Is garlic considered a herb?

I want to grow try some elephant garlic. I saw a recipe where it was baked and then spread on toast. I just need to know where to get the seeds/cloves.

Lavina

Lavina - Garlic is considered a herb more or less. I'm not sure where to get them.

Garlic bulbs are considered a spice. The leaves or stems are an herb
Culinary herbs are from leaves
Spices are any other part of the plant other than the leaf

They are listed in my herb books, I think it depends on who's talking and how you use it. Often spices are listed with herbs until they are dried or maybe in reference to growing them.

Garlic is a botanical "herb" in that it is a non woody plant. -it is a culinary spice but call it what you wish ---it taste good

VORTREKER - I agree to that... I think we over classify things anyways.

LavinaMae - You can certainly get information about Garlic here, which I think is the question you were really asking.

LavinaMae,
Elephant garlic is available through Park Seed. It is also easily grown from the cloves you buy in the grocery store. It will grow very well in your zone--plant in Sept. for garlic next spring

Garlic seed bulbs show up in our stores/garden centres at the same time as the spring bulbs. I don't know if I've seen elephant garlic though.

You can bake any kind of garlic and use it as a spread on toast or crusty bread... roasting really mellows the flavor.

Darius wrote a couple of great DG articles about garlic, including some instructions for baking/roasting it, as I recall.

Her first article has the roasting instructions: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/613/

Search the articles (under "communities" tab) for "garlic" or click "see more articles by Darius" at the bottom of her article above to find her other articles about growing different types of garlic.

Thanks everyone I got 2 big things of it in the grocery store yesterday and am off to Park Seeds also. I am gonna roast one pack and plant the other. and read Darius's article.

Lavina

Don't forget to do a search for garlic festivals in your area. The Southern Vermont Garlic Festival is next weekend. Mid September brings the Sharon Springs, NY and the Mohawk Valley Garlic Festival in Little Falls, NY. Sept 27-28 is the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, NY. I know that doesn't help you in NC, but do a search and you may find some great, local garlic to plant.

I would love to go to a festival but I don't think we even have one in NC. I will check the state festivals file.
Everytime I see someone roast garlic my mouth waters. We eat a lot of the powered garlic and some from the store.

Lavina

If you grow roses at all, plant the garlic around them. Excellent companions.

Dose anyone know how to make powdered garlic?

Have never done it, but I would slice it, dry it, and put it in the mortar and pestle.

Zhinu ~ you made me go hunt an article I saved on just that. I need to add it to my journal too while I'm at it.

I would like more info as why it is a good companion to a rose, looks like it would stink out the rose fragrance ????
Sandra

Hi Lavina ~ in regards to your question, yes Garlic is considered a medicinal herb. Many in the Allium family are considered herbal and they all have a place in healthcare as well as a seasoning for foods, even crossing over to be considered a vegetable.

DH takes garlic capsules in an attempt to reduce cholesterol as well as blood pressure. He despises the smell of it so I buy him odorless capsules. A person that consumes large quantities of it will reek garlic thru the pores of the skin.

It is also a natural antibiotic. A friend uses it as an antifungal, antibiotic, antiseptic by rubbing on his body. I can always tell when he has been in the shop while I was gone. LOL He simply breaks open a pod and rubs in on the spot needing doctoring. He also consumes large quantities of it as a cancer retardant. His career choice paid well but the price may be paid later as he worked in nuclear power plants. At any rate, he is a large advocate of garlic.

Incidently, another way to utilize the garlic cloves is to peel and chop in small pieces. Thoroughly dry in the oven set at 120 degrees. With a mortar and pestle, grind to powder. This can be stored in an airtight container. If you wish to use this as salt, add salt to taste.

A good companion to roses as I think it repels some of the roses' enemies. The garlic plant itself isn't fragrant unless brushed against or crushed. I don't think it would overpower roses fragrance. All my photos are in my crashed computer but the garlic blooms can be very pretty and add an elegance to a flower bed.

Here is a garden pest repellent recipe I saved. Chop four ounces of garlic and steep 24 hours in two Tbsp mineral oil. Add one pint of water and 1/4 oz of oil based dishwashing liquid (Palmolive). Strain the solution and dilute with water at the rate of 20 parts water to one part garlic blend. Use this to spray on plants to deter Japanese beetles, green loopers and aphids.

Now I'll betcha that'd smell and overpower the roses!! LOL

This message was edited Aug 25, 2008 8:25 PM

LOL Pod, I am sure that would run anything out of town !!

Sandra

Sandra ~ do you grow any garlic? I will say Society Garlic, which is more ornamental than anything, is rather wuffy smelling. I may walk out on the porch and catch the scent of it. It always surpises me but it doesn't do it all the time. Maybe the humidity or maybe one of my critters had brushed against it or had been grazing...

podster – I use it medicinally, but I was really looking for other ways to preserve it. I use pickled garlic mainly for medicinal uses.

