If someone says, “This tastes so good…what’s in it?!”—the answer is usually garlic! The flavor-packed bud is rarely served on its own because of its big powerful taste. Instead, you’ll find it in sauce, pasta, meat dishes, and anything else tasty. Don’t let this veggie’s potency scare you. It’s a fun addition to any dish, turning a simple “yum” into a big “wow!”

Garlic is a Good Source of:

• Protein—promotes healthy cells retention and production
• Fiber—great for liver and digestive health
• Manganese—great for healthy bones
• Vitamin C—a powerful antioxidant for your immune system
• Calcium—strengthens bones and protects heart muscles

Did You Know?

• Research suggests a connection between eating garlic and lower risk of gastrointestinal cancers. One study even found that folks whose diet included garlic had a 35% lower chance of colon cancer!
• Garlic is a naturally occurring antibiotic. While it isn’t a cure-all for sickness, it boosts the body’s ability to stay healthy and fight disease.
• Garlic was popular in ancient Egypt in both cuisine and medicine. King Tut was even buried with some bulbs.

How to Choose and Store Garlic

Select plump, dry, and firm garlic heads with a smooth white covering. Look for bulbs that still have the roots. Do not buy garlic with green sprouts growing from it. When home, store in a mesh bag at 32-40 degrees for up to 3-6 months.

When ready to use, peel the dry outer skin off. Crush the garlic by pressing with the flat side of a large knife blade. Then chop into small, fine pieces, crushing again if desired.

Tips to Get Children to Eat Garlic

• Season your soup with garlic
• Mince small pieces into any casserole or baked dish
• Top buttered toast with garlic powder for flavorful surprise

Ways to Prepare Garlic

• Raw
• Sauté
• Roast
• Bake
• Boil

Common Names: garlic

Latin Names: Allium sativum

Background

• Garlic is the edible bulb from a plant in the lily family. It was traditionally used for health purposes by people in many parts of the world, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Japanese.
• Currently, garlic is most commonly promoted as a dietary supplement for conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, including high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Fresh garlic, garlic powder, and garlic oil are used to flavor foods. Garlic may be used topically (applied to the skin).

How Much Do We Know?

• A great deal of research has been done on garlic, especially on garlic’s effect on high blood lipid levels (hyperlipidemia) and high blood pressure (hypertension).

What Have We Learned?

• While there’s conflicting evidence, the most reliable results suggest that taking garlic supplements may reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in people with high levels of these blood lipids. If it does, the effect is small, and it may take more than 8 weeks before noting any improvement. Taking garlic doesn’t appear to improve high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels or triglycerides (another blood lipid).
• Garlic supplements may be helpful for high blood pressure, but the evidence is limited.
• The most reliable research has found that intake of garlic as a food or supplement is not associated with a reduced risk of developing gastric cancer. However, epidemiologic studies suggest a link between higher intakes of vegetables in the garlic family (which includes onions, shallots, chives, and leeks as well as garlic) and lower risks of certain cancers, particularly gastrointestinal cancers.
• There’s not enough evidence to show whether garlic is helpful for the common cold.

What Do We Know About Safety?

• Garlic is probably safe for most people in the amounts usually eaten in foods.
• Little is known about whether it’s safe to use garlic supplements or apply garlic to the skin during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
• Side effects include breath and body odor, heartburn, and upset stomach. These side effects can be more noticeable with raw garlic. Some people have allergic reactions to garlic.
• Taking garlic supplements may increase the risk of bleeding. If you take an anticoagulant (blood thinner), such as warfarin (Coumadin), or if you need surgery, tell your health care provider if you’re taking or planning to take garlic supplements.
• Garlic supplements may interfere with the effectiveness of some drugs, including saquinavir, a drug used to treat HIV infection. Garlic supplements may also interact with some dietary herbs and other supplements.

Keep in Mind

• Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.

Research performed by the University of Georgia confirmed that mixtures of garlic in oil stored at room temperature are at risk for the development of botulism. Garlic in oil should be made fresh and stored in the refrigerator at 40 °F or lower for no more than 7 days. It may be frozen for several months. Package in glass freezer jars or plastic freezer boxes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Label, date, and freeze.

As you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect yourself and your family.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Your local markets carry a wide variety of nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables. However, harmful bacteria that may be in the soil or water where produce grows can come in contact with fruits and vegetables and contaminate them. Fresh produce may also become contaminated after it is harvested, such as during storage or preparation.

