Don't Let The Garlic Scapes Escape!

Growing up my father always had a large garden, known then as a "truck patch". Yet, I don't ever remember growing garlic. Hard to imagine now since I can't imagine cooking without garlic.

Though many healing herbs can be labeled "wonder drugs", garlic deserves a special distinction. It is the second oldest medicine (after ephedra)and is even in the world's oldest surviving medical text, the Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical papyrus dating to circa 1550 BC.

Before the Age of Antibiotics with the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, garlic was relied heavily upon for the treatment of infection. The source ingredient in this wonder herb was discovered in the 1920's when researchers at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland isolated alliin. When garlic is chopped or chewed, the alliin comes in contact with a garlic enzyme, allinase, which transforms it into another chemical, allicin, a powerful antibiotic.

Known to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduce the chance of blood clots, garlic's allicin and ajoene content stand the test of time for a healthy heart.
Diabetics use garlic to reduce blood sugar.
There is growing evidence that garlic can be used in the treatment of cancer.
AIDS patients can even see an improvement in immune function by taking daily galic cloves.

Those who grow hard-neck garlic know to snip off the flowering tops which encourages more energy to go to the growing bulbs beneath the ground. These tops are called scapes. They are considered a gourmet delicacy by chefs with their short 2-3 week season. By the end of June, farmer's markets have a good supply of these scapes, but since they are eagerly sought out by cooks, they soon sell out.

These young spikes have a very mild garlic flavor and can be used in any of the ways we typically use garlic. Sauteed, grilled, chopped for omelettes, chicken, fish, pizza, delicious all the way around. They can be frozen fresh for later use if desired.

If you grow your own garlic and time slips by and those scapes flower, you'll still get a good crop of garlic, though they may not be as large. The flowering tops are also edible or you can let them dry up along with the rest of the garlic leaves and then save them to plant for spring garlic greens (like scallions).

Three popular recipes to use these scapes are in a pesto, a pizza, and pickled:

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
1/2 pound scapes chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 cup olive oil
2 cups parmesan cheese

In a blender, combine the scapes and olive oil. Pour mixture into a bowl and blend the cheese in by hand. Serve on crackers, pasta, pita, or potatoes.



GARLIC SCAPE, RICOTTA AND ZAATAR PIZZA
Toss the scapes with olive oil and sea salt and grill.
Spread ricotta cheese over a pizza dough shell.
Arrange the grilled scapes over the ricotta.
Optional is additional mozzarella or cheese of your choice.
Bake at 400 degrees for 18 - 20 minutes
Sprinkle with zaatar (a middle eastern herbal blend)


PICKLED GARLIC SCAPES
2 pounds garlic scapes
1/4 cup canning salt
2 1/2 cups vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. cayenne pepper, divided
4 tsp. dill seed, divided
optional is one whole cayenne pepper per quart

Trim flower pods off of the garlic scapes and chop so that they will fit in the jars. To make it easier to fill the jars, separate the straight from the curly sections.

Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large saucepot.
Bring to a boil. Pack scapes into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace
Add 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp dill seed to each pint.
Ladle hot liquid over beans, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles by dipping a chopstick around edges.
Adjust metal caps and rings.
Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner

Yield: about 4 pints or 2 quarts

Fluids, Rest, Onions and Garlic

Onions, garlic, chives and leeks are part of the 500 plants belonging to the genius Allium. 

These vegetables have long been regarded as food sources but also highly respected as a form of treatment in health care.
The Egyptians regarded the onion as a symbol of the universe because of its sheaves or layers that encircle the bulb. Garlic is the second oldest medicine (after ephedra)and is even in the world's oldest surviving medical text, the Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical papyrus dating to circa 1550 BC.

People tend to avoid these vegetables due to their pungent smell and after taste, but their use in treating and preventing illness is definitely worth this little aggravation. To get rid of garlic breath, try chewing some parsley.
Allicin, a sulfur compound found in these foods is responsible for the resulting garlic and onion breath. When we chop the onion or garlic cloves, the resulting chemical reactions create a very pungent smell.

