Sun, Jul 05, 2009
 After garlic is harvested at the Agua Linda Farm, it is laid out in rows to dry for a day or two, depending on the heat. photos by A.E. Araiza / arizona daily star
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Pungent local produceArizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.18.2008
Try cooking without onions and garlic. It can be done, but oh, my! Do they ever add a flavorful punch to an otherwise ordinary dish.
Which brings to mind the fact that this is the time to find fresh, locally grown garlic and onions — particularly sweet onions — for sale around town.
And because they're fresh, they'll add an extra flavor fillip to your cooking.
The Food Conspiracy Co-op on North Fourth Avenue stocks produce — including garlic and onions — grown in the Tucson area. Farms around the area are pulling the pungent stuff from the grounds. One Aqua Linda Farm, is planning a Garlic Festival.
We offer a bit of history, some lore, cooking tips and information on local growers.
Facts about onions
There are two major categories of dry onions: storage and sweet.
Storage onions last longer because they are low in water and high in sulfur. They're harvested in late summer and stored in warehouses, making them available any time of year.
Sweet onions — including Vidalias, Mauis, Walla Walla and the Texas Sweets grown at Agua Linda Farm in Amado — are harvested in the spring and early summer.
They're lower in sulfur's pyruvic acid (the substance that makes you cry) and have a very high water content, making them much milder.
Called "short-day" onions, because they grow in fall and winter, sweets are fresher and have a shorter shelf life.
facts about garlic
Worldwide, more than 300 varieties of garlic are grown, but in the United States the most common is the American, according to About.com.
It has a white, papery skin and a strong flavor, as opposed to Italian and Mexican garlic, which have pink to purple skins and are milder.
Garlic available in the Tucson area is mostly the American variety, although Shilla, an Asiatic variety, and Ajo Rojo, a Creole garlic also called Mexican Purple, are grown here.
The latter two are grown by Forever Yong Farms in Amado and carried by the Food Conspiracy Co-op and the Santa Cruz Farmers Market, open 4-7 p.m. Thursdays on Speedway west of Interstate-10.
Some things to keep in mind when cooking with garlic:
• Cooked or baked garlic cloves have a sweet, mild, almost nutty flavor and can be used in desserts such as brownies and ice cream.
• Raw garlic is strong, and the thinner you slice or dice it, the stronger the flavor becomes.
• Be careful not to burn garlic because that gives it an intensely bitter flavor.
Onion and garlic lore
• Onions were cultivated in China 5,000 years ago. The word "onion" comes from the Middle English "unyun," which came from the French "oignon." That came from the Latin "unio," meaning "one," because onions grow as single bulbs.
• Garlic dates back more than 6,000 years, and the name is from the Old English word "garleac," which means spear leek. It is native to Central Asia.
• George Washington liked his onions cored, stuffed with mincemeat and baked like an apple.
• In the Middle Ages, onions were valued so highly that they were accepted as rent payment and given as wedding gifts.
• Garlic was so highly prized that it was used as currency. It also was thought to keep vampires at bay, protect against the Evil Eye and keep pregnant women and engaged maidens safe from terrorization by jealous nymphs.
• Garlic also was considered an aphrodisiac. (Presumably, it's cooked garlic they were talking about. Should you eat raw garlic, munch some fresh parsley afterward; it's said to neutralize that pungent breath.)
• In centuries past, "cultured" classes in Britain and the United States disdained the use of garlic. That lasted well into the 20th century in America. Now Americans consume more than 250 million pounds of garlic annually.
• Over the past decade, Americans have increased the amount of onions they eat by 50 percent — to almost 18 pounds per year — as they look for low-fat, low-salt foods that also taste good.
Here's to good health
• Ancient Egyptian sailors ate onions to prevent scurvy, while athletes in ancient Greece relied on onions for strength during the Olympic Games. They ate pounds of onions, drank the juice and rubbed their bodies with them. (Presumably, spectators sat upwind.)
• In ancient Egypt, onions were used to treat more than 8,000 ailments, and Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed them as a diuretic and to treat wounds and pneumonia.
• Modern studies show that onions are good for you — in part because they contain sulfur and quercetin, which help neutralize free radicals in the body and protect cell membranes from damage.
• The American Heart Association says onions, like garlic, help prevent thrombosis and reduce hypertension.
• Ancient Greeks and Romans used garlic to keep scorpions away and to treat dog bites, bladder infections, leprosy and asthma.
• Raw garlic's allicin is known to kill 23 types of bacteria, while heated garlic's diallyldisulphide-oxide prevents arterial clotting.
• Garlic contains vitamins A, B and C, which help the body fight carcinogens and get rid of toxins. Its sulfur compounds also can help regulate blood-sugar metabolism and stimulate blood circulation in the nervous system.
• Many cultures regard garlic as a natural alternative to Viagra.
● Contact reporter Rosalie Crowe at 573-4105 or at rcrowe@azstarnet.com.
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