Eating contaminated produce can lead to foodborne illness, often called “food poisoning.” So as you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect you and your family.

Buy Right

You can help keep produce safe by making wise buying decisions.

• Choose produce that is not bruised or damaged.
• When buying pre-cut, bagged or packaged produce — such as half of a watermelon or bagged salad greens — choose only those items that are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
• Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from raw meat, poultry, and seafood when packing them to take home from the market

Store Properly

Proper storage of fresh produce can affect both quality and safety.

• Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (like strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms) in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40° F or below. Use a refrigerator thermometer to check! If you’re not sure whether an item should be refrigerated to keep its quality, ask your grocer.
• Refrigerate all produce that is purchased pre-cut or packaged .

Separate for Safety

Keep fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood — and from kitchen utensils used for those products.

• Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with soap and hot water between preparing raw meat, poultry, and seafood and preparing produce that will not be cooked.
• If possible, use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• If you use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards, run them through the dishwasher after use

Prepare Safely

When preparing any fresh produce, begin with clean hands. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after preparation.

• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fresh fruits and vegetables before preparing and/or eating. Throw away any produce that looks rotten.
• Wash all produce thoroughly under running water before preparing and/or eating, including produce grown at home or bought from a grocery store or farmers’ market. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Produce is porous. Soap and household detergents can be absorbed by fruits and vegetables, despite thorough rinsing, and can make you sick. Also, the safety of the residues of commercial produce washes is not known and their effectiveness has not been tested.
• Even if you do not plan to eat the skin, it is still important to wash produce first so dirt and bacteria are not transferred from the surface when peeling or cutting produce.
• Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.
• After washing, dry produce with a clean cloth towel or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present on the surface

What About Pre-Washed Produce?

Many pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce items are pre-washed and ready-to-eat. If so, it will be stated on the packaging, and you can use the produce without further washing.

If you choose to wash produce marked as “pre-washed” or “ready-to-eat,” be sure that it does not come in contact with unclean surfaces or utensils. This will help to avoid cross contamination.

About Foodborne Illness

Know the Symptoms

Consuming dangerous foodborne bacteria will usually cause illness within 1 to 3 days of eating the contaminated food. However, sickness can also occur within 20 minutes or up to 6 weeks later. Although most people will recover from a foodborne illness within a short period of time, some can develop chronic, severe, or even life-threatening health problems.

Foodborne illness can sometimes be confused with other illnesses that have similar symptoms. The symptoms of foodborne illness can include:

• Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body ache

Take Action

If you think that you or a family member has a foodborne illness, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

​​​​Garlic is a vegetable that belongs to the Allium family, a family of bulb-shaped plants that includes onions, leeks, chives, and scallions. There are approximately 300 varieties of garlic grown throughout the world, and there are several varieties and forms that you see in the U.S.:

• American: white-skinned with a strong flavor.
• Chileno: a reddish-colored, sharp tasting garlic grown in Mexico
• Elephant: Not a true garlic, but a relative of the leek; its flavor is very mild and it is characterized by larger heads.
• Green Garlic: Young garlic before it starts forming cloves. Green garlic looks like a baby leek with a long green top and small white bulb. Its flavor is much more mild than that of mature garlic.
• Italian: Mauve in color with a somewhat milder flavor.

Garlic is often harvested mid-summer, and dried for storage and use throughout the year.

Nearly 90% of the garlic in the U.S. is grown in California, but Washington State ranks fourth in the nation in both the number of farms growing garlic and in harvested acres.

Garlic is very popular in the Middle East and Mediterranean countries, India and China. In America, 250 million pounds of garlic are consumed per year and its use is growing.

The distinct and characteristic odor and flavor of galic comes from garlic's sulfur content. The more finely garlic is chopped, the stronger its flavor will be. And the longer you cook it, the milder its flavor will be. To remove garlic odor from hands, rub your hands with salt or lemon juice and then wash your hands with soap.

• Garlic, though ususally not used in significant quantity, is high in calcium, potassium, iron, and vitamin B6. It is naturally fat free, cholesterol free, and sodium free.
• Preliminary studies suggest that garlic consumption may reduce the risk of developing several types of cancer, especially those of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Studies show that sulfur compounds in garlic may help reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol and is good at preventing blood clots that could lead to a heart attack or stroke.
• Allicin and diallyl sulphides are the two main medical ingredients that produce the garlic health benefits.