In Pursuit of Garlic

April 15, 2012

Primeau (Front Yard Gardens) answers questions about garlic from growing and harvesting to medicinal values and cooking. In enjoyable prose, she details how garlic is good for us (sulfur compounds) and offers a comprehensive history of garlic and its use in culinary arts. Of special interest is the remedy for garlic breath: eating certain raw vegetables and fruits or cooked rice, milk, and eggs can help neutralize the effect. Primeau includes recipes for the brave (e.g., Roasted Garlic, Blueberry, and Pear Cobbler with Garlic-Pecan Brickle Cream) and some for the less adventurous (e.g., Whole-Hog Potatoes, Jacqueline Barthe's Creamy Garlic Pie, and tasty-sounding soups). She offers descriptions of the various types of garlic (useful for gardeners) and gives explicit instructions for treating soil and creating the best growing conditions. VERDICT This readable, useful book covers everything you need to know about garlic. There's solid information for gardeners in all parts of the country as well as a range of recipes. Essential for gardeners, cooks, and foodies of all types.--Elizabeth Rogers, Clinton Essex Franklin Lib. Syst., Plattsburgh, NY

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2012
Just about every cuisine in the world relies on pungent garlic as a key flavor component. Only northern Europe and the British Isles seem to find this bulb too smelly and too assertive for their palates. French people, Spaniards, Greeks, and Italians can't live without garlic, and Chinese farmers raise 50 times as much garlic as does the U.S. Primeau explores the cultivation of garlic throughout the planet's history, noting its economic significance. She offers instruction in raising, harvesting, and storing one's own garlic properly. Visiting garlic festivals in California and France, she collects recipes that include cold garlic and watermelon soup as well as a remarkable fruit cobbler topped with garlic and pecans. In intriguing sidebars, she explores garlic lore and addresses such topics as the effect of garlic on mother's milk and whether or not elephant garlic is true garlic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)