The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers, and Serious Cooks

by Ted Jordan Meredith

An essential element in cuisines around the world, garlic enjoys near mythic status among cooks, chefs, foodies, and enthusiasts of natural remedies. Worldwide, garlic cultivation occupies over 2 million acres of farmland, an area that has more than doubled since 1970. Yet even garlic fanciers may be unable to tell hardneck from softneck, or Purple Stripe from Rocambole, not to mention the hundreds of cultivated varieties grown today, many with distinct differences in taste and character.
In fact, the wealth of garlic varieties in nearly a dozen horticultural groups rivals that of corn, carrots, apples, and peaches. This book is the most comprehensive and in-depth guide available to what surely should be the next gourmet frontier. From 'Ajo Rojo' to 'Zemo', Meredith presents illustrated profiles of nearly 150 cultivars. Detailed chapters cover natural history, the history of garlic in cultivation, the nuances of cuisine and culture, therapeutic benefits, plant structure, how to cultivate, curing and storage, taxonomy, pests and diseases, and chemistry.
Especially useful are the Quick Guides, which summarize information on growing and buying garlic and provide recommendations for the best-tasting cultivars for specific uses and climates. Lists of garlic sources and organizations are a boon to the aficionado. Whether you share Ted Jordan Meredith's "garlic affliction" or just find the pungent bulb indispensable, you'll understand it as never before with this meticulously researched, lovingly written exploration.

Genres: Gardening, Food

330 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2008

Reviews

[Linda Rickert]

This book has loads or tons or information.
I say tons because we grew garlic for 8 years and harvested pounds and pounds or garlic.
We learned so much valuable information from this book that we we able to increase it farm market sales substantially. We verbally shared the resources we learned with our customers, the flavor palette info and so much more from this book.
That in site, stories and knowledge.
This was it to to book for years.

[Monty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love garlic and I loved reading this book and looking at all the beautiful photos of the various garlics from around the world. This book covers the economics and culture, natural history, cuisine, therapeutic benefits, structure and function, cultivation, taxonomy and diversity, diseases and pests, composition and chemistry of garlic. At end of the book there's a chapter that describes garlic groups and cultivars, and a chapter that summarizes the book.

[Eris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A requested christmas present, I was delighted to open this and see that it covers ALL things garlic - from its ethnobotanical history and evolution to varieties and growing methods. The book contains a very readable and informative history of this beloved bulb and I will spend hours enjoying perusing its pages whilst awaiting the emergence of my scapes.