Garlic

Garlic

Also known as Clove Garlic. From the family Liliaceae.

Garlic originates from India or Central Asia and is one of the oldest and most valued of plants. In Greek legend, Odysseus used Moly, a wild garlic, as a charm to keep the sorceress, Circe, from turning him into a pig. The Egyptians used it medicinally. Both the slaves constructing the pyramid of Cheops and the Roman soldiers were given garlic cloves daily to sustain their strength. It was probably the Romans who introduced it into Britain. The common name is said to have been derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'leac', meaning pot herb and 'gar', a lance, after the shape of the stem.

The term for 'leper' in the Middle Ages was 'pilgarlic' because the leper had to peel his own. During the First World War, spaghnum moss was soaked in garlic juice as an antiseptic wound dressing. An old country remedy for whooping cough was to put a clove of garlic in the shoes of the whooper.

A tradition still held in rural New Mexico is that garlic will help a young girl rid herself of an unwanted boyfriend.

Species

Allium sativum

Garlic
Hardy perennial grown as an annual. Ht 40-60cm (16-24in). A bulb made up of several cloves (bulblets) enclosed in white papery skin. The cloves vary in color from white to pink. Green leaves. White or pink round flower head. Only flowers in warm climates.

Allium oleraceum

Field Garlic
Hardy perennial, bulbous plant. Ht up to 84cm (33in). Pink summer flowers.

Cultivation

Propagation

Plant the bulbs direct in the ground.

Pests and Diseases

Susceptible to white rot, which causes yellowing of the foliage and white fungal growth on the bulbs. Remove infected plants and avoid using this ground again for garlic.

Maintenance

Spring: Plant the first month into spring. Feed with liquid fertilizer.
Summer: Potash dress garden plants. Dig up bulbs.
Autumn: Plant cloves.
Winter: Protect if the temperature falls below -15°C (5°F).

Garden Cultivation

Plant in full sun, in rich, light and well drained soil from early end-autumn to early spring. Traditionally garlic cloves are planted on the shortest day of the year and harvested on longest. Split the bulb into the cloves and plant individually, pointed end up, into holes 2cm (1in) deep and 15cm (6in) apart. Keep well watered. They will be well matured in summer when the top growth starts to change color and keel over. Tying the stems in a knot is said to increase the size of the cloves.

Harvest

Ease the bulbs out of the ground when the leaves die down and lose their greenness (mid-late summer). Dry in the sun for a few days if possible, but indoors if there is a danger of rain. Hang them up in a string bag, or plait them into a garlic string. Store somewhere cool and airy.

Container growing

In the spring place a number of individual cloves in a pot (tip up) and position on a sunny windowsill. Feed with liquid fertilizer regularly and harvest the green leaves as one would chives.

Companion planting


Garlic, it is said, helps to prevent leaf curl in trees, especially peaches. Also, when planted next to roses it wards off black spot.

Other uses

Its juice acts as an insect repellent and neutralizes the poisons of bites and stings. It is an excellent glue and also enables holes to be made cleanly in glass. Simply crush a clove, rub it onto the glass and let it dry; then cut or drill the hole.

Culinary

Garlic is a very pungent but in dispensible culinary herb. In spring the flavor is lively but from summertime onwards, cloves should be split in half and the green filaments and sheath enclosing them discarded to make the garlic more digestible. Whole bulbs may be divided into cloves and roasted under a joint of lamb, and slivers of garlic inserted under the surface of meat. The longer garlic is cooked, the milder the flavor.

A peeled clove may be left to stand in a vinaigrette and then discarded before the dressing of the salad. Alternatively, rub a clove around the salad bowl.

Whole cloves flavor bottles of olive oil or wine vinegar. Garlic butter is a traditional accompaniment to snails.

The Orientals, particularly the Chinese, are great lovers of garlic. Their solution to garlic breath is to offer pods of cardamom seeds to chew at the end of a meal. You may prefer to eat parsley or basil, mint or thyme, all of which reduce the aroma on the breath.


