‘Stinking Rose’: Whiff of Culinary Stardom

There was once a time when garlic was consumed mainly for medicinal purposes. From ancient Egypt to 16th-Century Paris, garlic held a hallowed place in the annals of herbal medicine. Furthermore, inhabitants of the Balkan countries believed that rubbing a freshly cut clove around doors and windowsills was the best way to keep vampires at bay.

These days the “stinking rose” has attained culinary stardom in this country. American garlic consumption has increased by leaps and bounds over the past decade, thanks in part to the overwhelming popularity of Mediterranean cuisines which rely heavily on the bulb for flavor.

Mexican purple, California early, Chinese and the oversized elephant are the garlic specialties of Miguel Uribe of Integrity Produce in Valley Center.

Depending on the season, the farmer rotates his 40 acres of garlic between Valley Center and Imperial Valley. This allows him to get the Mexican and Chinese varieties to market as early as April.

“We strive for a strong-flavored garlic like the Mexican purple and the California early,” Uribe said. June brings tennis-ball size bulbs of elephant garlic, the least pungent of the lot.

This has been a banner year for insects, says Uribe, a 15-year resident of Valley Center and a certified organic grower: “We had trouble with nematodes, thrips, and fungus and bacteria, but we were able to treat all of that organically.” Uribe uses biological and mechanical pest-control methods, insect traps, and beneficial insects. He also formulates and mixes his own compost with fish emulsion and seaweed. This year, in addition to selling fresh garlic, Integrity Produce is manufacturing three-garlic braids labeled “Garlic, Nature’s Powerful Healer.” Both products are available at several North County farmers’ markets.

Margie Oakes of Oakes Knoll Ranch in Fallbrook, concentrates on the California white, and the red varieties. Many of Oakes’ customers favor the California white as a natural medicine. Cooks, on the other hand, seem to prefer the stronger-flavored red.

Producing fresh garlic requires months of attention, a major drawback for local growers. Growing garlic tends to tie up land for long times and requires a good share of water.

The slow-growing bulb takes almost a year to reach marketable size, explains Oakes, who plants hers in August for a June harvest. At harvest time, each bulb is pulled before it goes to seed. Pickers then collect the bulbs and set them under the shade of one of the Oakes Knoll ranch’s imposing oaks. They remain there to dry for several weeks.

“You can’t wet a garlic bulb after it’s been dried, or it will mold,” Oakes said. She hires a crew of workers to brush away all trace dirt from each bulb with a hand-held toothbrush. Once clean, Oakes’ garlic is ready to be braided, or to be sold in bulk.

Christopher Ranch in Gilroy is the largest garlic grower in the United States. In 1979, company president Don Christopher co-founded what has become Gilroy’s annual Garlic Festival.

There is no mistaking the Santa Clara County ranch’s claim to fame upon driving through the gates. A pungent smell of garlic hangs over the compound like a fragrant blanket. Inside large warehouses, conveyor belts hum from morning until night to chop and crush close to 24 million pounds of garlic a year. Before reaching this stage, the bulb is mechanically cut beneath the surface of the soil. The bulbs are then pulled out by hand and laid out to dry in wind rows.

After the initial sun-drying, bulbs must be topped, hand-gathered and dumped into large bins before being graded according to size. From here, Christopher Ranch’s garlic is shipped across the nation and overseas.

A short distance from Christopher Ranch is Garlic World, a garlic superstore that attracts a good share of garlic-lovers from around the world. The store on U.S. 101 is owned by Carolyn Tognetti.

Garlic should not be refrigerated but stored in a cool, well-ventilated place, away from sunlight. The taste of garlic becomes milder the longer it is cooked.

Integrity Produce, Escondido and Oceanside. Price depends on availability. Garlic Braids available at markets, from $2.25 to $8.50 depending on size.

Margie Oakes, Oakes Knoll Ranch, P.O. Box 252, Fallbrook CA 92028. (619) 728-9158. Will have garlic through end of the year. Piked and dried. Sells by bulb or in braids at Vista Farmer’s market.

Christopher Ranch, Gilroy CA. 95020. (408) 847-1100. Christopher Ranch label in major supermarkets.

Garlic World, 4800 Monterey Highway (U.S. 101), Gilroy, CA. 95020. (800) 537-6122.

Fresh Garlic Assn., P.O. Box 2410, Sausalito CA. 94966-2410. (415) 383-5057. Newsletter and recipes.