Reduced Sodium, Low Fat Lentil Chicken Noodle 'n Veggie Soup #recipe #GardenCuizine

Reduced Sodium
Low Fat, High Fiber

Lentil Chicken Noodle

'n Veggies Soup

Harry got invited to the Philadelphia Flyers hockey game the other night. He doesn't like lentils, so guess what we had for dinner while he was gone? Something quick and easy with lentils of course! What could be easier than a pot of hearty soup on a cold winter night?

Making your own soup is so easy; extra soup can be refrigerated or frozen for another meal too. Homemade soups generally provide a lot more nutrients than store-bought canned soups, not-to-mention that they can be made using a fraction of the salt. For example, this recipe contains less than half of the sodium found in Progresso reduced sodium chicken noodle soup, and has 75% more Vitamin A and 18% more dietary Fiber. 

You can be creative and create a soup using ingredients you have available. Here is the recipe I concocted for the Lentil Chicken Noodle Veggie soup. It made a great one-pot meal served with a side of fresh bread. I made it for just two of us and refrigerated the extra for healthy hot lunches the following days.

After working in the industry making large commercial broth batches that required using ingredients that you would never use at home such as, sodium hydroxide to adjust pH and dextrose - I rarely use store-bought broths in soups. Water works just fine and is plenty flavorful after adding in all the veggies and aromatics.

Serves 16 

Ingredients
2-3 (~224g) boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders cut in bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon (14g) olive oil 
1 medium-large onion (~118g) diced
hot pepper (as desired; I used minced dried hot peppers from our garden)
1 extra large sweet potato (~458g) peeled and diced
  
2 teaspoons (6g) minced garlic
1 tablespoon (6g) minced ginger
2 teaspoons (4g) sweet curry powder

10 cups water
1 cup (~180g) dry lentils rinsed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
2 tomatoes (~304g) diced
1/4 teaspoon (1g) dried thyme leaves
pinch ground black pepper

1 cup (~150g) dry tubetti pasta 

Putting it all together

• In the stock pot you plan on making the soup in, over medium high heat; add olive oil. Saute and partially cook chicken pieces. Remove and set aside when lightly browned.
• Add onion, hot pepper and potato to the pot; stir. Let cook 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic and ginger, stir again.
• Stir in curry powder.
• Add water, lentils, bay leaves and remaining ingredients; stir.
• Cover and simmer on low until potatoes are firm/tender (the lentils will be cooked by then too)
• While waiting for the potatoes to cook; heat a smaller pot of boiling water and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and stir the noodles into soup.
• Heat thoroughly and serve with a side of fresh bread and Parmesan cheese.

Buon Appetito!
GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis: Calculated using USDA Nutrition data
Excellent Source: Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Folate 
Good Source: Iron, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus, Manganese 

Serving size 1/16 of recipe; about 1cup (247g): Calories 162, total fat 3g, saturated fat 1g, Omega-3 42.5mg, Sodium 172mg, carbohydrates 26g (2 CHO exchanges), dietary Fiber 5.6g (22%DV), Protein 7.2g, Vitamin A 4936IU (99%DV), Vitamin C 5.5mg (9%DV), Thiamin .3mg (17%DV), Niacin 2.0mg (10%DV), Folate 23.2mcg (22%DV), Iron 1.8mg (10%DV), Phosphorus 109mg (11%DV), Manganese .3mg (16%DV)
Photos and Blog Post Copyright ©2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

National Soup Month Cream of Butternut Squash Soup #GardenCuizine

~ Low Fat, Vegan/Vegetarian ~

Cream of
Butternut Squash Soup

National Soup Month starts the New Year off on a warm and comforting note. My first homemade soups were always large batches made for a crowd back in the Garden of Eden days (my health food store and restaurant). This nutritious squash soup recipe was inspired from one of my favorite "go to" cookbooks - The Cabbagetown Cafe Cookbook by Julie Jordan. Jordan's recipes were always delicious and allowed the flavors of the vegetables and herbs to shine through. They were always popular with our customers.

No Need for Chicken Stock

Soup recipes featuring butternut, broccoli or split peas, all can definitely hold their own and be outstanding - if not even better - without using chicken stock. Chicken stock is so often over-used, especially in soup recipes. For soups where a vegetable is the star, using chicken stock can overpower the flavor. 

