Mark asks: What is green garlic? I saw it in the farmer’s market this weekend, but didn’t get a chance to ask the farmer about it.

I hope you bought a bunch or two, because green garlic won’t be around for very much longer!

Green garlic is basically garlic that is harvested before it can turn into those fat pungent bulbs we all love. It looks a lot like a big scallion or a green onion, with deep green stalks and pale white or light pink bulbs.

And… it tastes like spring.

It has a very subtle, mildly sweet garlic flavor, green and fresh but without a bite. I use it raw in salads, dressings, or to finish a dish. It goes great in butter sauces or anywhere else you’d like a delicate garlic flavor. Grill a couple of stalks and serve them with steaks or fish.

Green Garlic makes its appearance between March and May when farmers are thinning their garlic crops. There are a few farms that are now growing green garlic as its own crop because of its increasing popularity.

Clean it like a leek: split it down the middle from the bulb up the stalk, plunge it into a big bowl of cold water and gently open it up. Remove the dirt with your fingers or a vegetable brush. Store it in a bag in the fridge and use it within the week.

Green garlic says spring… even as it offers up the promise of summer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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