Containing more than 100 sulfur-containing compounds, the chemistry of the onion is very complex.
Used as a traditional remedy for respiratory ailments, it has been found that these sulfur compounds can prevent the biochemical chain of events that lead to asthma and inflammatory reactions. Onions may help to prevent the inflammatory response that can lead to allergies and asthma. Being potent antioxidants, onions are valuable for the prevention and treatment for colds, congestions, coughs, and bronchitis.
If you dread working with onions because of tearing eyes try rinsing the onions after you cut off the ends. What happens is that when you cut into an onion, vapor from the sulfur hits your eye creating sulfuric acid, which is what makes you cry.

Before the Age of Antibiotics with the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, garlic was relied heavily upon for the treatment of infection. The source ingredient in this wonder herb was discovered in the 1920's when researchers at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland isolated alliin. When garlic is chopped or chewed, the alliin comes in contact with a garlic enzyme, allinase, which transforms it into another chemical, allicin, a powerful antibiotic.

According to Dian Dincin Buchman in "Herbal Medicine", if garlic wasn't so cheap we would treasure it as if it were gold. While garlic has only 1 percent of the impact of penicillin, it is more effective with gram negative bacteria than is penicillin. It sweeps through the body in a cleansing fashion without destroying the body's good intestinal flora.

Garlic is safe for children and nursing mothers (unless mom is on a garlic and onion free diet to reduce colic). A great way to get your child to benefit from garlic if he or she refuses to eat it is through an oil to apply topically. Steep three minced cloves in four ounces of olive oil 8 - 12 hours. Rub the oil onto the soles of your child's feet before bedtime and cover with socks. Garlic's healing antiviral properties will be absorbed through the skin and circulate throughout the bloodstream. Keep the bottled oil in the refrigerator. Good for about one year.

Coughs and bronchitis can be relieved with the following homemade cough syrup.  This recipe uses honey so check with your child's physician before using with children under 1 year of age.
Slice an onion into thin slices and place in a small amount of honey.  Let stand for about two hours and you'll have a thick throat-coating syrup even kids can tolerate. Onions attack the germs that bring on the cough as well as help with a sore throat. Take one teaspoon four times a day until the cough is gone.

Below are great therapeutic soups which are not only very tasty, but loaded with the recuperative value of the ingredients.

ONION MISO SOUP
(What is Miso? Amazing nutrition is what it is)

1/2 cup garlic oil or other oil of choice
4 large onions, quartered and cut in half
2 quarts water or stock
3 tbsp miso
1 tbsp Spike seasoning
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable bouillon
2 slices whole grain bread cut into 2" squares
1/4 cup parmesan cheese or your choice
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Saute onions in oil until transparent but not brown. Set aside.
Heat water or stock in a four-quart pot. Add one cup of this stock to the miso and mix well to break up any lumps.
Add this back to the rest of the stock along with the bouillon, cayenne and Spike seasoning.
Add the sauteed onions that had been set aside.
In a frying pan, mix oil, garlic powder, and 2 tbsp of the cheese. Toss in the bread squares and fry for a minute till lightly browned.
Top the soup with these croutons and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

SWEET POTATO KALE SOUP

4 oz. fresh kale, coarsely chop, discarding the thick vein from each leaf
1 large onion, chopped
3 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. olive oil
3 (14 1/2 oz.) cans vegetable broth or your own version of stock
2 (15 oz) cans white kidney or cannellini beans or soak and cook your own beforehand
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
12 garlic cloves, minced (yes 12, not a mistake!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Coarsely chop kale and set aside.
In a large saucepan, saute the onion and Italian seasoning in the oil until onion is tender.
Stir in the broth, beans, sweet potatoes and kale. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Yields 2 quarts of soup.

CHICKEN BARLEY SOUP

1 broiler-fryer chicken (2-3 pounds) cut up
2 quarts water
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic (more if you wish)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried sage

In a large pot, cook chicken in the water until tender. Cool broth and skim off the fat that will coagulate on the surface.
Bone the chicken and cut into bite-size pieces.
Add the chicken pieces back to the pot of broth along with the rest of the ingredients.
Simmer, covered for at least an hour until vegetables and barley are tender.
Remove the bay leaf before serving
Makes 1 1/2 quarts of soup.

To your good health!