Uses of Wild Garlic

Wild Garlic

Also known as Wood Garlic, Ransomes, Ramsons, Devil's Posy, Onion Flower, Stinkplant and Bear's Garlic. Front the family Liliaceae.

Wild garlic is a native of Europe and Asia, naturalized in many countries in the Northern hemisphere including Britain and North America.

Species

Allium ursinum

Wild Garlic
Hardy perennial. Ht 36-45cm (12-18in). Clusters of white flowers in spring and summer.


Medicinal

It has been shown to reduce blood pressure; evidently it is useful in guarding against strokes. It has also been successful in controlling diarrhoea, dysentery, TB, whooping cough, typhoid and hepatitis. Effective against many fungal infections and it can be used to expel worms. It has even been shown to lower blood sugar levels, suggesting a use in controlling diabetes.

Herbalists consider garlic to be a first-rate digestive tonic and also use it to treat toothache, earache, coughs and colds. A decaying tooth will hurt less if packed with garlic pulp until treatment can be obtained.

Externally, garlic can be applied to insect bites, boils and unbroken chilblains but it may cause an allergic rash if used for too long.

Pests and Diseases


Mostly wild garlic is free from pests and disease

Cultivation

Propagation

Seed

It is better to sow straight into the garden.

Division

Divide established plants early autumn, when the flowers have died back.

Maintenance

Spring: If the plant is getting invasive dig up.
Summer: Divide plants in late summer, when the plant has died back.
Autumn: Sow seed.
Winter: No need to protect this herb as it is fully hardy.

Garden Cultivation

Wild garlic likes a moist, fertile soil in a semi-shady to shady spot in the garden. Sow the seed in autumn where the plants are to grow and cover them lightly with soil. Germination will take place in early spring. Wild garlic self-seeds easily; in wet areas it can be invasive.

Culinary

Pick from end-spring for use in salads, soups or as a vegetable.

Other Uses

Traditionally, as a liquid household disinfectant.

Onions

Onions

From the family Liliaceae

These plants are widely distributed throughout the world. The onion goes back to a time before historians, and has been in cultivation so long that its country of origins are now uncertain although most agree that it originated in Central Asia. It was probably introduced to Europe by the Romans. The name seems to have been derived from the Latin word 'unio' meaning a large pearl. In the middle Ages it was believed that a bunch of onions hung outside the door would absorb the infection of the plague, saving the inhabitants. From this came the scientific recognition that its sulphur content acts as a strong disinfectant. The juice of the onion was used to heal gunshot wounds and burns caused by gunpowder.

Species

There are many, many varieties of Onion; the following information concerns the two that have herbal qualities.

Allium fistulosum

Welsh Onion

Also known as Japanese Leek. Evergreen hardy perennial. Ht60cm-90cm (2-3ft). Flowers of second year's growth greenish yellow in early summer. Leaves, green hollow cylinders. This onion is a native of Siberia and extensively grown in China and Japan. The name Welsh comes from 'walsch' meaning foreign.

Allium cepa Proliferum Group

Tree Onion

Also known as Egyptian Onion, Lazy Man's Onions. Hardy perennial. Ht 90- 150cm (3-5ft). Flowers small greenish white appear in early summer in the same place as its bulbs. It grows bulbs underground and then, at the end of flowering, bulbs in the air. Seeing is believing. It originates from Canada. It is very easy to propagate

Cultivation

Propagation

Seed

Welsh onion seed loses its viability within 2 years, so sow fresh in late winter, early spring under protection with a bottom heat of between 15°C (60°F) and21°C (70°F). Cover with Perlite. When the seedlings are large enough, and after a period of hardening off, plant out into a prepared site in the garden at a distance of 25cm (9in) apart. The tree onion is not grown from seed.

Division

Each year the Welsh onion will multiply in clumps, so it is a good idea to divide them every 3 years in the spring. Because the tree onion is such a big grower, it is a good idea to split the underground bulbs every 3 years in spring.

