Farmer’s Market Finds: Fresh Garlic

“Fresh garlic? Are you sure those aren’t onions?” That’s what I asked the nice lady who stopped us at the farmer’s market to tell us how darling Rocco is. We exchanged some niceties and then she mentioned that we had to try this farmer’s fresh garlic. So we ventured over to the farmer’s stand and were allured by the sweet smell of the fresh garlic. We love trying new things, so we grabbed a few stalks, looking for ones with big bulbs.

Unlike the garlic you see in your supermarket, fresh garlic is milder and subtler than dried. According to this article, fresh garlic is fleeting, so you have to grab it while you can. Plus, you won’t find it in your supermarket.

So how do you use it? Well, it can be thinly sliced or minced and added to salads or dressings, or sautéed and used with veggies or meat, just as you would dried garlic.

We crushed ours and threw it in the slow cooker with a pork shoulder. It added just subtle garlic notes to the pork. We also created this garlic spread, which will be great to cook with or to spread on bread or make bruschetta. Have you seen or used fresh garlic? I’d love to hear about your experiences!

Fresh Garlic Spread

Ingredients:

• Membranes from two heads of fresh garlic
• 3 cups of water
• High quality extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:

Peel the garlic and remove the membranes from the garlic cloves. Fill a medium sauce pan half full of water.  Bring the water to a simmer. Once simmering, add the garlic membranes and let cook until the water returns to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Drain and let cool for 1 hour.

In a food processor or blender, add the membranes and slowly add olive oil as the membranes are processing. The membranes and olive oil should create a mayonnaise-like texture and a light golden yellow color. Add kosher salt to taste. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.