Available now: Spring Garlic (Green Garlic)
Some of your springtime favorites are beginning to appear in our markets, such as spring garlic.
Spring garlic, sometimes called green garlic, is a rare gem that’s only in season for the blink of an eye. It can be hard to find, but we have some, just in time for Easter!
Green garlic is simply garlic that is harvested before the bulbs develop or dry out. Everything from the bulb to the stalk is edible. The bulb has a mild garlic flavor, while the stalk is not unlike a leek. Use them as you would green onions, chives or even shallots. It might look like a spring onion or a green onion, but one sniff will be the proof you need to confirm it is indeed garlic.
How to store: Wrap in a damp paper towel and place in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or in a glass with a little water.
Cooking: Use green garlic in any recipe you would use garlic or green onions — cooked or uncooked. Add it to pizza, soup, stir fry, pesto, eggs, salads and more. The white part of the green garlic stalk can be chopped small for raw use, and in even larger pieces when cooked. The green portion of the stalks are tender in the beginning of their life, but tend to toughen later in the season. When cutting the green stalk, observe its toughness. If a cutting knife cuts it with no problem, the greens can be slightly cooked to bring out their best flavor. If the greens’ toughness and stringy-ness make cutting more difficult, be sure to cook them a bit longer until soft and easy to chew (source: Earls Organic).
