The complete book of garlic: a guide for gardeners, growers, and serious cooks
Description
An essential element in cuisines around the world, garlic enjoys near mythic status among cooks, chefs, foodies, and enthusiasts of natural remedies. Worldwide, garlic cultivation occupies over 2 million acres of farmland, an area that has more than doubled since 1970. Yet even garlic fanciers may be unable to tell hardneck from softneck, or Purple Stripe from Rocambole, not to mention the hundreds of cultivated varieties grown today, many with distinct differences in taste and character.
In fact, the wealth of garlic varieties in nearly a dozen horticultural groups rivals that of corn, carrots, apples, and peaches. This book is the most comprehensive and in-depth guide available to what surely should be the next gourmet frontier. From 'Ajo Rojo' to 'Zemo', Meredith presents illustrated profiles of nearly 150 cultivars. Detailed chapters cover natural history, the history of garlic in cultivation, the nuances of cuisine and culture, therapeutic benefits, plant structure, how to cultivate, curing and storage, taxonomy, pests and diseases, and chemistry.
Especially useful are the Quick Guides, which summarize information on growing and buying garlic and provide recommendations for the best-tasting cultivars for specific uses and climates. Lists of garlic sources and organizations are a boon to the aficionado. Whether you share Ted Jordan Meredith's "garlic affliction" or just find the pungent bulb indispensable, you'll understand it as never before with this meticulously researched, lovingly written exploration.
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Published Reviews
Library Journal Review
Meredith modestly refers to himself as a "gatherer and assembler" of information rather than an expert. But he's a garlic aficionado whose verve and thoroughness are evident in this outstanding work, much the way his skills were clear in his Bamboo for Gardens, which won the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Literature Award in the general interest category. A passionate home grower and consumer of garlic, Meredith cites not only his personal experience but also numerous scientific studies while writing of garlic's natural history, structure, cultivation, taxonomy, diseases, and chemistry. He highlights garlic's influence on economics and various cultures; there are chapters on its importance as both a medicine and as a food (though this book does not supplant garlic cookbooks). A directory organized by horticultural groups includes 150 cultivars widely available in North America. "Quick Guides" list the author's favorite cultivars for specific needs like "early harvesting" or "exceptionally large cloved." Beautifully illustrated, and one of the most comprehensive garlic books in recent years, this is highly recommended for larger public libraries and for all horticultural libraries.--Bonnie Poquette, Milwaukee (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Library Journal Reviews
Meredith modestly refers to himself as a "gatherer and assembler" of information rather than an expert. But he's a garlic aficionado whose verve and thoroughness are evident in this outstanding work, much the way his skills were clear in his Bamboo for Gardens , which won the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Literature Award in the general interest category. A passionate home grower and consumer of garlic, Meredith cites not only his personal experience but also numerous scientific studies while writing of garlic's natural history, structure, cultivation, taxonomy, diseases, and chemistry. He highlights garlic's influence on economics and various cultures; there are chapters on its importance as both a medicine and as a food (though this book does not supplant garlic cookbooks). A directory organized by horticultural groups includes 150 cultivars widely available in North America. "Quick Guides" list the author's favorite cultivars for specific needs like "early harvesting" or "exceptionally large cloved." Beautifully illustrated, and one of the most comprehensive garlic books in recent years, this is highly recommended for larger public libraries and for all horticultural libraries.—Bonnie Poquette, Milwaukee
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