                                       GARLIC
                                       ======

                                    CULTIVATION:
     Garlic  is  a perennial or biennial  sub-globular  bulb consisting of 8-20
     cloves surrounded by silky pink-white skin.

     Garlic  needs a sunny or partial shady  location. The soil should be rich,
     moist,  and  well drained, but tolerates  also  poor soil. Take offsets or
     divide  bulbs  in autumn or spring. Plant  garlic cloves 1 1/2 inches deep.
     Sow  seeds in spring. Germination time is  about 7 days, and plant matures
     in  about  100  days. Grows in zone  1-10.  Transplant or thin to 9 inches
     apart.  Water  in dry spells and  enrich soil annually. Remove flowers for
     better flavor.

     Pick  flowers as they open, and dig  up bulbs in late summer. Harvest when
     the tops fall over, and dry the bulb in a cool and shady location.


                                  CULINARY  USES:
     A  strong flavoring for many dishes, hot and cold. Rub around a salad bowl
     to  subtly  flavor salads, or add  1-2  cloves to dressings and marinades.
     Mash  with butter and bake in a  fresh loaf of bread. Insert sliced cloves
     into joints of meat before roasting. It can even be baked as a vegetable.

     To make garlic oil, which can be used in small amounts on salads, or saved
     for  medicinal purposes, blend 1 cup of peeled garlic cloves, and 1 cup of
     olive  oil.  Pour into a labeled jar.  Let the garlic be absorbed into the
     oil  for  a  week, but shake the jar  several  times a day. Strain out the
     garlic and keep the liquid cold in the refrigerator.

     To  get  the  most flavor from fresh  garlic,  you  must slice through the
     clove,  releasing  the  odorous strongly flavored  oil  inside the skin. A
     clove  of  garlic is very nutritious.  Garlic  contains thiamine and trace
     minerals  such  as  calcium, magnesium,  iron,  potassium, phosphorus, and
     zinc. 2-3 heads of garlic a day can also stimulate your immune system.


                                   MEDICAL  USES:
     Garlic  has the potential to treat  and prevent a number of cardiovascular
     diseases.  Research discovered ingredients in  garlic that thin the blood,
     so  blood  is less likely to clot,  and  it can also lower the cholesterol
     level.

     Scientists  believe that it is the smelly sulfer-containing ingredients in
     garlic  that  work  the magic. There  are  still some unresolved questions
     whether  odorless  garlic is effective.  Many of the therapeutic compounds
     have  not  been  found in cooked or  processed  garlic. The best effect is
     obtained from fresh, raw garlic.

     There  are  even hints of a possible  link  between garlic and low rate of
     stomach  and colorectal cancer. The typical  dosage from studies is in the
     range  of  3-5 cloves per 120 pounds of  body  weight per day. A drink made
     from a well crushed garlic clove simmered in 1/2 pint of milk for about 10
     minutes  can  be sipped to relive a  dry hacking cough. Whole garlic bulbs
     contain a sustenance called Alliin, when grounded or chewed, it turns into
     Allicin.  Allicin inhibits or totally destroys  many types of bacteria and
     fungi,  including  the microorganisms most  likely  to cause vaginal yeast
     infection.

                                      WARNING:
     Eating  garlic  past by the jar could  burn  the lining of the stomach and
     esophagus and even cause anemia.
     