Sniffle Sneeze Tissue Please

Not too long ago the yearly flu shot had been available only to the very young, the elderly and those with high risk conditions.  Now it is encouraged that everyone receive the vaccine in hopes to reduce the chances of getting sick.  Just remember the flu shot doesn't protect from the common cold.  Below are a few 'passed down through the ages' remedies to naturally help the body fight infection and strengthen the immune system. 


Honey & Lemon Syrup/Tea
Lemon slices to fill a pint size mason jar
Grated 1 inch piece of ginger root
Enough honey to fill the jar

This is an Asian remedy to combat a cold, cough, or sore throat. High in vitamin C and an immune system booster. Honey is a natural preservative, therefore this mix can be kept in the refrigerator and used as needed. Add extra lemon slices and top with additional honey as needed. The lemons sort of dissolve into the honey to form a marmalade like mixture. Just add a dollop to a cup and add boiling water, stir to mix. Don't offer honey to children under one year of age.

Knock it Out Cold Remedy
1 eight oz. jar honey
1 inch piece of ginger, bruised
1 lemon, chopped including skin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
5 cloves garlic, sliced

Remove 2 - 3 tbsp honey to make room in the jar and add the rest of the ingredients.
Steep for six to eight weeks.
At the first sign of a cold, take 2 tsp in a cup of hot water.
Drink three times a day. Not for children under one year of age.
Store in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator.

Lemon n' Honey Grog
1 cup water
1 whole clove
pinch of cinnamon
juice of one lemon
honey to taste

Put the water, clove, and cinnamon in a pot.  Bring to a boil and keep boiling for one full minute.  Turn of the heat and allow to steep for twenty minutes.  Strain, reheat it, and add the juice of the lemon and honey to taste.  Drink while hot.

A cough syrup utilizing garlic or onions:
Take 3 - 4 garlic cloves, remove skin and slice them into a cup with a lid. Add enough honey to cover, put the lid on the container, and let it stand for a few hours. Give a spoonful of the finished syrup to coat the throat and help ease a cough. Being a high sugar content don't give too often. Don't give to children under one year of age. Store in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator.

At the first feeling of an earache, try this homemade remedy
Pick the yellow flowers of the mullein roadside weed and add them to a small bottle or jar. Cover with olive oil and steep in a warm place or the sun for two weeks, strain and add fresh flowers for another few weeks. Strain into a glass dropper type bottle (you won't be using this oil that frequently so use a 1 or 2 oz. size bottle). Add a few garlic cloves and store in the refrigerator. I just leave the garlic in the oil. Be sure to refrigerate to avoid botulism. Discard after one year. When needed warm up the oil by putting the bottle in a pan of warm water. Drop 1 - 2 drops in the ear and stopper the ear with a little cotton. Place nothing in the ear canal if your child has ear tubes or has any type of ear drainage. An alternative would be to add a few drops to a cotton piece and then stopper the ear. If you don't have access to the mullein herb, an oil with just the garlic is great as well.

Mineral Mustard Detox Salts for bath or footbath

Peppermint Body or Air Spray

Cold n' Flu Season Elderberry Syrup to boost the immune system 

Lemon & Ginger Raw Honey Syrup

Help to Sleep Linen or Air Spray 

Sinus and Chest Vapor Rub Balm

Cold Sore Fever Blister Lip Balm 

Germ Fighting Air and Surface Spray

Home Remedy Assortment

Garlic, A Daily Medicine

It is said that Columbus Day is the traditional time to plant garlic in order to harvest your crop next summer. If you grow garlic, most likely you save the best bulbs for fall planting. If you need to purchase bulbs, don't just buy garlic from the supermarket. Growers may have sprayed their crop to prevent sprouting, therefore there is the chance your cloves won't grow. Order high quality bulbs from a reputable source or from your local farm supply store.

Separate the garlic bulbs into its individual cloves. A typical bulb has from 7 - 10 cloves and each clove will develop into a new bulb. There is a saying that garlic seems to come up wherever it is dropped. Perhaps somewhat true, but garlic likes to be about 3-4 inches under well-drained, rich soil, and spaced 6 inches apart with root end down. Cover them with a good topping of about 6 inches mulch. A precaution against fungal diseases would be to first soak the bulbs before planting in a jar of water containing one heaping tablespoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of liquid seaweed. Let soak for a few hours.