Squash Soup Cooking Tips

• Squash flesh can be cubed and cooked right in the soup pot with the potatoes; however, roasting the squash first makes it easier to scoop out the seeds and enhances the flavor.
• For special occasions, garnish the soup with snipped chives and a swirl of thinned out yogurt or creme fresh.
• Ingredient measurements do not have to be exact when making soup. Use what you have available and season to your taste.

Yields: 12-15,  6 oz servings

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash ~2 lb, 14oz (~1322g)
1 Tablespoon (14g) Olive oil

1 Sweet Onion ~8.8oz (~250g)
1/2 optional Hot Chile or Red Pepper (Peppers are easy to grow and dry. We keep jars full and always have them for use as spice)

1 Tablespoon (~10g) minced Garlic
1/2 teaspoon (1g) sweet Curry 

1/8 cup Cream Sherry (optional) 

3 Potatoes ~1lb, 6 oz (~636g)
2 Carrots (~155g) 
2 Bay leaves
few sprigs fresh Parsley(~3g)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
4 cups (946ml) water

2  teaspoons (4g) minced ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons (3g) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon (6g) salt

4 cups (946ml) soy milk (we used vanilla Silk)

Putting it all together

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Wash the squash and potatoes. 

• Carefully cut the squash in half; rub olive oil on the part that will be face down on the foil lined baking sheet
• Bake about 90 minutes or until soft and you notice some areas starting to turn light golden brown*
• When the squash is cooked well, use a spatula and turn the squash over to let cool.
• Using a spoon, scoop out and discard seeds

* While the squash is roasting, 

chop the onion and optional hot or red pepper

• Add olive oil to a large soup pot and heat on medium 
• Add chopped onion and red pepper. Cook until onion is translucent. Try not to caramelize the onion or it will make the soup brown in color.*

*While the onion is cooking, mince the garlic and peel 

and chop the potatoes and carrots

• Add the minced garlic to the onions; stir in sweet curry
• Add optional Sherry and stir
• Add potato, carrots, bay leaves, parsley sprigs, black pepper and water. Stir, cover and simmer until all the veggies are very soft
• Remove the bay leaves and add the remaining seasonings: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt 

• Puree (hand held mixers work great because you can keep the soup right in the soup pot and not transfer it to a blender or food processor)
• Add the soymilk, mix well
• Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve hot. Garnish as desired.

Buon Appetito! 
GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis: Calculated using USDA Nutrition Data
Good Source: dietary Fiber, Vitamin K, Vitamin B12, Potassium, Manganese 
Excellent Source: Vitamin A and Vitamin C

Serving size 6oz (1/15th of recipe): Calories 123, carbohydrates 24g, dietary Fiber 3.9g (16%DV), total Fat 2.4g (4%DV), Protein 3.5g (7%DV), Vitamin A 6181IU (124%DV wow!), Vitamin C 21mg (35%DV), Vitamin D 32IU (8%DV), Vitamin E 1.4mg (7%DV), Vitamin K 13 mcg (16%DV), Vitamin B6 .5mg (23%DV), Vitamin B12 .8mcg (13%DV), Calcium 127mg (13%DV), Potassium 492mg (14%DV), Manganese .3mg (16%DV), phytosterols 4.7mg
Related Links: 
Winter Squash Varieties and Nutrition
Winter Squash Growing and Bread Recipe
Espelette Pepper Warms Up Your Recipes by Diana Wind RD
Photos and Blog Post Copyright ©2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

2012 "Healthy You" New Year's Resolutions #GardenCuizine @MyPlate @Fruits_Veggies @CookingMatters @letsmove

New Year's Resolutions
for a Healthier You

• Vary Your Protein
• Avoid Oversize Portions
• Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
• Make Half Your Grains Whole
• Get Your Daily Calcium
• Move and Exercise

Enjoy Life and give back to others: Help a Charity, Help a friend in Need, Help a Stranger, Help the Hungry, Help Kids Cook, Help the Environment, Help Feral Cats, Help ________ "You fill in the blank on what would be meaningful to you." 

