Garlic is everything.

Garlic has been a part of my life since I can recall smelling. It was  “the aroma of the home”. When I was about 10 years old, my mother showed me how to chop and slice it THIN. I take garlic for granted I suppose. It’s like water, a necessity to life! Maybe that’s why I’ve never thought to write about this precious culinary ingredient, until now.

The thought came about when I heard that my friend Diane Cardwell, also a member of the Beach 91st Street Community Garden, planted garlic over winter and had a successful harvest this month!  It’s easy to grow in our zone 7. You plant the cloves flat side down in autumn, a month before the frost. It’s harvested in late spring. Just take care to plant it deep – 6-8 inches. This is to prevent the cloves from freezing. When they thaw, it can cause mold or rot.  I have to plant garlic this autumn – #gardengoals.

Garlic is the cousin to the onion, shallot, leek and chive. There are over 120 cultivars. It’s origins are not from the Garlic is everything. It’s been a part of my life since I can recall smelling. It was  “the aroma of the home”. When I was about 10 years old, my mother showed me how to chop and slice it THIN. I take garlic for granted I suppose. It’s like water, a necessity to life! Maybe that’s why I’ve never thought to write about this precious culinary ingredient, until now.

The thought came about when I heard that my friend Diane Cardwell, also a member of the Beach 91st Street Community Garden, planted garlic over winter and had a successful harvest this month!  It’s easy to grow in our zone 7. You plant the cloves flat side down in autumn, a month before the frost. It’s harvested in late spring. Just take care to plant it deep – 6-8 inches. This is to prevent the cloves from freezing. When they thaw, it can cause mold or rot.  I have to plant garlic this autumn – #gardengoals.

Garlic is the cousin to the onion, shallot, leek and chive. There are over 120 cultivars. It’s origins are not from the Mediterranean as one would assume. It’s comes from Central Asia and Iran.

Besides the obvious culinary applications, there are many alternative uses for garlic. My friend Melissa Draugsvold swears by “garlic shots” when she gets sick. Mix shaved garlic with apple cider vinegar and a dash of cayenne pepper and honey. The shot will clear your congestion instantly! There is historical merit to her tincture.

Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India each have recorded medicinal garlic remedies. It seemed to treat just about any ailment –  bladder infections, leprosy, asthma, pneumonia and even animal bites. It was and still is considered to “stimulate the senses” which is why monks refrain.  Garlic was used as a performance enhancing supplement in the classical Greek Olympics! What’s remarkable is that each of these distant cultures discovered the valuable properties of garlic independent of each other.

Then there’s garlic and voodoo. My great grandmother, Anna Sanfilippo who we called “little grandma” because she didn’t have legs (diabetes), gave my  grandmother (her daughter-in-law) the evil eye when she moved right next door to the newlyweds. My grandmother swore the curse changed the dynamic of her marriage for the worse. Before the spell, it was all romantic bliss. My mom told me after little grandma died, they found a feather and garlic under her bed. What does it mean???

The concept of witchery followed my ancestors from Sicily to New York. Stregheria is what American Italians call it. Witchcraft that is Catholic-based folklore with little connection to authentic Sicilian spell-casting. I see the connection even in myself today, obsessing over “the bad things that could happen”.  The Holy Water my mother blessed the house with when we bought it, to cleans the home of evil; the appearance of the soccer ball (that’s another column); the must-have Blessed Mother in the garden, spreading her light over the flowers; and the rosary beads that NEED to hang over the mirror in the car so I don’t get in an accident,  (Incidentally, I’ve never gotten in a car accident).

Now that I’m thinking of it, I should hang some garlic above the doorway.

as one would assume. It’s comes from Central Asia and Iran.

Besides the obvious culinary applications, there are many alternative uses for garlic. My friend Melissa Draugsvold swears by “garlic shots” when she gets sick. Mix shaved garlic with apple cider vinegar and a dash of cayenne pepper and honey. The shot will clear your congestion instantly! There is historical merit to her tincture.

Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India each have recorded medicinal garlic remedies. It seemed to treat just about any ailment –  bladder infections, leprosy, asthma, pneumonia and even animal bites. It was and still is considered to “stimulate the senses” which is why monks refrain.  Garlic was used as a performance enhancing supplement in the classical Greek Olympics! What’s remarkable is that each of these distant cultures discovered the valuable properties of garlic independent of each other.

Then there’s garlic and voodoo. My great grandmother, Anna Sanfilippo who we called “little grandma” because she didn’t have legs (diabetes), gave my  grandmother (her daughter-in-law) the evil eye when she moved right next door to the newlyweds. My grandmother swore the curse changed the dynamic of her marriage for the worse. Before the spell, it was all romantic bliss. My mom told me after little grandma died, they found a feather and garlic under her bed. What does it mean???

The concept of witchery followed my ancestors from Sicily to New York. Stregheria is what American Italians call it. Witchcraft that is Catholic-based folklore with little connection to authentic Sicilian spell-casting. I see the connection even in myself today, obsessing over “the bad things that could happen”.  The Holy Water my mother blessed the house with when we bought it, to cleans the home of evil; the appearance of the soccer ball (that’s another column); the must-have Blessed Mother in the garden, spreading her light over the flowers; and the rosary beads that NEED to hang over the mirror in the car so I don’t get in an accident,  (Incidentally, I’ve never gotten in a car accident).

Now that I’m thinking of it, I should hang some garlic above my front doorway.