I love the way the Garlic blooms look and mom puts them in flower arrangements, even the ones she does for church.

I'm sorry, guess I misunderstood your question when you asked

I love the smell of garlic blooming . It only smells bad when someone eats it and as they talk senge my evebrows off from the scent.LOL
Garlic soaked in olive oil goes good as dressing on salads
Roasted and spread on toast is awesome
Love it in my spagetti sauce.and sprinkled all over steaks before steak is cooked.
Cute in flower arrangements.
Now to get it planted
on and on etc.
Lavina

For just a hint of garlic in a salad, rub the inside of the bowl with a clove of garlic. The flavor without the strength... Good Morning Lavina

i hope folk here know elephant garlic is not garlic at all

I do have a couple of garlic plants that I let grow as ornamentals, sometimes I cut the leaves and use them instead of digging my bulb. I guess if I didn't have to touch all my plants and sniff them, the garlic wouldn't smell bad-I just love to touch and sniff-don't ask me why, but that is one of the reasons I grow different herbs, just to rub and sniff-I love all those smells
I have about 3 different kinds of thyme, lavender, rosemary oregono, pineapple sage, lavender cotton (silver and green) 4 or 5 mint varieties beel balms lantana, every trip around the yard includes rubbing and sniffing--LOL
Sandra

Right on slcdms. I think many forget that all the senses experience the garden. I have many favs just for touching. I do have a reluctance to taste everything though unlike a friend who freaks me out by nibbling anything in my garden she doesn't recognize (EEK I have some toxic plants!!!!!) That's a good article idea- plants for touching (hint, hint article writers out there).

podster – No you answered my question, thank you. Sorry to have confused you. I use powdered garlic when I’m lazy or out of fresh garlic for cooking.

Sandra – There are also ornamental versions in the Allium. I prefer useful plants when I can, but the ornamentals are quite pretty.

Oh yes, a friend of mine has several ornamental alliums they are very pretty.
I do use some of my herbs in cooking, just don't really cook that much to use them in.
When I make soup I go wild with the stuff from the yard. I also have the walking onions and love to use them when I cook.
Sandra

OK what are walking onions? I love leeks and fried Onion stalks.

Lavina

Here is the plant file link to them.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31430/

these have been around a long time, some of the older folks used to use the tiny onions that make on the top of the stalk to pickle. The stalk gets heavy with the little onions at the top and falls to the ground and takes root, where it gets the name-walking- I usually take mine off and plant them where I want them.
They have a very good flavor-like green onions if you use the young stalks. When they get big enough to make little onions the stalk is too tough to use like green onions. You can pull the bulbs if you wish, but they are usually small. they have a great flavor also.
Sandra

LOL on the singed eyebrows Lavina .... been there and had it done to me!

Sandra, I am a touchy, feely gardener ~ will nibble too but only when I know it is edible. A favorite for both smell & feel it Lambs Ears. I love them. Smell & taste has to be lemon something.

I do have the walking onions too and think they are neat but prefer the multiplier onions to eat. How do you do the fried onion stalks?

Last year, someone on DG was trying garlic in pots. I wonder if that worked out.

Podster - I don't see why not. You'd need a big pot and you'd need something stable so it wouldn't tip over when the garlic is mature; those are the only issues I see.

Pod, I had no idea you could eat Lambs Ear. I have been found touching and rubbing on it on occasion, but never nibbled on it, do you use it in any cooking?
I usually taste the mints, but that is about all I taste unless it is cooked.
Sandra

NO, No, no ... I didn't mean I ate it ~ sorry. I just love the feel and smell of it. That's one I wouldn't sneak up on sampling, sorry.

I'll nibble dill, fennel, onion greens, mints ~ that is as long as I know the dogs haven't been helping water them! LOL

edited to add, Quick ~ if you ate some, stick your finger down the throat and urp!!! 8 ( l really don't know if they are edible.

This message was edited Aug 26, 2008 7:34 PM

I didn't give in to the urge-lol--only because I haven't been outside --lol

Yes, Jerry tells me all the time he saw the dog by my mint bed
Sandra

Well according to this its for fruit salad so no worries podster. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Herbs-720/Lamb-Ear.htm

Well how about that, see I could have eaten some, but I didn't have any fruit salad. I was amazed to see on this forum about using pineapple sage in pound cake.
Sandra

Un ~Unh! If it stops the flow of blood, I ain't sure I wanna be grazing on it ~ Leroy! I need to do some more reading.

I have quite a few reference books and find no listing for Stachys ~ lambs ear as a food source. I wonder if Leroy was thinking of lambs quarters which is eaten as a salad green. I am more cautious than that. Think I'll go graze on the TX tarragon or fennel. 8 )

This message was edited Aug 26, 2008 9:32 PM