Best Wishes for a 

Happy and Healthy New Year! 

And, thanks for following GardenCuizine^TM

Related Links: Healthy New Year's Resolutions 
^{Photo courtesy of Vojta Jahoda, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Eat Right Get Your Plate in Shape artwork Copyright 2012 The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. All Rights Reserved.}

Nutritious New Year Kiwifruit Smoothies #GardenCuizine @CalKiwiTweet @ZESPRIkiwifruit

Low fat, Low Sodium

New Year's 
Kiwifruit Smoothies

 

Yields: 5-6 cups

   Ingredients:
32 oz Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
3 Kiwifruits
1 frozen Banana
1/3 cup Orange Juice
splash Lime Juice
sweeten to taste with sugar, agave nectar or honey

Optional: Cocoa powder. Believe it or not, chocolate tastes really good with Kiwi!

   Putting it all together

Smoothies don't really need a specific recipe. This is a chance for you to be creative and use whatever ingredients and proportions you desire. Put everything in a blender and mix until combined. You can't really go wrong. We usually save and freeze ripe bananas in their peels for use in smoothies, baked goods or for the birds in the spring and summer. Catbirds love bananas!

Read about Kiwis History and Growing Kiwifruit Vines: Check out my
Kiwifruit article published on Dave's Garden

Happy New Year!

GardenCuizine Kiwi Smoothie Nutrition: calculated from USDA nutrient values

Excellent Source: Vitamin C, Riboflavin

Good Source: Protein, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin B12, Selenium

1/6 of recipe (238g): calories 187, total fat 2g (4%DV), sodium 110mg, carbohydrate 34g (2 CHO exchanges), dietary fiber 2g (7%DV), protein 9g (18%DV), Vitamin C 39mg (64% WOW!), Calcium 292mg (29%), Magnesium 45mg (11%), Potassium 585mg (17%), Riboflavin 0.4mg (21%DV), Omega-3 24mg, Vitamin B12 0.9mcg (14%), Selenium 8.2mcg (12%)

Photos and Blog post Copyright ©2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

Facts label image courtesy of www.NutritionData.com.

Holiday Cookies! Low-fat Anise Biscotti recipe #GardenCuizine

Low-fat, Low-sodium

Anise Biscotti

Unlike typical American cookies high in saturated fat, sodium and calories, these Italian Anise Biscotti cookies are better. Two 3-inch biscotti contain 58mg sodium, 2g total fat and only 98 calories. And, for those managing their blood sugar, two cookies are equivalent to one carbohydrate exchange (15g).

Grow your own Anise

I add a few teaspoons of anise seeds from our garden to the recipe. Anise (Pimpinella anisum) makes a wonderful addition to butterfly and cottage gardens. After the Anise blooms, the seeds can be gathered and saved for use in baked goods. Anise seeds add licorice flavor and texture to recipes like biscotti or pizzelles. Italian biscotti cookies are one of Mama's favorites!

If you make the biscotti 3-inches in size and dip the edges in dark chocolate, they make a welcomed addition to holiday and party cookie trays. The recipe was first published in 2008 in an article I wrote for Dave's Garden. 

Here is the link: Diana's Anise Biscotti

My recipe was inspired from a 1976 Anise Toast recipe published in the Van Sciver School Heritage Cookbook submitted by Sandra Pitoscia. Junetta Mehl, my mom, used to be an elementary school teacher at Van Sciver school in Haddon Township NJ.

Photos and blog article Copyright (C) 2011 Wind. All rights reserved.

White House Squash Soup #GardenCuizine @letsmove @ObamaFoodorama @Nate_Berkus

Squash Soup with
French Espelette Pepper

Check out White House Chef Cristeta Commerford's seasonal recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Squash Soup With Pepitas And Greek Yogurt. Chef Commerford adds Espelette pepper powder in just the right amount for medium heat and delicious flavor. 

Learn more about nutritious Espelette peppers from France. Read my article "Warm Up Your Recipes With Espelette" coming this Friday, December 9th on Dave's Garden. Check out this Nate Berkus Show video and his interview with the First Lady - Cooking in the White House. The link for Chef Commerford's nutritious squash soup recipe is posted below.