You'll see shoots growing through the mulch but not to worry about being stunted with the cold weather. This is normal and come spring they'll start growing again. Don't pull back the mulch in the spring. It helps conserve moisture and suppresses weeds. Garlic doesn't compete very well with weeds.

During the month of June you'll notice the flowering heads begin to form. These are called scapes. For larger garlic heads, snip off these tops. Should you not get around to it, you just may have smaller garlic bulbs. To leave them on saps energy from the forming underground bulbs. Here is post with ideas of how to use these nutritious scapes in your cooking.


By late July when you notice the green part of the garlic has died back about 2/3 of the way, carefully dig out the bulbs. Use what is called a potato fork to carefully loosen the soil near the bulbs. If you do this job on a day after a soaking rain, you'll find the soil loose enough the bulbs may pull out very easily and you may not need a fork. Shake off the dirt and lay in an airy place out of the sun to dry. Store in a dry area with good circulation. Don't put in a closed container or in the refrigerator or they will mold.





Tried and true remedies with garlic
According to Dian Dincin Buchman in "Herbal Medicine", if garlic wasn't so cheap we would treasure it as if it were gold. While garlic has only 1 percent of the impact of penicillin, it is more effective with gram negative bacteria than is penicillin. It sweeps through the body in a cleansing fashion without destroying the body's good intestinal flora.

Garlic is safe for children and nursing mothers (unless mom is on a garlic and onion free diet to reduce colic). A great way to get your child to benefit from garlic if he or she refuses to eat it is through an oil to apply topically. Steep three minced cloves in four ounces of olive oil 8 - 12 hours. Rub the oil onto the soles of your child's feet before bedtime and cover with socks. Garlic's healing antiviral properties will be absorbed through the skin and circulate throughout the bloodstream. Keep the bottled oil in the refrigerator. Good for about one year.

The legendary Vinegar of the Four Thieves, possibly discovered during the bubonic plague of the middle ages, is made utilizing an herbal vinegar with the addition of garlic. This antibacterial vinegar makes an excellent wash for disinfecting surface areas. Diluted, this vinegar may be used in a bath or to wipe down the body. Internally, it can be used as a preventive during flu season. The dose is a teaspoon in water, no more than three times in an hour.
2 quarts apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. lavender
2 tbsp. rosemary
2 tbsp. sage
2 tbsp. wormwood
2 tbsp. rue
2 tbsp. mint
2 tbsp. garlic buds

Combine the dried herbs (except the garlic) and steep in the vinegar in the sun for two weeks. Strain into a bottle and add several cloves of garlic. Cap with a lid and steep for several days and strain. Add 4 oz. of vegetable glycerine for preservation.

Another old recipe is the following herbal honey syrup:

Knock it Out Cold Remedy
1 eight oz. jar honey
1 inch piece of ginger, bruised
1 lemon, chopped including skin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
5 cloves garlic, sliced

Remove 2 - 3 tbsp honey to make room in the jar and add the rest of the ingredients.
Steep for six to eight weeks.
At the first sign of a cold, take 2 tsp in a cup of hot water.
Drink three times a day. Not for children under one year of age.
Store in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator.

A cough syrup utilizing garlic or onions:

Take 3 - 4 garlic cloves, remove skin and slice them into a cup with a lid. Add enough honey to cover, put the lid on the container, and let it stand for a few hours. Give a spoonful of the finished syrup to coat the throat and help ease a cough. Being a high sugar content don't give too often. Don't give to children under one year of age. Store in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator.

At the first feeling of an earache, try this homemade remedy

Pick the yellow flowers of the mullein roadside weed and add them to a small bottle or jar. Cover with olive oil and steep in a warm place or the sun for two weeks, strain and add fresh flowers for another few weeks. Strain into a glass dropper type bottle (you won't be using this oil that frequently so use a 1 or 2 oz. size bottle). Add a few garlic cloves and store in the refrigerator. I just leave the garlic in the oil. Be sure to refrigerate to avoid botulism. Discard after one year. When needed warm up the oil by putting the bottle in a pan of warm water. Drop 1 - 2 drops in the ear and stopper the ear with a little cotton. Place nothing in the ear canal if your child has ear tubes or has any type of ear drainage. An alternative would be to add a few drops to a cotton piece and then stopper the ear. If you don't have access to the mullein herb, an oil with just the garlic is great as well.

