Unusual Vegetable Plants

Garlic - Allium Sativum

The French have always claimed that Garlic had medicinal qualities, but as with many old fashioned remedies British medicine traditionally scorned the idea a little and put it down as another "old wives tale." The world of fiction went further and has always said that Garlic had other qualities as it was good, or rather bad for vampires, declaring that it was one way of keeping them away. Now however, modern medicine has accepted that some of its reputed medicinal qualities have a basis in truth.

A member of the onion family Garlic is easy to grow, but the bulbs should be split into individual cloves before planting and should be planted more deeply than onions. Mature heads should be harvested in the  late Summer and not allowed to run to seed. Of course Garlic is used as a flavouring and not a vegetable like an onion. It is the oils, that are best released when the Garlic is crushed, (not chopped) that give it it's strong flavour. If you like it's pungent flavour, that can only be described as an acquired taste, it is well worth growing some Garlic, because it is quite expensive to buy in the U.K. and relatively easy to grow.

Full heads of Garlic or bulbs, can readily be bought from almost any greengrocers, but it is best to buy them in packets as you would Onion sets from a GC. Not all Garden Centres sell Garlic heads, but they are becoming more popular and available and you will have guaranteed quality. Also you will be sure that the bulbs will be suitable for growing in the UK, unlike bulbs bought in a greengrocers that are meant for eating and have possibly been grown in a warmer climate.

Allium Ampeloprasum -Elephant Garlic.
Elephant Garlic is not a “true,” Garlic and is much more closely related to Leeks. Although milder than normal Garlic, it does have the same distinctive flavour and the same growing habit of forming a bulb made up of many individual Cloves that can easily be separated. The main difference to true Garlic, though, as it’s name suggests, is the sheer size that mature bulbs will grow to. An individual Clove of Elephant Garlic can be nearly as big as a whole bulb of normal Garlic and the mature size for an Elephant Garlic bulb is some 4 inches or more in diameter. Another plus point in it’s favour is that due to it’s milder flavour, it can be treated more like a vegetable, roasted and eaten whole, rather than just being used as a flavouring as with normal Garlic.