Bulbs

The air growing bulbils of the tree onion have small root systems, each one capable of reproducing another plant. Plant where required in an enriched soil either in the autumn, as the parent plant dies back, or in the spring.

Pests and Diseases

The onion fly is the curse of the onion family especially in late spring, early summer. The way to try and prevent this is to take care not to damage the roots or leaves when thinning the seedlings and also not to leave the thinning lying around, the scent attracts the fly.

Another problem is downy mildew caused by cool wet autumns; the leaves become velvety and die back. Again, too warm a summer may encourage white rot. Burn the affected plants and do not plant in the same position again.

Other characteristic diseases are neck rot and bulb rot, both caused by a Botrytis fungus that usually occurs as a result of the bulbs being damaged either by digging or hoeing.

Onions are prone to many more diseases but, if you keep the soil fertile and do not make life easy for the onion fly, you will still have a good crop.

Maintenance

Spring: Sow the seed; divide 3-year-old clumps of Welsh and tree onions. Plant bulbs of tree onions.
Summer: Stake mature tree onions to stop them falling over and depositing the ripe bulbils on the soil.
Autumn: Mulch around tree onion plants with well-rotted manure. Use a small amount around the Welsh onions.
Winter: Neither variety needs protection.
Garden Cultivation
Welsh Omens
These highly adaptable hardy onions will grow in any well-drained fertile soil. Seeds can be sown in spring after the frosts, direct into the ground. Thin to a distance of 25cm (9in) apart. Keep well watered throughout the growing season. In the autumn give the area a mulch of well-rotted manure.

Tree Onions

Dig in some well-rotted manure before planting. Plant the bulbs in their clusters in a sunny well-drained position at a distance of 30-45cm (12-18in) apart. In the first year nothing much will happen (unless you are one of the lucky ones). If the summer is very dry, water well. In the following year, if you give the plant a good mulch of well-rotted manure in autumn, it grows to 90-150cm (3-5ft) and produce masses of small onions.

Harvest

Welsh onions may be picked at any time from early summer onwards. The leaves do not dry well but can be frozen like those of their cousin, chives. Use scissors and snip them into a plastic bag. They form neat rings; freeze them.
The little tree onions can be picked off the stems and stored; lay them out on a rack in a cool place with good ventilation.

Culinary

Welsh onions make a great substitute for spring onions, as they are hardier and earlier. Pull and use in salads or stir fry dishes, chop and use instead of chives.
Tree onions provide fresh onion flavor throughout the year. The bulbils can be pickled or chopped raw in salads (fairly strong), or cooked whole in stews and casseroles.

Pissaladiere

Serves 4-6
4 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)
20 tree onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 dessertspoon fresh thyme, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper 360g (¾ lb) once-risen bread dough
250g (½ lb) ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
60g (2oz) canned anchovy fillets, drained and halved lengthways
16 large black olives, halved and pitted
Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan, add the onions, cover the pan tightly and fry, gently stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Add the garlic and the thyme and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the onions are reduced to a clear puree. Season to taste and leave to cool. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas mark 6).
Roll the bread dough directly on the baking sheet into a circle 25cm (10in) diameter. Spread the pureed onions evenly over the dough, put the tomato slices on the onions and top with a decorative pattern of anchovy fillets and olives.
Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C (375°F, Gas mark 5) and continue to bake for 30 minutes or until the bread base is well risen and lightly browned underneath. Serve hot with a green herb salad.

Other uses

The onion is believed to help ward off colds in winter and also to induce sleep and cure indigestion. The fresh juice is antibiotic, diuretic, expectorant, antispasmodic, so useful in the treatment of coughs, colds, bronchitis, laryngitis and gastroenteritis. It is also said to lower the blood pressure and to help restore sexual potency which has been impaired by illness or mental stress.

Container growing

Welsh onions can be grown in a large pot using a soil-based compost, and make sure it does not dry out. Feed regularly throughout the summer with a liquid fertilizer. Tree onions grow too tall for containers.