Photo credit: Piments sur les façades and Piments - France - Espelette - Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64) - 2005-08-05 taken by Pinpin courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. GNU Free Documentation license. 
Related Links: Roasted Pumpkin Squash Soup with Pepitas and Greek Yogurt Obama Foodorama blog
Pepper, Pepper, and Espelette pepper. The Basque pepper. With a touch of Armagnac thrown in. FrenchFoodFreaks blog 

Homemade Ground Pepper Spices by Diana Wind, RD

Reduced Salt and Fat * Instant CHIA Mashed Potatoes #GardenCuizine

CHIA Mashed Potatoes

Home harvested or farm fresh whole organic potatoes make delicious mashed or smashed (with skins) potatoes. We savor and save our homegrown potatoes for rosemary roasted potatoes, home-fries for special breakfasts and brunches, or scalloped potatoes for dinners. When we make mashed potatoes, for convenience and speed, we often whip up instant 100% real potatoes. 

If you have the time, and don't want to use instant potatoes, make them from scratch. You could also mix instant with homemade. I've seen chefs do that in commercial kitchens, depending on the restaurant. It's your preference.

Reduce Sodium and Fat

In general, a good rule of thumb for healthy individuals is to avoid consuming excess sodium and fat. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming less than 2,300mg of sodium a day and less than 1,500mg of sodium per day for those with or at risk for high blood pressure. The American Heart Association would like to see everyone consume less than 1,500mg TOTAL sodium per day.

To put sodium content in perspective, the average American consumes over 3,400mg of sodium a day. Just one McDonald's Quarter Pounder® with cheese contains 1660mg of sodium. Their Angus Bacon and Cheese has 2540mg, McRib® 980mg, 10pc Chicken McNuggets® 900mg; even an EggMcMuffin® has 1050mg of sodium. If you're thinking, "But I don't eat at McDonald's?" Sodium can add up from just using a pinch here and there too. Look out for high sodium in canned goods, processed foods, prepared foods, soups, snacks, seasoning blends, lunch meats, cheese and even in milk (if drinking more than a few glasses). 

Health tip for instant mashed potatoes

Don't follow the recipe on the box! Do you and your family a heart healthy favor, use less salt and fat than what is called for; no one will even notice. 

Recipes given by food companies on boxes of instant mashed potatoes are usually too high in salt and butter. The dried potato flakes themselves are low in sodium and are fat free. You can't eat them dry though! This fully seasoned comfort food recipe cuts the salt from 1 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon, and the margarine from 1/4 cup to 1 tablespoon. Chia seeds add additional nutrients, including omega-3 and dietary fiber.

Reduced Sodium and Fat instant Mashed Potatoes
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (355ml) water
1 1/2 cups (355ml) 2% milk (or non-dairy alternative if vegan)
1 tablespoon (~14g) margarine or butter (we use Smart Balance® Heart Smart spread w/plant stanols; use soy margarine if vegan)
1 heaping teaspoon (~5g) minced horseradish (optional)
1 teaspoon (~.16g) raw Chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
few slices hot peppers dried or fresh from your garden (optional)
1 3/4 cups 100% real instant dried potatoes (we use Potato Buds®)

Putting it all together

• Combine all the ingredients except the potato flakes in a large pot and set aside. We like to let the mixture sit while we get the rest of the meal together so the chia seeds can soak and soften up. This way the chia seeds will fully blend into the mashed potatoes. You will see the seeds, but they won't interfere with the creamy, comfort food texture.
• When ready, bring the liquid milk mixture to a boil. 
• Stir to combine all the ingredients and break up any clumps of chia seeds. 
• Turn off or remove the pot from heat. 
• Quickly stir in the potato flakes until evenly moistened.

~Buon Appetito!

GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis

Good Source: dietary Fiber, Vitamin D, Riboflavin,Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium
Excellent Source: Vitamin C and Thiamin
Serving size 213g: 170 calories, 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, Omega-3 322mg, Cholesterol 7mg, Sodium 244mg (10%DV), Carbohydrate 27g (2 starch), dietary Fiber 2g (10%DV), Protein 6g, Vitamin A 365IU (7%DV), Vitamin C 22mg (36%DV), Vitamin D 39.4IU (10%DV), Thiamin .3mg (20%DV), Ribovlavin .2mg (12%DV), Niacin 2mg (9%DV), Vitamin B6 .2mg (12%DV), Calcium 129mg (13%DV), Potassium 436mg (12%DV)

Related Links: CHIA, an Indigenous Food by Diana Wind
AHA Urges Stricter Guidelines for Sodium, Fat Intake
Photos and blog post Copyright 2011 Wind. All rights reserved. McDonald's Nutrition Data cited was generated by McDonalds.com effective 11-22-2011.

Fine dining at home > Compound Butter adds a touch of elegance! @SmartBalance #GardenCuizine

Making Compound Butter

"Beurres composés", French for compound butters, are blends of butter mixed with other ingredients, such as fresh garden herbs and spices. Compound butters are traditionally made with pure butter, but a healthier version can be made using lower fat spreads like Smart Balance. Smart Balance makes different spreads. My favorite is Heart Right Light because it contains plant stanols, Omega-3 and Vitamin E. Compound butters are often frozen - they unthaw quick - making it all the more convenient to have gourmet butter pats available at any time.   

Compound butter blends can be used to flavor fish, chicken, meats, vegetables or in finishing sauces. I made my first compound butters with herbs and garlic at the Academy of Culinary Arts, in Mays Landing, NJ. We made rosettes and froze them until ready to serve. They really added a nice touch of elegance and flavor to the breads and dinner rolls that we served in Careme's, an upscale, fine dining restaurant.

  Compound Butter Ideas 

• Beurre au citron – lemon butter  
• Beurre à la bourguignonne – garlic and parsley butter

Herb Storage Tips
DILL Cut dill at its peak. Wash and wrap in a paper towel and seal inside an airtight plastic baggie and freeze. When you need fresh dill just slice off whatever you need. BASIL can also be preserved at its peak by whizzing it in a food processor with olive oil. Label and store in freezer. Use basil in oil just as you would fresh basil. 

  Special Occasions

Compound butter adds a special touch to holiday and special company meals. This is the recipe I used for Thanksgiving. You do not need to follow exact measurements for compound butter. Use this as an idea. Be creative and add whatever you have available.

Smart Balance Compound Butter recipe

Ingredients 

12 oz tub (340g) Smart Balance Heart Right Light buttery spread

garden herbs and spices -

• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil (or garden basil preserved in oil)
  

Putting it all together  
Simply soften butter at room temperature, or if using Smart Balance buttery spread, it will be soft enough straight from the fridge. Mix in chopped herbs of your choice. Make rosettes or mold into logs or squares and freeze. To avoid clogging the tip in the pastry bag if piping out rosettes, try not to use stems or big pieces of herbs in your mixture.

  Smart Balance Rosettes
After mixing the herbs into your soft buttery herb spread, put the blend into a pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe out individual rosettes onto wax-paper-lined plates or sheet pans and freeze. Once frozen, the pats can be combined together in airtight freezer containers or freezer baggies. Smart Balance spread is softer than butter; serve them directly onto your guests bread plates rather than onto a separate serving plate, about 10 minutes before dinner is served.

  Smart Balance Herb Log or square
The soft buttery herb spread could also be formed into a log by rolling in parchment paper, wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen until firm. Or on a lined baking sheet press the spread into a smooth, even 1/4-inch thick square or rectangle block, cover with wax paper or clear wrap and freeze. When ready to use, slice and use in cooking or serve as you would butter. 

Related Links: Plant Sterols and Stanols
Homemade Butter and Compound Butter Ideas 
The Hungry Mouse blog - good step-by-step wrapping in parchment 
Photos and blog post Copyright Wind. All rights reserved.

Low Sodium, delicious moist Mesquite Apple Cake #Recipe #GardenCuizine

~ Low Sodium ~ 
Mesquite Apple Cake

A few notes about this delicious dessert: It's not your typical Jewish Apple Cake. This cake is lower in saturated fat and sodium and darker in color. The abundance of apples keeps the cake moist. Apple sauce replaces half the fat. If you happen to have snack size apple sauce (4oz) on hand, that's the perfect amount needed for this recipe, 1/2 cup. What if you have flavored, not "plain" applesauce? Any natural flavor would taste great too. 