Garlic has been long used for corns and warts:
At night crush a garlic clove and press against the corn or wart and hold in place with tape. Repeat nightly.

Last, we all are told to eat plenty of garlic for our hearts. Garlic and onions are members of the allium family and are known to fight poor circulation. The sulfur compounds keep the platelets from clumping together and making the blood sticky. Cook with plenty of both garlic and onions instead of salt to help fight high blood pressure and lower cholesterol. If you are taking blood-thinning medication such as warfarin, check with your doctor before using the garlic clove a day method.
Here is a post with more ideas for using garlic for healing as well as three nourishing soup recipes.

Don't Let The Garlic Scapes Escape!

Growing up my father always had a large garden, known then as a "truck patch". Yet, I don't ever remember growing garlic. Hard to imagine now since I can't imagine cooking without garlic.

Though many healing herbs can be labeled "wonder drugs", garlic deserves a special distinction. It is the second oldest medicine (after ephedra)and is even in the world's oldest surviving medical text, the Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical papyrus dating to circa 1550 BC.

Before the Age of Antibiotics with the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, garlic was relied heavily upon for the treatment of infection. The source ingredient in this wonder herb was discovered in the 1920's when researchers at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland isolated alliin. When garlic is chopped or chewed, the alliin comes in contact with a garlic enzyme, allinase, which transforms it into another chemical, allicin, a powerful antibiotic.

Known to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduce the chance of blood clots, garlic's allicin and ajoene content stand the test of time for a healthy heart.
Diabetics use garlic to reduce blood sugar.
There is growing evidence that garlic can be used in the treatment of cancer.
AIDS patients can even see an improvement in immune function by taking daily galic cloves.

Those who grow hard-neck garlic know to snip off the flowering tops which encourages more energy to go to the growing bulbs beneath the ground. These tops are called scapes. They are considered a gourmet delicacy by chefs with their short 2-3 week season. By the end of June, farmer's markets have a good supply of these scapes, but since they are eagerly sought out by cooks, they soon sell out.

These young spikes have a very mild garlic flavor and can be used in any of the ways we typically use garlic. Sauteed, grilled, chopped for omelettes, chicken, fish, pizza, delicious all the way around. They can be frozen fresh for later use if desired.

If you grow your own garlic and time slips by and those scapes flower, you'll still get a good crop of garlic, though they may not be as large. The flowering tops are also edible or you can let them dry up along with the rest of the garlic leaves and then save them to plant for spring garlic greens (like scallions).

Three popular recipes to use these scapes are in a pesto, a pizza, and pickled:

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
1/2 pound scapes chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 cup olive oil
2 cups parmesan cheese

In a blender, combine the scapes and olive oil. Pour mixture into a bowl and blend the cheese in by hand.

GARLIC SCAPE, RICOTTA AND ZAATAR PIZZA
Toss the scapes with olive oil and sea salt and grill.
Spread ricotta cheese over a pizza dough shell.
Arrange the grilled scapes over the ricotta.
Optional is additional mozzarella or cheese of your choice.
Bake at 400 degrees for 18 - 20 minutes
Sprinkle with zaatar (a middle eastern herbal blend)

PICKLED GARLIC SCAPES
2 pounds garlic scapes
1/4 cup canning salt
2 1/2 cups vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. cayenne pepper, divided
4 tsp. dill seed, divided
optional is one whole cayenne pepper per quart

Trim flower pods off of the garlic scapes and chop so that they will fit in the jars. To make it easier to fill the jars, separate the straight from the curly sections.

Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large saucepot.
Bring to a boil. Pack scapes into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace
Add 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp dill seed to each pint.
Ladle hot liquid over beans, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles by dipping a chopstick around edges.
Adjust metal caps and rings.
Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner

Yield: about 4 pints or 2 quarts