The softball-sized bulbs of elephant garlic come as a surprise to those who don’t know about this leek relative. Instead of growing a solid bulb like a leek, the plants form a bulb that looks like giant cloves of garlic. Those cloves taste a little milder than real garlic but can be used in all the same ways. For those who find regular garlic too strong, elephant garlic is a great alternative.
Unlike garlic with its hundreds of varieties, there’s only one variety of elephant garlic. Greg Brown of Greenleaf Farm in Barnesville an hour south of Atlanta has been growing elephant garlic for the past four or five years. He says his customers like it so much that he grows about 200 feet of it each year.
But this spring’s cool, rainy weather defeated his elephant garlic crop. When he went to harvest, the bulbs had rotted. Brown sells his vegetables at the Decatur Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons. On Saturday mornings he has a booth at the Decatur market as well as the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.
Brown planted his elephant garlic in October, and by mid-June he should have had elephant garlic to sell.
Nicolas Donck of Crystal Organic Farm had better luck with his crop and is selling it at the Morningside Farmers Market.
The garlic is harvested by hand and laid out to dry. It takes about a month for it to dry enough for good storage. Fresh elephant garlic should keep about a month while the dried bulbs will keep much longer.
How do you decide when you want to use elephant garlic? Elephant garlic works well in recipes when you want a more subtle, sweet flavor than regular garlic. Brown suggests it works well as a raw ingredient in salad dressing; use a microplane for quick preparation.
The large size of the cloves makes them a natural for roasting. They maintain their shape well when baked and are delicious, served warm and spread on bread or crackers.
When you’re buying elephant garlic, look for firm bulbs with a dry, papery covering. Elephant garlic doesn’t store as long as regular garlic because it has a higher sugar content. Use it within a month or so. If you’re cooking with it, you’ll find it may brown even faster than regular garlic because of that extra sugar.
At local farmers markets
Cooking demos:
Check website for special July 4 hours. Thursday, July 4. Chef Seth Freedman of Forage and Flame offers demos throughout the market. East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.farmeav.com
9 a.m. Saturday, July 6. Chef Todd Ginsberg, The General Muir, working with garlic. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, July 6. Chef Suzanne Vizethann, Buttermilk Kitchen. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
11 a.m. Sunday, July 7. Chefs Meherwan Irini and Daniel Peach, Chai Pani. Grant Park Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.grantparkmarket.org
For sale
Vegetables and fruit: arugula, Asian greens, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, broccoli raab, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, collards, cucumbers, dandelion, eggplant, fennel, garlic, green beans, green garlic, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, pea tendrils, peaches, peppers, potatoes, radishes, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, squash blossoms, strawberries, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips
From local reports
Twice-Baked Potatoes with Elephant Garlic
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Serves: 4
The mild flavor of elephant garlic pairs perfectly with potatoes.
1 head elephant garlic
2 russet potatoes (about 12 ounces each), scrubbed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel away papery outer layers of garlic but don’t peel cloves. Cut 1/2-inch off top of head to expose tops of garlic cloves. Wrap head in foil. Arrange garlic and potatoes on a baking sheet.
Bake potatoes and garlic and remove when soft. Garlic may be ready in 45 minutes. Potatoes will take about an hour. Leave oven on.
When potatoes are baked through, remove from oven and slice in half. Carefully scoop out potato, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Put potato insides in a medium bowl. Put potato halves back on baking sheet.
Squeeze baked garlic from skins into bowl with potato insides. Add Parmesan, butter and yogurt. Mix thoroughly; season to taste and fill potato shells with potato mixture.
Return to oven and bake 10 minutes or until top begins to brown. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 228 calories (percent of calories from fat, 29), 7 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 8 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 20 milligrams cholesterol, 111 milligrams sodium.