Mesquite Flour

Why mesquite in apple cake? Well, it's not adding smokey flavor if that's what you're thinking. Mesquite smoke flavor comes from burning wood chips from Mesquite trees. Mesquite chips used in grilling add a distinct smoke flavor to foods. My recipe uses Mesquite Flour. Mesquite flour comes from Mesquite bean pods that grow on drought tolerant trees in places like Arizona,Texas and Mexico. The pods can be dried and ground. Mesquite flour is fat free and a source of dietary fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin C and other nutrients. It doesn't change the flavor of baked goods. The cake tastes like apple cake.

And, although this is not a gluten-free cake, Mesquite flour is gluten free and can be used in gluten-free recipes. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup 100% mesquite flour. Mesquite is a specialty flour with limited availability. I mail order it online from Casa deFruta. You can substitute regular all purpose flour for mesquite flour in this recipe, but I recommend you give mesquite flour a try. Mesquite flour gives baked goods added nutrition and appealing gingerbread color. 

Yields 1 Apple Cake

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup (250g) sugar
2 teaspoons (4g) ground cinnamon
4 large apples: 5 cups (~864g), peeled, cored and diced
  
1/2 cup (118ml) vegetable oil
1/2 cup natural unsweetened apple sauce
2 large eggs (100g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup mesquite flour (if you don't have it, can use all purpose) 
1/4 teaspoon (1.5g) salt
1 teaspoon (4g) baking soda

Putting it all together
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

• Lightly spray and flour one round spring-form cake or bundt pan with hole in center
• Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside
• Peel, core and chop apples to equal about 5 cups. Toss the chopped apples in a large bowl with the cinnamon sugar and set aside.  
• In a mixing bowl, beat together oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla until creamy.
• In another bowl, sift together flours, salt and baking soda
• Slowly add flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined and makes a thick batter
• Fold in the apples using a plastic spatula. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
   
• Bake for 45-55 minutes or until cake tests done.
• Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool, remove from pan and serve with a dusting of powdered sugar.

~Buon Appetito!

GardenCuizine Nutrition Data: Calculated using USDA Nutrition Data
Good Source: Selenium
Serving size 1/16th of recipe (109g): calories 224, total fat 8g, saturated fat 1g, Omega-3 635mg, cholesterol 26mg, sodium 125mg (5%DV), carbohydrate 38g, dietary fiber 2g (8%DV), protein 3g, Vitamin C 3.9mg (7%DV), Vitamin E 1.3mg (7%DV), Vitamin K 5.4 mcg (7%DV), Thiamin .1mg (9%DV), Riboflavin .1mg (8%DV), Folate 32mcg (8%DV), Iron 1mg (6%DV), Manganese .2mg (9%DV), Selenium 7.4mcg (11%DV)

Related Links: Velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina 
Desert Harvesters

Photos and Recipe Copyright ©2011 Wind. All rights reserved. 

Grow Garlic (Allium sativum) in your Kitchen, School or Hospital Garden #GardenCuizine

Grow Garlic Allium sativum

You can easily and sustainably grow your own garlic. A single clove grows into a whole bulb! Fresh garlic adds great flavor and nutrition to foods. When roasted, the flavor becomes sweet. Roasted garlic* is delicious added to vegetable dishes or as a spread on homemade whole grain bread. Most people think garlic is garlic. But did you know there are literally hundreds of different types of garlic with differing degree of garlic taste and flavors? Typical supermarket bulbs are large and bright white and usually come from China, the worlds biggest producer.

Purchase garlic from a supplier or, if you don’t mind not knowing exactly what the variety is, pick up fresh bulbs at your farmers market and plant the cloves. Select firm, organic bulbs (non-organic bulbs may have been treated to hinder sprouting). Garlic from suppliers is usually shipped late September or early October. 

Garlic Varieties
Garlic species are divided into softnecks var. sativum and hardneck var. ophioscorodon.

