each batch.
We mix the varieties of garlic such as Lukak, Nootka Rose and Silver White for example.

Put the cloves in simmering mixture of sugar, water and lemon juice and let simmer until translucent but do not overcook. Maybe 30 minutes.

When done remove cloves with slotted spoon and put into 4 oz and/or 8 ox glass jars that have been heated in boiling water. Then pour in hot syrup and seal with lids that have been softened in hot water and put on jar rings and tighten. Put upside down for about 30 minutes to facilitate seal and then upright and store. This is the same process you would use for making jam in hot jar/lids and rings.

We serve these cold as a garnish with a variety of meats.

We have also serve them cold with syrup and a bit of sour cream sometimes sprinkled with chopped roasted hazelnuts. Sometimes we use homemade crème fraiche.

The extra syrup we also seal in hot jars and use as a substitute for sugar and we also use the syrup as a base for a garlic flavored vinegar using a good champagne vinegar. Mix to taste. You can then make your own salad dressing using the garlic vinegar as a starting point.

You can also use the garlic and syrup as a base for sweet garlic sauces. A creative cook with find many other uses for this condiment.

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