Hardnecks– are cold hardy with stronger garlic flavor. Hardneck varieties grow scapes. You can cut off and use the mild flavored herbal scapes as you would garlic chives in your recipes. The main hardneck types are Rocambole, Purple Stripe and Porcelain. Varieties include: Duganski, Deerfield Purple, German Extra Hardy, Purple Glazer and Rossa di Sulmona. Dig up and harvest the garlic bulbs after their green growing stalks turn brown, in June or July. 

Softnecks – have milder garlic flavor and are ready to dig up sooner (sometimes by April) than Hardneck varieties. Softneck garlic is usually the type sold in supermarkets because they have a longer shelf life. They are not as cold hardy and can be grown in warmer climates. The main types are Artichokes and Silverskins. Homegrown softneck garlic can be traditionally braided and hung in your kitchen. Varieties include Early Italian White, Early Italian Purple, Italian Late, White Sicilian and Chinese Pink. 

Elephant Garlic
Allium ampeloprasum is very mild in flavor and is not really a true garlic.

Easy to Grow

Garlic, along with onions, leeks and shallots are members of the Alliaceae family and are really easy to grow. Children can be big helpers too when it comes to planting garlic. Garlic cloves are large - the perfect size for little fingers to grip and push into the soil. 

Planting Garlic  
Fall-planted garlic works well for Northern and gardeners who have cold winters. Gardeners in Southern areas, with mild winter weather, can plant garlic in late winter or early spring. Garlic can be planted in rows in prepared garden beds or can be grown as a companion plant alongside some plants (cabbage, beets, roses) because of garlic's natural pesticide properties. 

• First break apart the bulb, separating the cloves. Each individual clove will mature into whole bulb of garlic by the following summer. There is no need to peel each clove. 
• Using a small shovel or trowel, make a trench a few inches deep for how ever many rows you wish to plant. 
• I then like to push my finger in the soil before putting in each clove. The space between each clove should be around 3-4-inches to assure room in between for the clove to grow into a bulb. 
• Position each clove flat side down in each hole with the pointed tip up (roots grow down from the flat part).  
• After you get all the cloves in the dirt, position stakes or signs so you remember where they're planted.
• Cover the cloves up with dirt, gently patting down the soil. No need to water them. Let mother nature do the rest.

Green shoots will emerge in the spring. In Northern gardens and those with cold winters, if they start to sprout before the first frost, don’t worry. Just leave them alone. The garlic will stop growing when it gets cold and resume again in the spring. The important thing is to plant the cloves in the fall so their root systems get started.
 
Garlic is hardy and will grow in most soils. For the best garlic, horticulturists recommend growing your bulbs in rich, well composted soil. We grow ours in a raised bed, and mix in compost annually.

Garlic for Health 
Garlic is associated with health claims from being antibacterial, good for the heart, lowering cholesterol, reducing blood pressure - to reducing the number of tick bites. With the exception of having antimicrobial properties, science-based evidence is limited or conflicting on most of the other claims. 

 Garlic is full of nutrients, many that you wouldn’t expect: Vitamin C, Calcium and Vitamin B6.

You may have heard of garlic’s potent antioxidant and active component, Allicin. Allicin has antimicrobial properties that inhibit a wide range of bacteria. Fresh garlic has the most allicin vs pre-minced garlic in jars, which may be more important than convenience. 
*For maximum Allicin benefits, allow cut garlic to "rest" for 10 minutes before cooking.

***

Garlic Nutrition: calculated from USDA Nutrient data  

3 cloves (9g) = 13 calories, 0 calories from fat, saturated fat 0, cholesterol 0, dietary fiber .2g (1%DV), protein .6g (1%DV), vitamin C 2.8mg (5%DV), vitamin B6 .1mg (6%DV), calcium 16mg (2%DV), manganese .2mg (8%DV), selenium 1.3mcg (2%DV)

Percent Daily Values (%DV) are for adults or children age 4 or older, and are based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower based on your individual needs. 

Health note: garlic may interfere with some drugs and is not recommended to be taken in excess or supplement form if taking anticoagulants, like Warfarin. Best to check with your doctor.

Related links:
Gourmet Garlic Gardens click on the link and scroll down for great photos!
Garlic and Organosulphur Compounds 
Garlic
Fruits and Veggies More matters Garlic
Blog article and photos copyright ©2011 D.Wind. All rights reserved.